I hope you are enjoying these summer months! I was glad to spend time with my family last month and encourage all of you to take time off as you can.

I am very excited to share with you that CAFNR, in partnership with Extension, will be showcased on a bigger scale at the Missouri State Fair this year, which runs Aug. 10-20! The first day of the Fair, Thursday, Aug. 10, will be Mizzou Day, and will feature a parade, giveaways at the gate and in Mizzou Central, a meet-and-greet and roar contest with Truman, and much more. As always in Mizzou Central, we will showcase how CAFNR and Extension, along with other MU colleges and schools, support the state (and serve delicious Buck’s ice cream, of course!). An incredible opportunity to show and share about agriculture and what we do every day for Missourians!

I am proud to share that we have received $25 million in funding for a new meat processing facility on campus for education and trainings. This will be a huge aid to Missouri producers and food manufacturers, and will complement our efforts in finishing more cattle in the state. We have promised, through the Show-Me Food, Beverage and Forest Product Manufacturing Initiative, to provide robust opportunities for producers to add value to their harvests.

Field Day season is quickly approaching; our Research, Extension and Education Centers across the state will showcase the research they are doing to help address regional needs of Missouri’s agricultural producers. CAFNR and Agricultural and Environment Extension faculty, staff and graduate students will give presentations, demonstrations and answer questions. See the schedule for these events on the Missouri Agricultural Experiment Station’s website. Thanks to everyone who helps plan these outstanding outreach opportunities each year, and to those who present and participate!

I am proud of the hard work of our extension specialists and writers who are getting news out across the state to help with drought actions for agricultural producers. Thanks for your quick work to help Missouri farmers and ranchers!

Last week, I participated in the Institute of Food Technologists annual expo in Chicago and enjoyed the opportunity to visit with colleagues in my professional association – as well as our incredible Food Science and Nutrition faculty and students! (See photo, above.)

An update regarding this newsletter:
This monthly newsletter will merge next month with internal newsletter, Inside CAFNR! I know you will appreciate one less item in your inbox, while still getting the info you need about our great college!

CAFNR Proud,

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

Help me get to 500 followers on LinkedIn! I’m excited to post more on this platform and connect with all of you. Here I will showcase all of the great research, student achievements, program impact, awards and honors and much more!

Congratulations to Rishabh Mahendra, a doctoral student in Agriculture and Applied Economics, who was named one of the first seven recipients of the Remington R. Williams Award by the University of Missouri Board of Curators.

In honor of Remington R. Williams, student representative to the UM Board of Curators from 2020 until his death in June 2022, the award recognizes exceptional student leaders who excel in and out of the classroom with the utmost integrity across the UM System. Recipients must display a positive impact on our institution, inspire growth and development of their fellow students in both academics and extracurricular activities, and always exhibit outstanding character and a collaborative spirit.

Mahendra is the founder and the first president for Universities Fighting World Hunger-Mizzou, a global higher education movement focused on educating, mobilizing and organizing students, faculty and administrators in the war against hunger; president of the Division of Applied Social Sciences’ Graduate Student Association; and director of the Deaton Scholars Program at Mizzou, in which student teams use creativity to solve socioeconomic and environmental issues around the world.

HR-414 Shared Leave Policy Update
Effective Jun 15, 2023, the Shared Leave policy has been revised to remove the probationary period requirement from eligibility to apply for shared leave. The policy provides a shared leave program that enables eligible employees to donate accrued vacation leave to a pool. This pool is used to provide pay to eligible employees who have experienced certain catastrophic events and have exhausted all other sources of paid leave.

New Employee Assistance Option
The University of Missouri is offering a new Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provider beginning July 1, 2023. Optum will serve as an additional EAP provider at this time. Optum will be available to all employees (faculty and staff) and their household members. Optum offers:

• Unlimited telephonic access to master’s level clinicians (24/7 crisis/intake support).
• Three (3) free counseling sessions per presenting issue, offered in-person or virtually.
• Employees and their covered dependents, who are enrolled in a University of Missouri medical plan, may continue counseling services, with a copay, beyond the three free EAP sessions via behavioral health benefits.
• A nationwide network of EAP providers.
• An online platform offering access to self-help resources to help handle life’s stresses such as depression or anxiety.

See more information regarding Optum’s EAP offerings and how to access services on the UM System Employee Assistance Program (EAP) webpage.