Over the past few weeks I have been on the road meeting with advocates for agriculture at a variety of events.

CAFNR and the Missouri Department of Agriculture partnered to hold five meetings around Missouri to discuss critical issues facing the state’s agricultural businesses. At meetings in Columbia, Kansas City, Sikeston, Springfield and St. Louis, Director Chris Chinn and I heard common themes expressed, including workforce development and the adoption of new technology. A summary of the five-stop tour will be completed by early November and a working group will assemble to address the issues raised in these meetings.

In late September, I was pleased to join more than 250 people attending the 2018 Ag Outlook Forum in Kansas City hosted by the Agricultural Business Council of Kansas City and Agri-Pulse. It was a great opportunity to hear from Sara Wyant, Agri-Pulse editor, and Bill Northey, USDA undersecretary, on the current issues affecting U.S. agriculture and current USDA issues.

We celebrated the topping off of the Plant Growth Research Facility on the east side of campus last month. There is great excitement and enthusiasm around the future of plant research at MU, and I am pleased that we will soon have facilities to better serve our world-renowned faculty in the area of plant biology.

Thanks to CAFNR alumnus Craig Bacon, who took time to visit our students last week as Executive-in-Residence. Craig, the senior vice president of technical services for Simmons Prepared Foods, visited with students in a number of classes, including those in meat science, agricultural education and leadership, food product development, agribusiness, and lake ecology. I would like to encourage you to submit nominations for future Executives-in-Residence. It is a great opportunity for our students to learn from successful leaders!

I am pleased to share that 15 clubs participated in events hosted during CAFNR Week, including mud volleyball, trivia night and a scavenger hunt. Although the CAFNR Bonfire had to be cancelled due to wet weather, the students are looking forward to hosting that event again in the future with the assistance of our alumni. Overall, it was a wonderful week to celebrate our college and our students.

I was proud to host my fellow University of Missouri deans for a tour of CAFNR and our properties last month. We enjoyed visiting South Farm and Bradford Research Centers, Sorenson Estate, and a driving tour of CAFNR on campus, including Sanborn Field. It was fun to “wow” them with the depth and breadth of our history, as well as the great things that are underway in CAFNR today!

I encourage all of you to consider supporting the United Way this year, whether by participating in unit events that raise funds or by giving directly. United Way strives to improve lives by mobilizing the caring power of communities to advance the common good. The campaign is online only this year and runs through Friday, Nov. 30. Last year CAFNR raised $21,842 through the support of our generous employees. Thank you to our CAFNR United Way Campaign Coordinator, Bill Lamberson, and all of the unit coordinators.

I look forward to visiting with you next month at Novemberfest (the fall faculty and staff meeting). Please join me at 3 p.m., Friday, Nov. 16, in 2-16 Ag Building to enjoy some CAFNR-made treats and hear my thoughts on the past year! I’m excited about where we are going!

CAFNR Proud!

Christopher R. Daubert
CAFNR Vice Chancellor & Dean

CAFNR is #1 in sponsored program expenditures at the University of Missouri and has been for the past five years (2014-18).

Don’t Forget
CAFNR Staff Advisory Council would like to recognize the staff members who go beyond the call of duty in the workplace. If there is a staff person in your area who has gone that extra mile in their collaborations for the greater good, please nominate them for the Above & Beyond Award. The nomination form is available on MyCAFNR. The winner will receive an extra one-time $150 on their paycheck and a personalized certificate. Above & Beyond Award nominations must be submitted to Amy Moum by 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 26, at mouma@missouri.edu. The winner will be selected by Nov. 2.

Annual Enrollment ends at 11:59 p.m. Friday, Oct. 26, 2018. Please complete the benefits enrollment process in myHR. HR strongly recommends you research your insurance benefit options, so you can select the plans that are best for you. For more information, visit the Annual Enrollment webpage. For questions, contact your HR Generalist, or the HR Service Center at 573-882-2146, toll free at 800-488-5288 or at HRServiceCenter@umsystem.edu.

Don’t Miss
The Women’s Center presents Love Your Body Week today through Thursday. Activities include a dance party, self-care hour, discussions, photo sessions, and a festival on Lowry Mall. Find the full schedule of events online.

Brand Education Session for Non-Communicators presented by the Joint Office of Strategic Communications and Marketing. Do you create communication materials such as newsletters, flyers and posters for your office or department, but you aren’t a graphic designer? Do you order promotional materials for campus groups or departments? Are you interested in hearing more about the new Mizzou brand? Join us Thursday, Oct. 25, from 11 a.m. to noon in Stotler Lounge to learn about brand tools and resources that can help make your job easier. RSVP to identity@missouri.edu. Seating is limited.

Upcoming cultural events at the university include:

• India Nite 2018, 7-9 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 27, Jesse Hall Auditorium: India Nite is a cultural extravaganza and celebration of the diversity of Indian music and dance! Free and open to the public. Sponsored by the Cultural Association of India.
• “In Defense of Land and Food Sovereignty,” 3 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 31, ABNR 123: Hear directly from Fermina Zarate, an Indigenous Mixteca farmer from Oaxaca, Mexico. Fermina has been part of the technical team of the Center for Integral Small Farmer Development in the Mixteca (CEDICAM) for more than 14 years, promoting her experiences of soil conservation, reforestation of native trees, rainwater collection, conservation of native seeds and food production, while promoting the importance of conserving a local food culture. Sponsored by Cambio Center and Center for Agroforestry.

Join the CAFNR Staff Advisory Council for the annual Chili Luncheon, to be held Wednesday, Oct. 31, from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. in 135 Ag Engineering. All faculty and staff are invited to attend; costumes are encouraged. The fun will include prizes and giveaways. The philanthropy this year will benefit the 2018 MU United Way Campaign.

Did You Know?
In November, Mizzou recognizes Veterans Week (Nov. 3-10) Trans Empowerment and Awareness Week (Nov. 4-9), and Native American Heritage Month (more information to come). Join organizers for a variety of activities showcasing, celebrating and raising the awareness of these communities.

Important federal grant information updates: 

• USDA National Institute of Food & Agriculture (NIFA) will be looking more closely at timely submission of technical and financial progress reports. They said they will take administrative action against those submitting late reports. That is, late reports might adversely affect future funding.
• National Science Foundation (NSF) will be releasing a new Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide which will become effective Jan. 28, 2019. Most significantly, NSF will be strictly limiting the number of synergistic activities listed in the biosketches to five distinct activities. They do not want you to combine activities to get more in. They will be using Research.gov for proposal submissions. NSF programs that accept proposals at any time (no deadline) may have guidelines in which a declined proposal is ineligible to resubmit for a specified period of time. When resubmitted, they must show substantial revision.
• National Institutes of Health (NIH) has revised policies for human subjects. Besides changing the definition of human subjects research, they are requiring that individuals of all ages, including children, must be included in all human subjects research conducted or supported by NIH, unless there are ethical reasons not to include them.