It is quiet now on campus, but what an eventful spring it’s been! I enjoyed attending so many “firsts” this year.

I so enjoyed our historic spring commencement, where all of our students shared the same ceremony and stage for the first time. We all appreciated hearing words of wisdom from Johnny Morris, the founder and CEO of Bass Pro Shops, who was our commencement speaker. He also generously donated gifts for all of our graduates. I shared the top five lessons learned from my own parents, at the ceremony. What a sight to see nearly 600 of our students (now new alumni!) walk across the stage.

Celebrating our donors was a joy this spring at both our CAFNR Monticello Society Brunch and the MU Jefferson Club Dinner. I would like to thank you for all you do for our students and our university. It was wonderful to meet or reconnect with so many who believe in what we do here and support it so generously.

I enjoyed speaking to the Callaway County Chapter of the Mizzou Alumni Association earlier this month, and look forward to chatting with the Audrain County Chapter later this week for their “Evening with Mizzou” event.

I have also met with business leaders on both sides of the state recently. In April I attended the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership annual meeting. And, just last week, I was honored to attend the Agricultural Business Council of Kansas City 2018 Awards Luncheon. I am so proud to share that our own alumnus, Lowell Mohler, was recognized at the luncheon with the council’s highest award, the Jay B. Dillingham Award for Agricultural Leadership and Excellence. He is former director of the Missouri Department of Agriculture and chief administrator of Missouri Farm Bureau, in addition to serving on the Missouri State Fair Commission, and on boards of Missouri Ducks Unlimited, Missouri Conservation Foundation and 4-H Foundation of Missouri. Lowell is so very deserving of this honor.

Speaking of honors, I was honored and surprised to receive the donation of a lovely tiger painting from CAFNR supporters Bruce Loewenberg (BS ’61 Forestry) and Gale Douglas earlier this month. The painting looks wonderful hanging in my office!

Finally, please make plans to attend the CAFNR Budget Town Hall on May 31. I will explain our current budget reductions and how they will be handled across the college. I want all of us to understand this process and the decisions made.

CAFNR Proud!

Christopher R. Daubert
CAFNR Vice Chancellor & Dean

CAFNR judging teams are just a few of the many hands-on experiences in our college. Our teams had successful springs again this year:

• The Dairy Products Evaluation Team enjoyed success at two contests this spring. The team placed first in milk and second in ice cream at the Regional Dairy Products Evaluation contest in early April, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Taylor Harper, master’s student in food science, finished in first place at the National Dairy Products Evaluation Contest April 11, and has been invited to serve as technical judge, along with her coach, at the 2018 American Cheese Society Judging and Competition at the end of July in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team is coached by Rick Linhardt, instructor in food science.
• Our Mizzou Meats Judging Team won the 2018 Southeastern Intercollegiate Meats Judging Contest held jointly at The Ohio State University and the University of Kentucky April 6-7. The team placed first overall out of eight schools, and also finished first in Beef Judging and Pork Judging, second in Specifications and Reasons and third in Beef Grading. Katelyn Adams, master’s student in animal sciences, and Ty Peckman, Ph.D. student in animal sciences, coach the team. Bryon Wiegand, professor of animal sciences, is the faculty advisor.
• The Soils Judging Team finished first in the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture Soils Contest, also this spring. The team competed against 10 other teams; a total of 75 students participated. Mizzou’s students all had strong individual finishes too, including two in the top 10. Coaches are Rachel Owen, Ph.D. student in the School of Natural Resources, and Kerry Clark, assistant research professor, Division of Applied Social Sciences.

CAFNR administration is working with the Office of the Provost and the CAFNR policy committee to institute two-year rolling contracts for our professional track faculty.

Don’t Miss
The USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture will hold an informational webinar Thursday, May 31, at 1 p.m. about the Pre-doctoral and Postdoctoral Fellowship Program, part of the Fiscal Year 2018 AFRI Education and Workforce Development (EWD) component. The NIFA Fellowship Program was launched in 2010 to help develop the next generation of research, education, and extension professionals who will lead agriculture and food sciences into the future by solving current and future challenges facing our society. The program seeks to develop the technical and academic competence of doctoral candidates and the research independence and teaching competencies of postdoctoral scholars. Project types supported include single-function Research, Education, and Extension Projects and multi-function Integrated Research, Education, and/or Extension Projects. Contact Sheryl Koenig in CAFNR Business Services for information on how to access the webinar.

Town Hall: CAFNR FY19 Budget Update, Thursday, May 31, 3:30-5 p.m., 2-16 Ag Building.

Dean’s Roaming Office Hours, 3 p.m., Tuesday, June 19, location to be announced.

The World Wide Agriculture Conference will come to Columbia in July in honor of Professor William A. Albrecht. Albrecht was an emeritus professor of soils at the University of Missouri and was the foremost authority on the relationship between soil fertility and human health. Normally held in New Zealand, this is the first time that the WWA Conference will take place in the United States. The conference will run from July 25-27 at the Bond Life Sciences Center. The conference features numerous speakers from Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa; from faculty members to farmers. The focus of their discussions is on improving farmers’ operations through better soil nutrition. Featured speakers from the University of Missouri include Kevin Bradley, professor in the Division of Plant Sciences; Robert Kremer, adjunct professor in Plant Sciences; and Tim Reinbott, assistant director of the Agricultural Experiment Station. Registration for the conference is now open. The conference is hosted by AgriGanics, a New Zealand-based company; CAFNR is a sponsor.