We are already a week into the fall semester and have kicked off our Research Centers’ Field Day season! Summer seemed to fly by this year, but they always do.

It’s fun to see campus busy with student activity. You might have heard that Mizzou’s preliminary enrollment numbers are very positive this fall. CAFNR’s preliminary fall enrollment is also up – we will wait until the 20th day of classes to share the official numbers with you. Student success is the first priority in our CAFNR Strategic Plan and we are energized by the quantity and quality of students choosing Mizzou and our college. Welcome to all of our new students – and our new faculty members!

Field Day season has kicked off and I am pleased to share that there will soon be a very important announcement impacting all of our research centers. HARC hosted its first ever Tomato Day Aug. 1. The Greenley Research Center’s event was Aug. 6, and tomorrow I will visit both Graves-Chapple and Hundley-Whaley Research Centers for their annual field days. This Friday is the 58th annual Fisher Delta Research Center Field Day. I am so proud of the research we do at our regional Agricultural Research Centers to help farmers, ranchers and natural resource managers across the state. Our land-grant mission is alive and well at these centers and these events!

The Missouri State Fair is a wonderful opportunity to catch up with alumni and friends of the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources. I enjoyed spending time with Missouri families at Farm Family Day and our alumni at the CAFNR Alumni Meet ‘n Greet at the Fair, and attending the Governor’s Wine Reception and Ham Breakfast. Also at the Fair, we kicked off listening sessions for the Missouri Food, Beverage and Forest Products Manufacturing Initiative. I am proud to be part of the task force for this important effort. More listening sessions are coming up in the next few weeks.

Tonight I will attend the KC Animal Health Corridor Homecoming Dinner with other CAFNR leaders, CAFNR alumni and friends including Dan Hegeman, Bob Thompson and Bruce and Tracey Mershon, and partners at the USDA. I appreciate our outstanding CAFNR alumni and friends and look forward to spending time with them!

I am pleased to share that I have named Bruce Barrett interim director of the Division of Plant Sciences. His appointment is effective Sept. 1. For many years Dr. Barrett has led research and Extension programs contributing significantly to the success of Missouri agriculture. He has also provided excellent mentorship and teaching to students throughout his career at the University of Missouri. Thanks to Dr. Barrett for being willing to serve the division and CAFNR in this capacity.

I was proud to celebrate my two-year anniversary as your CAFNR Vice Chancellor and Dean on Aug. 1. In looking back, it is amazing to see the progress we have made in many of the areas that I had hoped when I interviewed for this position. It has been an eventful and productive two years, and I look forward to many more!

CAFNR Proud!

Christopher R. Daubert
CAFNR Vice Chancellor & Dean

CAFNR has welcomed a number of international guests recently for collaboration and exchange of ideas:

• The Interdisciplinary Plant Group and CAFNR hosted a group of faculty and graduate students from China Agricultural University (CAU) Aug. 10-20. The visit included touring research sites throughout the state including the Baskett Wildlife Research and Education Center and the Missouri Ozarks AmeriFlux (MOFLUX) tower, the Fisher Delta Research Center, and the Bradford Research Center. Additional visits included the Missouri Botanical Garden, Bayer, the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center and the Missouri State Fair. This was a reciprocal visit following the visit to CAU by a group of MU graduate students, postdocs, staff and faculty, in addition to CAFNR Dean Christopher Daubert, last August. The visit also continues the developing partnership between CAFNR/the IPG and CAU’s Center for Agricultural Water Research to establish the “MU-CAU Joint Research Center for Water, Plants and the Environment.”
• Dr. Jolanta Drozdz, a visiting scholar from Lithuania, visited CAFNR last week to learn more about grants administration and agriculture policy. She collaborated with Willi Meyers, professor emeritus of agricultural and applied economics and training coordinator, CAFNR International Programs; Sheryl Koenig, grant project manager, CAFNR Business Services; and Lindsey Saunders, projects manager, CAFNR International Programs; during her visit.
• CAFNR hosted two delegations last week to build collaboration in Africa. Dean Daubert and Interim Associate Dean Rob Kallenbach welcomed four leaders of Ghana’s Ministry of Food and Agriculture, plus the chancellor of Tunisia’s University of Jendouba, Dr. Mahouachi.
• Leon Schumacher, professor and program coordinator, agricultural systems management, welcomed German colleagues to campus also last week to learn about precision agriculture, risk management, GMOs and more. Visiting were Hans-Jürgen Thies, German Office of Management; Dr. Bodo Mistele, agricultural engineering, University of Applied Sciences, Südwestfalen, Germany; Dr. Markus Brill, Counsellor from the German Embassy in Washington, D.C.; and Inka Nisinbaum, translator.

Did You Know?
Mizzou now offers standardized, branded nametags created by the on-campus Sign Shop. Go to their website to see the different color options, and to place an order. Although the standard price is already very affordable, they also offer a discount for higher quantities.