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LINCOLN — The Sower is here to stay.

The design of the state’s new standard license plate is final and the plates are in production, according to the Governor’s Office. They will start rolling out in January.

After Gov. Pete Ricketts unveiled the new plates this week, concern rippled across the state that the design is underwhelming at best and bordering on inappropriate at worst.

The plate features the Sower, a statue atop the State Capitol, pulling grain from a pouch and throwing it. But critics say the image, as designed, carries a sexual connotation.

The plate also has a navy blue stripe across the top, “Nebraska” in gold lettering, and the years 1867 and 2017, nodding to Nebraska’s 150th birthday next year.

They will replace the plates featuring a goldenrod sprig and meadowlark, the state flower and state bird.