University of Missouri founded

Established in 1839, the University of Missouri was the first public university west of the Mississippi River. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress.

MU College of Agriculture and Mechanical Arts founded

First students enrolled

Mizzou tests new mass-produced plows

Mizzou tests new mass-produced plows and cultivators and shares results with farmers

Entomologist C.V. Riley helped save French wine industry with Missouri rootstock

J.W. Sanborn became dean

Hatch Act established agricultural experiment stations

Hatch Act established agricultural experiment stations at land-grant universities.

Agricultural Experiment Station (AES) was created within the college to develop the agricultural sciences by practical research

AES was created within the college to develop the agricultural sciences by practical research

College of Agriculture published bulletins to share research discoveries with farmers

Swallow Hall constructed

Natural resources and some ag classes were taught here. The building is named for the first dean of MU agriculture, George Swallow.

Agricultural Chemistry becomes first department in the College of Agriculture

H.J. Waters became dean

(1895-1909)

Dairy science building built

Later expanded and renamed Eckles Hall in honor of Clarence Henry Eckles in 1938

College adds to curriculum

Colleges adds dairy husbandry, animal husbandry, agronomy, farm management, field crops, soils and agricultural engineering to curriculum.

Animal husbandry department formed

In 1904 most Missouri farmers raised livestock, so the department worked closely with livestock producers. This trend of working with livestock producers has continued through the years.

Farmer’s Week began

Farmer’s Week was popular for decades until World War II when the draft and gasoline rationing affected attendance.

Home economics class

Dairy cow Chief Josephine produces a record 15,725 pounds of milk in one year

MU Extension spread research results to citizen of Missouri

College of Agriculture began research on soybeans

College of Agriculture begins research on soybeans, a $6 billion Missouri industry today.

College of Agriculture faculty answer 109,557 questions from Missouri farmers

Smith-Lever Act established

Smith-Lever Act established cooperative extension to inform about agriculture developments

M.F. Miller studies soil and water loss under different cropping systems

College’s Clover and Prosperity program fights soil erosion

Memorial Union’s first phase of construction completed

Today, the University of Missouri’s Memorial Union is a campus icon that remembers soldiers who died in battle. The concept came from a poem written by a MU College of Agriculture graduate who perished in World War I. Robert McGhee “Peaches” Graham (1892 – 1918) and his Army friends wrote the poem, which calls for the construction of a bell tower on the MU campus to memorialize the University’s war dead. Photo of Bell Tower construction courtesy University Archives.

Early Leaders of the College

Picture of the faculty of the Department of Animal Husbandry at the University of Missouri taken in 1928 or 1929. Front row (from left) – Jim Burch, Jim Foster, Frederick B. Mumford, EA Trowbridge, and Fred F. McKenzie; Middle row (from left) – L.A. Weaver, T.A. Ewing, A.G. Hogan, and D. Chittenden; Back row (from left) L.E. Casida (PhD student), H. Garlock, H. Moffett, and J.E. Comfort.

Mizzou Agricultural Library among largest in nation

Leonard Haseman and L.F. Childers perfect diet to protect bees

Leonard Haseman and L.F. Childers perfect a diet that protects bees from a disease that threatens to wipe out nation’s bee colonies.

E.A. Trowbridge became dean

(1945-1948)

First MU Livestock Judging Team with a female participant

Foremost Dairy Research Center was built through a generous donation from J.C. Penney

The center was named after his famous bull, Langwater Foremost.

Horticulture Research Center opens

The Horticulture Research Center became the Horticulture and Agroforestry Research Center (HARC) in 1995.

Thompson Farm established

Thompson Farm was established in 1955 through the will of Dr. George Drury, a retired dentist. The terms of the will prescribed that the farm should be “dedicated to public educational purposes in memory of Eulah Thompson Drury, Guy A. Thompson, Paschall W. Thompson and Olive F. Thompson.”

Delta Research Center opens in Portageville

Research began on herbicide Treflan

Ag Building dedicated

Forage Systems Research Center was established

The primary research objective is the development and evaluation of forage systems for all classes of beef cattle.

Department of Atmospheric Science formed

The new department was housed in Gentry Hall.

MU Animal Science Research Center construction began

Greenley Research Center dedicated after Hortense Greenley donates 700-acre farm

Max Lennon became dean

(1980-1983)

Roger Mitchell became dean

(1983-1998)

School of Natural Resources created

Ernie Soft Red Winter Wheat announced

The MU Center for Agroforestry established

The MU Center for Agroforestry is one of the world’s leading centers in agroforestry research.

Thomas L. Payne became dean

(1999-2016)

Randall Prather cloned first pig

Randall Prather cloned first pig in which a gene that causes human rejections “knocked out” of the DNA.

The Division of Plant Sciences formed

New division was formed through the consolidation of the former departments of Agronomy, Entomology, Horticulture, and Plant Microbiology and Pathology.

CAFNR enrollment surpasses 3,000 students

Mizzou’s $75 million woody biomass boiler goes online, replacing polluting coal

Drive to Distinction – CAFNR Strategic Plan Launched

Missouri is fortunate to have strong agriculture, natural resource, financial and healthcare industries as allied partners to provide CAFNR, as part of Missouri’s land-grant university, an opportunity to affect the lives of every citizen by providing unbiased, relevant and accessible education, information and resources.

CAFNR officially opens Land of the Osages Research Center

This new center, the first center to open in more than 30 years, will further research in agroforestry, a sustainability-focused system that combines trees and shrubs with crops.

CAFNR celebrates 150 years of serving Missouri and the world

On the Drive: Biennial Report 2021 Released

This report shows the progress made over the first two of the six years. Read the report