I hope you enjoyed a great spring break. We are now less than a month away from commencement – the best day in the life of a university!

CAFNR will celebrate 2021 graduates in person with three, socially-distanced ceremonies on Saturday, May 15. Note also that Mizzou will recognize 2020 graduates with ceremonies this coming weekend. Visit commencement.missouri.edu for links if you wish to view the ceremonies via livestream. Tickets are required to attend in person, and each graduating student will be given six tickets for family and friends.

CAFNR’s leadership team is working closely with HES leadership regarding the transitions of Personal Financial Planning and Nutrition and Exercise Physiology into our college. We look forward to working with our colleagues in new and exciting ways on our Drive to Distinction.

Annual meetings with the research center advisory boards wrapped up earlier this month. Conversations continue regarding the Missouri Agricultural Experiment Station restructure. President Choi launched MOAES Forward, with a report deadline of June 15 and implementation beginning July 1.

We are beginning to plan for CAFNR’s presence at the Missouri State Fair this summer. Contact James Hundle if you are interested.

I enjoyed meeting Monty Eitel, the new director of operations and marketing for Missouri Foundation Seeds, earlier this month. I also attended a virtual meeting of the Council of Food Science Administrators on April 16. I will be meeting with the Missouri Beef Industry Council Board next week.

Make plans to join us Wednesday for our third and final spring CAFNR Faculty and Staff meeting. The featured speakers will be Senior Associate Dean Bryan Garton and Interim Chief Development Officer Brent McCauley.

Thursday, our alumnus Brett Begemann, chief operating officer of Bayer Crop Science, will be the keynote speaker at the Mizzou showcase hosted by the Agricultural Business Council of Kansas City. CAFNR Associate Dean Rob Kallenbach will also present. Registration is required at agbizkc.com.

This afternoon at 4 p.m. the School of Natural Resources hosts the 2021 Albrecht Earth Day Lecture, focused on Indigenous reciprocal relationships with the land and soil. Speakers include Jaquetta Shade-Johnson, PhD, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation (ᏣᎳᎩᎯ ᎠᏰᎵ) and an assistant professor at the University of Missouri in the Department of English and the School of Visual Studies’ Digital Storytelling Program. Ed Smith will also speak (Osage Descent), and his passion lies in the resurgence of traditional food systems and food sovereignty. Registration is required.

Let’s finish the semester strong! I am proud of all we have accomplished together despite an unusual year.

CAFNR Proud,

Christopher R. Daubert, Ph.D.
CAFNR Vice Chancellor & Dean

Claire Shipp, an agribusiness management major, was recently named a 2021 Truman Scholar. A total of 62 college students from 51 United States colleges and universities were selected as Truman Scholars this year. Truman Scholars demonstrate outstanding leadership potential, a commitment to a career in government or the nonprofit sector, and academic excellence.

UM System establishes new youth program policy and requirements. Beginning April 2021, applicable on-site and online youth programs will comply with the Protections of Minors policy and its related requirements, including:

1. Submitting program in advance to the UM System Youth Program Registry.
2. Screening requirements for adults staffing the program.
3. Training and/or orientation requirements for program staff and youth participants.
4. Certain standard forms, including a notice to parents/guardians.

Policy requirements and resources are outlined on the UM System Protection of Minors webpage. Program coordinators can access the youth program registry portal, a full-service tool for submitting programs and initiating screenings and trainings. Live and on-demand learning opportunities are available.

CAFNR is participating in a system-wide virtual hiring fair with MS&T, UMSL, and UMKC from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, April 27, via the Career Fair Plus platform in an effort to assist our students in securing full-time career and internship possibilities. Learn more at calendar.missouri.edu.

Entries due today for The Great CAFNR Bake-Off! How can you have a cooking contest during a pandemic? No problem! Just send CAFNR Staff Council a picture of your completed dish, a description of the meal as if reviewed in a restaurant (use adjectives like earthy, zesty, crumbly, fizzy), and the recipe. Please send in your name and your entry by April 19 (that’s today!) so that they can make sure they have enough time to present and judge the dishes. The panel of esteemed judges will pick their favorites and present the winners by Zoom April 23. Staff Council will send a menu of prizes to the winner of each category so they can select their own award. We’ll all get a prize with the PDF CAFNR Staff Cookbook they will compile with the entries! Submit entries to Cindy Greenwood by 5 p.m. today.

Congrats to the Deaton Scholar Program on a successful conference! More than 450 students and professionals from around the world tuned into the Deaton Institute’s inaugural Within Reach virtual conference April 12-15. The conference focused on inspiring and empowering students to take action against hunger now.