The C. Alice Donaldson Professor in the Division of Plant Science and Technology was one of four fellows from Mizzou this spring.

April is always one of the busiest months of the academic year, and I have enjoyed interacting with students, faculty, staff, alumni and stakeholders over the past weeks.

Yesterday I spoke at the Agricultural Business Council of Kansas City’s Mizzou Showcase, along with featured speaker Meagan Kaiser, a CAFNR alumna, our representative to CARET, and COO and soil scientist at Perry Agricultural Laboratory. (See photo above.) CARET representatives advocate for Land-grant University funding at the national level. I enjoyed sharing the importance of our land-grant mission with attendees.

April 14-18 is Show Me Research Week on campus, and undergraduate and graduate students as well as postdoctoral fellows from across CAFNR will be showcasing their expertise. The event promises to be a full week of research, creative works, oral and poster presentations, speakers, panels and awards. See the schedule online. CAFNR is also highlighting a number of participants on social media this week and next.

Next week we have two important events for our college!

• Please join us for CAFNR’s 2025 Celebration of Excellence, honoring students, faculty, staff and service, Thursday, April 17. This year’s event will again be held at the Bond Life Sciences Center, with appetizers in the atrium at 4 p.m., awards ceremony at 5 p.m. in Monsanto Auditorium, and desserts and celebration following. Every year I am so impressed with the incredible CAFNR community members we honor; it’s a joy to showcase how they affect our students and programs!
• Friday, April 18, we will host The Michael L. Parson Meat Science Education and Training Laboratory Groundbreaking. This project will be a huge boost to the meat processing industry in the state, providing opportunities for research, demonstration, education and workforce training.

So far this month I have:

• Attended the IFT Kansas chapter meeting
• Met with Gary Wheeler, CEO and executive director for the Missouri Soybean Association and Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council
• Attended the Missouri Ag Hall of Fame Ceremony and Dinner
• Attended the Abner Womack Missouri Ag Outlook Conference
• Met with University of Missouri President Mun Choi
• Met with Mizzou Provost Matt Martens
• Met with Vice Chancellor for Extension and Engagement Chad Higgins
• Met with the Interim Vice Chancellor for Advancement Christine Smith
• Met with Dean Sri Sreevatsan, College of Veterinary Medicine

Yet to come this month, I will:

• Meet with potential CAFNR donors
• Meet with MFA President and CEO Ernie Verslues
• Join the Food Safety Matters podcast
• Speak at the Missouri FFA Convention

Please plan to attend the CAFNR April spring faculty/staff meeting 3-4:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 29, in 2-16 Agriculture Building. This meeting will focus on CAFNR Academic Programs and the Division of Food, Nutrition and Exercise Sciences.

CAFNR Proud,

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

A photo gallery of CAFNR happenings.

Zimmerman is the director of the CAFNR Grants Office.

Celebrate your amazing colleagues!

We hope to see you next week for our annual award ceremony, Celebration of Excellence. This year’s event will be Thursday, April 17, from 4 to 6 p.m., in Bond Life Sciences Center. Appetizers will be available in the Atrium starting at 4 p.m.; the ceremony begins at 5 p.m. in Monsanto Auditorium, and is followed by sweet treats in the lobby – and a chance to congratulate all of the winners! No RSVP necessary.

This month we recognize the following faculty and staff members for their years of service to Mizzou!

• Bongkosh Vardhanabhuti, associate professor, Division of Food, Nutrition and Exercise Sciences, celebrated 15 years of service March 1.
• Piyush Baindara, senior research associate, Division of Animal Sciences, celebrated five years of service March 1.
• Joseph Ancell, farm worker, Central Missouri REEC, celebrated 20 years of service March 7.
• Micheal Hall, senior agriculture associate, Northern Missouri REEC, celebrated five years of service March 9.