For Rob Myers, preparing farmers for a productive future is a top priority. With over $40 million in funding, his center is transforming farming techniques in Missouri and beyond.

For centuries, American farmers have strived to produce more crops. In recent years, challenges such as an unpredictable climate and shifts in consumer demands and agricultural policy have ramped up the pressure for farmers to grow even more. Rob Myers, the director of the University of Missouri’s Center of Regenerative Agriculture, has solutions — for Missouri and the rest of the country.

Since opening in 2021, the center has already attracted more than $40 million in resources to support programs implementing cover crops, silvopasture, regenerative grazing and more with the goal of setting Missouri farmers up for a stable and productive future.

Soyon Park is testing a novel method for genome editing using parasitic plants.

Draves is pursuing a Ph.D. in plant, insect and microbial sciences.

What is your research focus?

My research is focused on characterizing maize (corn) heirlooms from the United States. Heirloom maize was primarily used for human and livestock consumption before hybrid corn became readily available to US farmers. I am conducting the first systematic characterization of these populations by collecting phenotypic and genotypic data on 990 heirloom accessions from across the US. In the future, this data set will help identify which heirlooms are adapted to specific growing conditions across the US and which have interesting grain characteristics that make them useful for culinary, beverage, or other industrial purposes.

Why does this field interest you?

I really enjoy my specific project and plant breeding in general because I get to spend time outside working in the field and every day is a new challenge. I enjoy working with heirlooms because they have a huge historical and scientific significance that can be impactful to both the scientific community and the public.

Why did you decide to come to Mizzou?

My lab and department are extremely supportive and welcoming. When I was interviewing and touring for graduate school, everyone I met at Mizzou was incredibly helpful and invested in my academic and professional success. The community that I have found through my lab, department, and the IPG (Interdisciplinary Plant Group) has helped me immensely throughout my degree program.

What are your future career plans?

In the future, I see myself working primarily in the agriculture industry. I have a few different pathways that I envision for my future career, including working as a plant breeder at a small company or a data scientist at a larger company.

Who is your advisor?

My advisors are Dr. Sherry Flint-Garcia with United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) and Dr. David Braun, director of IPG and professor of plant science and technology.

Are you interested in finding funding for your project? This virtual session at 1 p.m., Sept. 13, will guide researchers through various resources and tools that are useful for identifying funding opportunities and collaborators, including:

• Pivot
• NIH RePORTER
• UM Scholar’s database
• NSF’s proposal search tool
• Dimensions

These tools enable researchers to easily find funding opportunities, set up custom and automatic search queries and to develop a network of potential collaborators. Facilitators will describe the uses of each resource, demonstrate basic, and some advanced, functions, and provide insights on which tool is most useful for various needs.

This session is appropriate for researchers from all disciplines and those interested in funding from any source. Some tools and resources covered are specific to the NIH or NSF, and some, such as Pivot, are applicable to most researchers. Come learn about the resources available to you, as well as how to use them to your advantage when seeking funding for an idea.

Register to attend.

The fourth annual CAFNR Research Symposium and Aureomycin anniversary celebration is set for September 30-October 1, 2024, at Memorial Union.

The Symposium will showcase how CAFNR students, post-docs, faculty and staff are working to create a healthy world. The symposium will be held Tuesday, Oct. 1, and will feature lightning talks, a poster session, research presentations and more. Undergraduate and graduate students are encouraged to register to present a poster, lightening talk or both.

The keynote speaker will be David Lytle, Deputy Chief, Forest Research & Development, USDA-Forest Service.

A special event celebrating the 75^th anniversary of the clinical potential of Aureomycin, the first tetracycline, a “wonder-drug” antibiotic discovered in the soil of Mizzou’s own Sanborn Field, will kick off the symposium on Monday, Sept. 30. Speakers will showcase the important connection between the health of our soil, food and world.

Keynote speakers include Terry Cosby (invited), National Resources Conservation Services Chief, and Samiran Banerjee, assistant professor of microbiological sciences at North Dakota State University and member of the National Academy of Sciences’ Committee on Exploring Linkages Between Soil Health and Human Health.

Register to present a talk or a poster by Sept. 13; register to attend by Sept. 20.

Event details will continue to be updated online: Aureomycin Celebration | Research Symposium.

We hope you will join us to celebrate this important discovery milestone and see how CAFNR’s research continues to aid our world today.

Register now to present at the MU Center for Energy Innovation Symposium, an all-day research symposium exploring energy and sustainability systems. This symposium will bring together experts in energy innovation with the scientists, engineers, and policy scholars exploring this fast-growing space for research, education, and outreach.

The symposium will be 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024, at Memorial Union, room N201, with a reception and poster session to follow from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Memorial Union Stotler Lounge. Lunch will be provided.

Register now to present a poster.

Vice chancellor and dean Christopher Daubert takes over as IFT president

Christopher Daubert, vice chancellor and dean of the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources at the University of Missouri, became the 85th president of the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), effective Sept. 1, 2024.

IFT is a nonprofit scientific organization committed to advancing the science of food and its application across the global food system. Daubert is an IFT fellow and previously served as chair of the Food Engineering division. He was also a member-at-large of IFT’s Dogwood section in North Carolina.

“IFT brings together all of my professional interests – educating excellent students; creating healthy, safe and sustainable food products; and advocating for the importance and impact of the field of food science,” said Daubert. “I am humbled and grateful to take over as President of such an outstanding organization, and I look forward to leading with energy, integrity, and excitement for IFT’s future!”

CAFNR faculty members have received the following recent grants (listed by Principal Investigator):

Lisa Webb, Data Analysis Supporting Waterfowl Distribution Projects with HAPET, US Fish and Wildlife Service, 7/15/2024-7/14/2025, $45,472.79

Theodoros Skevas, Corn and Soybean Basis Spread Implied by the USDA Long-Run Projections, Ag Marketing Service, 8/15/2024-12/31/2025, $107,109

Kiho Lee, Enhancing The Value of Pigs for Agriculture and Biomedical Applications By Using Novel Genome Editing Strategies Supplement, NIH, 7/1/2024-6/30/2025, $391,250

Neil Fox, MOHIC: Quantitative Precipitation Nowcasting for Missouri, Missouri Department of Natural Resources, 8/22/2024-12/31/2026, $353,689

Hannah Hemmelgarn, Enhancing Agroforestry Technical Assistance & Training for Midwest Working Lands, The Corps Network, 6/15/2024-9/30/2025, 120,700.24

Kelly Nelson, 2024 POLY4 Source, Rate and Planting Time Soybean-K Fertility Trial Missouri, Anglo American Woodsmith LTD, 4/15/2024-1/31/2025, $28,728

Zhang, Ruojie, Microencapsulation of Enzymes Using Zooming® Process: Characterization, Survival after In Vitro Digestion, and Storage Stability, ZoomEssence, Inc., 9/1/2024-3/31/2025, $24,225

More Than 50% of Ag Economists Now Think the U.S. Ag Economy is Already in a Recession
eDairyNews

Swine specialist says biosecurity biggest protection from H5N1 in pigs
Morning Ag Clips

First case of red crown rot confirmed in Missouri
Farm Progress

Corn-damaging insects are infecting crops in Missouri and Oklahoma for first time
KBIA

2024 Southern Soybean Breeders Tour to spotlight Mid-South’s opportunities, challenges
Stuttgart Daily Leader

Missouri forests play role in long-term carbon storage
Morning Ag Clips

Northeast Missouri is expected to have positive crop progress
WGEM

MU study looks at poultry litter’s impact on soybean yields
Poultry Producer

MU Tomato Festival is Sept. 5 at Jefferson Farm and Garden
Morning Ag Clips

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Twitter: @CAFNRResearch

LinkedIn: Mizzou College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources