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It is incredibly exciting what can happen when we work together with our partners here at the university, and across Missouri, for the good of our state! At the Fisher Delta Research Center last month I was proud to share the news of the biggest single investment ever made in our Agricultural Research Centers, along with UM System President Mun Choi, MU Chancellor Alexander Cartwright, and Marshall Stewart, MU vice chancellor for extension and engagement and UM System chief engagement officer. CAFNR, MU, MU Extension and the UM System are investing $6.5 million in the centers to enhance the university’s ability to share next-generation agricultural technologies developed by MU researchers with Missouri’s farmers and ranchers. I am also working with partners across the state, including Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe, to put together a plan for the Missouri Food, Beverage and Forest Product Manufacturing Initiative. The task force hosted three listening sessions across the state in the past month, bringing together more than 150 attendees to address recommendations in the recent economic study. CAFNR received welcome news last week with the Senate Appropriations Committee passage of the FY2020 agricultural appropriations bill. With the support of Sen. Roy Blunt, included in the bill is $25 million for an ARS plant bioscience lab at the University of Missouri and $3 million in additional funding for policy research centers. This is a crucial step in securing additional funding for CAFNR’s research priorities. What a great day at the CAFNR Tiger Classic and Steak Fry! I enjoyed catching up with alumni and friends. Preliminary numbers show we raised over $30,000 for scholarships and student enhancements in CAFNR as part of the event. Last week I toured Aurora Dairy, a great plant with 85 employees located in north Columbia! I very much enjoyed my visit with Scott McGinty (CEO) and Cammie Muller (CFO) and the team at Aurora Dairy. On Thursday we shared ice cream with Marching Mizzou after a practice. We just wanted to say “thank you” for all of their hard work, with a little Tiger Stripe! They also enjoyed a special appearance from Dr. Robert Marshall, the creator of Mizzou’s favorite ice cream. In the last few days, I attended Mizzou’s Our Time to Lead Campaign Cabinet Meeting and President Choi’s Missouri 100 Reception. Today, I am in Kansas City at the Agricultural Business Council of Kansas City’s Ag Outlook Forum featuring top experts in finance, policy and business. Later this week I will meet with our colleagues at the Truman State University Farm. Field Day season is winding down as quickly as it kicked off! Over the past month I enjoyed attending Field Days at Graves-Chapple, Hundley-Whaley, Forage Systems and Southwest Research Centers, in addition to the Fisher Delta event. At Southwest, I presented a nitro ice cream demonstration before a crowd of hundreds of high school students as part of their Career Exploration Day, held in conjunction with their Field Day. I also enjoyed the first Sweet Corn Tasting Dinner at Bradford Research Center – another way to engage the community and share what we do at our Agricultural Research Centers. I look forward to South Farm Showcase this coming weekend, and Field Days still to come at Thompson and Wurdack Research Centers. In addition, the Missouri Chestnut Roast returns to the Horticulture and Agroforestry Research Center Saturday, Oct. 5. Our 2019 CAFNR Column Award dinner is coming up on Friday, Oct. 4. I look forward to recognizing six of our accomplished alumni! The Column Award is the highest alumni honor given by our college. I am pleased to announce that Marc Linit will be leading our resource allocation committee to develop recommendations for allocations in the new Mizzou budget model. Dr. Linit will provide great leadership for the committee in working to make sure the new budget model aligns with CAFNR’s mission, values and strategic priorities. Mission drives budget. I’ve enjoyed seeing our wonderful faculty at the fall division faculty meetings. I hope to visit all of our divisions before the semester ends. I always enjoy hearing about all that is going on in your areas! For anyone interested in serving as our CAFNR Dean’s fellow for diversity and inclusion, please contact Teresa Davis, davistl@missouri.edu. This is an extremely important position for our college! CAFNR Proud! Christopher R. Daubert
CAFNR Vice Chancellor & Dean |
