CAFNR

Ernie Verslues, president and CEO of MFA Incorporated, recently shared what he’s learned as a leader of a major company through CAFNR’s Executive-in-Residence program. Verslues was on the University of Missouri campus April 12-13, where he met with students through class lectures, roundtable discussions, one-on-one meetings and other informal interactions.

April 19, 2022

Helping to Develop Future Leaders

Ernie Verslues recently shared his experiences as a leader through CAFNR’s Executive-in-Residence program.

April 8, 2022

Q&A with Tamra Reall

What do you do in your current role with the University of Missouri? I am a field specialist in horticulture in the Kansas City area. I coordinate the Extension Master Gardeners of Greater Kansas City, one of the three largest chapters in the state with over 400 motivated volunteers. We train and work with these volunteers to offer horticulture programing for the public, such as a gardening hotline, speakers bureau, children’s programming, 16 community gardens of various specialties and video creation for our YouTube channel. I also co-advise the Osage Trails chapter of the Missouri Master Naturalists. Tamra also serves…
Jaelyn Peckman

April 8, 2022

Get to Know Jaelyn Peckman

What are your job duties/job responsibilities in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources? I teach undergraduate agricultural communications courses in CAFNR, and love every one of them! Specifically, I teach AgSc_Com 1160 Foundations of Agricultural Communications, AgSc_Com 2210 Communicating Science to the Public, AgSc_Com 2220 Verbal Communications in AFNR, and AgSc_Com 3240 Communicating on the Web. I also serve as an academic adviser for students within the Agricultural Education and Leadership program and implement recruitment efforts for our program. How long have you worked in CAFNR? A little over two years! What do you enjoy about working for…
Greg Chase has returned to his alma mater a handful of times to share his expertise with University of Missouri students on proper dining etiquette in a business setting. Chase graduated with a degree in hospitality management from Mizzou in 2007, and is certified by the Protocol School of Washington as a corporate etiquette and international protocol consultant. Chase’s most recent trip to MU happened in March, with him offering advice on how students should conduct themselves during a meal in a professional setting – especially in light of the pandemic.

April 6, 2022

Making a Great First Impression

Greg Chase has returned to his alma mater a handful of times to share his expertise with University of Missouri students on proper dining etiquette in a business setting. Chase graduated with a degree in hospitality management from Mizzou in 2007, and is certified by the Protocol School of Washington as a corporate etiquette and international protocol consultant. Chase’s most recent trip to MU happened in March, with him offering advice on how students should conduct themselves during a meal in a professional setting – especially in light of the pandemic. “Given where the world has gone – going from…

March 31, 2022

Q&A with Jamie Gundel

What do you do in your current role with the University of Missouri? I am a field specialist in agronomy and interim county engagement specialist based in Oregon County in the Southeast Region. I work with producers to help them address issues within their operations and work to educate them on various aspects of crop and forage production. How long have you worked in this position? I have been in this position for six and a half years. What is your favorite part about the work you do? I really enjoy getting to meet so many new people and…

March 22, 2022

Unexpected Events Impact Agricultural Markets

Unexpected events such as trade disputes, the COVID-19 pandemic and now the war in Ukraine have added great uncertainty and volatility in agricultural markets. Farm commodity prices, production costs and consumer food prices are higher than would have been expected a few months ago. Economists from the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI) at the University of Missouri prepare the U.S. Agricultural Outlook annually in the spring with an update each August. The report gives policymakers, farmers, agribusinesses and the public an overview of the state of the U.S. farm economy. This report summarizes baseline projections for agricultural…
A 2018 graduate of the nutrition and exercise physiology degree program, Mubinah Khaleel is currently a third-year medical student at Lincoln Memorial University – DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine, in Harrogate, Tenn. Khaleel has recently been in Memphis completing medical rotations. Photo courtesy of Mubinah Khaleel.

March 22, 2022

Building a career in medicine

Nutrition and exercise physiology degree incorporated all of Mubinah Khaleel's interest areas.
agriculture building with flowers blooming

March 18, 2022

Cultivating Future Leaders

The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) recently awarded 54 predoctoral fellowship grants to develop new scientists and professionals to enter research, education and/or Extension fields within the food and agricultural sciences. The aim of these fellowships is to cultivate future leaders who can solve emerging agricultural challenges of the 21st century. These grants are part of NIFA’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative. Two University of Missouri (MU) College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR) students were recipients for 2022. Going back to his roots Kyle Paddock, originally from a small town in central Illinois, has been…

March 8, 2022

Q&A with Jenna Monnig

What do you do in your current role with the University of Missouri? I am a livestock specialist headquartered in Mercer County in the North Central portion of the state. I also currently serve as the superintendent of the Thompson Farm. As a livestock specialist, I work to answer questions for producers about all species of livestock and bring them unbiased research-based answers that will hopefully help improve their operations. Most of my work focuses on beef cattle reproduction through AI schools, calving clinics and the Show-Me-Select heifer program. I also answer many nutrition and management questions and questions about other…
Sunset river picture

March 8, 2022

MU Announces the Creation of the Missouri Water Center

The University of Missouri today announced the creation of the Missouri Water Center, a central hub for research on the state’s water resources. The new academic center will combine existing resources and improve coordination across campus — tackling emerging water quality issues and factors that contributed to record flooding in 2019 and years of persistent drought — as well as facilitate new collaborations among faculty, government and industry partners. The Missouri Water Center was created by merging two existing centers at MU: The Missouri Water Resource Research Center in the College of Engineering and the Center for Watershed Management and Water…