CAFNR

March 20, 2023

CAFNR Celebrates Women’s History Month: Q&A with Melissa Joy Dobbins

Melissa Joy Dobbins speaks to the crowd as she is recognized at the 2022 CAFNR Column Awards. Melissa Joy Dobbins, MS, RDN, CDCES (MS Nutrition Education and Coordinated Program in Dietetics ’93) is CEO of Sound Bites®, founded in 2011. She is a registered dietitian, certified diabetes educator, podcaster, speaker and spokesperson who helps people make well-informed food decisions based on facts, not fear, so they can enjoy food with health in mind. She is a media trainer and communications coach to food, nutrition and wellness professionals. Her program is consistently rated as a top nutrition podcast and has more…

March 13, 2023

CAFNR Celebrates Women’s History Month: Q&A with Tahira Hira

Tahira Hira (MS Agricultural Economics ’73; PhD Family Economics & Financial Management ’76) is an internationally recognized leader in personal finance and consumer economics. She is professor emeritus in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at Iowa State University and also served as senior policy advisor to the president of the university, overseeing initiatives around enhancing research, awards/honors and the student experience. Her research and teaching focused around consumer behavior, financial literacy, investment behavior and financial education. She has served as a member of the U.S. President’s Advisory Council on Financial Literacy, chaired the NYSE committee on financial literacy,…

March 10, 2023

CAFNR Celebrates Women’s History Month: Q&A with Stacey Follis

Stacey Follis shared the moment with her family as she received the 2022 CAFNR Column Award for Animal Sciences last fall. Stacey L. (Wood) Follis (BS Agriculture – Minor in Animal Sciences ’98; MS Animal Sciences – Reproductive Physiology ’00) has been employed in the animal health industry for more than 22 years. Her focus is in clinical development with a wide spectrum of experience, from bovine to feline to canine to swine, contributing to more than 30 product indications. Follis started her career with Pharmacia & Upjohn in Kalamazoo, Michigan. She has not technically changed employers since, although…

Feb. 23, 2023

MU Grape & Wine Institute Grows as Interest in Winemaking Grows

Interest in Missouri winemaking exploded during the coronavirus pandemic and the University of Missouri Grape and Wine Institute (GWI) has responded to meet the demand. The GWI is a collaborative partnership between the Missouri wine and grape industry and the University of Missouri. The Missouri Wine and Grape Board provides guidance and oversight to ensure that GWI fulfills its responsibilities. GWI provides information and advice on all issues related to viticulture and enology. Viticulture is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes for winemaking. Enology is the science of wine and winemaking. There are 130 wineries in Missouri with several being large…

Feb. 22, 2023

Pursuing His Dreams

Dorian Giles had a tough decision to make early on as a student at the University of Missouri. Giles, an avid basketball player throughout his youth, had dreamed of one day suiting up at the collegiate level. While those dreams were put on the back burner as Giles chose to attend Mizzou, during his sophomore year he was in contact with a university about a playing opportunity. He suddenly had a life-changing choice to consider. Giles graduated in 2016 with a degree in parks, recreation, sport and tourism (emphasis in sport management), as well as a minor in business. He…

Feb. 20, 2023

Q&A with Ray Massey

What do you do in your current role with the University of Missouri? I am an extension economist in the Division of Applied Social Sciences. My primary responsibilities revolve around crop production economics. I tend to focus on the intersection of production and the environment. So, I have done research and education on manure value, biosecurity, managing under extreme weather events and insurance decisions. I am fortunate to be able to work with faculty from other departments to create programs that meet the needs of Missouri farmers and businesses. Some programs that I have contributed. These programs…

Feb. 13, 2023

Turning a Passion into a Career

“Horses are my career.” When Kaija Caldwell first arrived at the University of Missouri she wasn’t sure where her interest in animals was going to take her. Caldwell left Mizzou in 2020 with an animal sciences degree and the equine science and management certificate. She had also found a passion for horses. Photo courtesy of Kaija Caldwell. Kaija Caldwell said the words still feel surreal coming out of her mouth. When Caldwell first arrived at the University of Missouri she wasn’t sure where her interest in animals was going to take her. She certainly wasn’t expecting to fall in love…

Feb. 10, 2023

Q and A with Christopher Daubert

As he celebrated his five-year anniversary as dean of the MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, Christopher Daubert reflected on the college’s biggest accomplishments since 2017 and discusses top priorities moving forward. Q: How does CAFNR research support Missouri’s agriculture industry? A: CAFNR researchers are making discoveries and producing knowledge that help improve the production of Missouri commodities: beef, swine, corn, soybean and poultry. They have paved the way for genetic testing of cattle that can look for the presence of specific adaptions, such as heat resistance. They found zinc is a key regulator of sperm functions during the sperm…

Feb. 7, 2023

Get to Know TaylorAnn Washburn

What are your job duties/job responsibilities in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources? I am the program manager for the newly formed Rural and Farm Finance Policy Analysis Center (RaFF). In this role, I manage relationships with our collaborators at other land-grant universities, oversee all communications and public relations efforts for the center to gain visibility, and generally keep all our projects on track! I also offer communications and PR assistance to the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI). How long have you worked in CAFNR? I joined CAFNR in May 2022 – just a little over…

Feb. 1, 2023

CAFNR Plant Scientist Named AAAS Fellow

In recognition of nearly two decades of work creating rice varieties resistant to certain types of bacteria, Bing Yang, professor of plant sciences, was named as a 2022 American Association for the Advancement of Science fellow. “There is so much diversity within the Society, and it is an honor to be among them,” Yang said. “The recognition of my work and my group inspires me to work harder – to do a better job.” The recognition from AAAS did not come without a long list of accomplishments, however. Fueling his work along the way was Yang’s desire to make an…