Nearly a decade ago, and just one year into his teaching career at the University of Missouri, Jon Simonsen traveled with a handful of MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR) faculty and administrators to Chillicothe, Mo. The purpose of the trip was to meet with board members of the Jerry Litton Family Memorial Foundation, which was created…
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Q&A With Alex Munoz
Munoz is the student support specialist in the Division of Plant Sciences
What are your job duties/job responsibilities in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources? I’m the student support specialist for the Division of Plant Sciences where I am the main point of contact for prospective students who are interested in our programs. I work to help with Division of Plant Sciences’ recruitment and outreach efforts as well as help…
Focused on a Safe and Comfortable Return
Trowbridge renovations, other venues open up socially-distanced classroom space for CAFNR students
As the University of Missouri prepares to open its doors for the 2020 fall semester, the MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR) has spent the past four months making sure the return for its faculty, staff and students will be done safely and according to the Show Me Renewal Plan. An academic operations team comprising one individual…
Meeting His Goals
Ronald Revord earns grant for nearly $1 million to work with chestnut growers
When Ronald Revord joined the University of Missouri last year, he arrived with lofty goals in mind. Revord wasted no time in getting to work, either. Revord spent his first three months on the job working on and submitting a grant proposal to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) focused on establishing a participant network to characterize genetic diversity…
Gardeners Make Community Impact
Greene County Master Gardeners donate fresh grown produce to local food pantries
Those who have planted gardens feel that they have “done something for the good of the whole world,” wrote American author Charles Dudley Warner in 1871. For Greene County Master Gardeners Maryfrances DiGirolamo and James Hilburn, gardening has become a way to give back to their community, doing “something for the good of the world.” They use their University of…
Making a Difference for Communities in Need
Melody Muldrow named George Washington Carver Graduate Fellow
It all started with a high school economics book. Melody Muldrow’s passion for economics was born when a high school teacher gave her an economics textbook to prepare for a city-wide high school economics competition. She spent an entire weekend thumbing through the book, soaking in as much information as she could. Muldrow was instantly hooked. “Economics would forever change…
Keeping Consumers Safe
MU Extension and partners offer online training for Midwest produce growers
Produce contamination accounts for an estimated 46% of foodborne illnesses across the United States each year — a serious issue affecting health, the economy and society as a whole. Even in the midst of the current pandemic, safety training for produce farmers is not only vital, but required for many, said MU Extension horticulture field specialist Patrick Byers. To combat contamination issues, the federal…
Tracking Two Bird Species
Mitch Weegman recently received $2.4 million in funding to track wild turkeys, black ducks
Two bird species – black duck and wild turkey – are incredibly important to the regions where they are commonly found. Those species are also well studied; however, there is a period of time during the summer where research is lacking. Mitch Weegman, an assistant professor in the School of Natural Resources, is looking to track both species’ whereabouts during…
History in Bloom
MU Floral and Woodland Garden marks 40th anniversary
Successful efforts by a handful of energetic horticulture students in the late 1970s led to the planning and execution of an ambitious garden project located next to MU’s Agriculture Building. The space was dedicated as the Woodland and Floral Garden in April 1980. A public celebration to mark the garden’s 40th anniversary and rededicate what remains of the original landscape…
An Investment in Animal Reproduction Research
Division of Animal Sciences receives nearly $1.5 million in funding from USDA-NIFA
The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) recently announced an investment of $6.2 million in animal reproduction research. Nearly $1.5 million of that investment is coming to the University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources’ (CAFNR) Division of Animal Sciences. A total of 14 awards were handed out to 11…