CAFNR

Oct. 21, 2021

Exploring Careers in Agriculture

For years, the University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR) has opened the doors to the Agricultural Research Centers to high school students from across the state. This is an opportunity for research centers to showcase its research, programs, and academic opportunities. The Career Exploration Days feature several CAFNR faculty and staff as well as MU Extension specialists as guest speakers. “The focus of these days is to educate high school students about career opportunities in agriculture, food and natural resources,” said Shibu Jose, CAFNR’s associate dean of research. “The various speakers represent different career opportunities…

Oct. 19, 2021

Ahmed Balboula Receives Outstanding Investigator Award

Ahmed Balboula, assistant professor in animal sciences, is working to understand how chromosome segregation is regulated in female gametes (oocytes). During the early stages of pregnancy, chromosome mis-segregation can result in aneuploidy (abnormal number of chromosomes in a cell), the leading genetic cause of miscarriages and congenital abnormalities. His work has implications for both animal and human health. Balboula recently received R35 grant (Outstanding Investigator Award) through the National Institute of General Medicine (NIGMS, NIH) totaling $1.9 million for a five-year period. Funding is for a project titled Mechanisms Underpinning Meiotic Spindle Formation and Behavior. Balboula is a reproductive…

Oct. 18, 2021

A Commitment to Those in Need

Editor’s Note: Jerry Hitzhusen passed away in January 2022. As Jerry Hitzhusen worked on his family’s farm growing up, he would oftentimes walk through the cornfields and wonder what lay beyond the borders of his northern Iowa home. Hitzhusen ended up spending his entire career not only travelling well past those borders – he also supported those in need the whole way. Hitzhusen’s career spanned five decades, and his specialties in the University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR) focused on therapeutic recreation, leisure and mental illness, leisure and aging, and continuing education in therapeutic recreation.

Oct. 15, 2021

Interdisciplinary Plant Group Celebrates their 40th Anniversary with Seminars

The Interdisciplinary Plant Group (IPG) is celebrating their 40th Anniversary this year. The IPG is a campus-wide community of University of Missouri (MU) faculty, students, postdoctoral fellows and professionals who are pursuing novel, creative and transformative ideas in the field of plant biology. To celebrate the 40th anniversary, a series of seminars will be presented throughout the months of October and November. The series will feature a prominent IPG alum from each of the four decades of the program. Two additional seminars will highlight recent IPG alumni. The series will showcase the various career paths IPG alumni have pursued.

Oct. 14, 2021

Jacobs and Davis Receive AFRI Sustainable Agriculture Systems Program Grant

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) has announced awardees of its AFRI Sustainable Agriculture Systems Program. Two CAFNR researchers were part of the 2021 awards. Keri Jacobs, associate professor of agricultural and applied economics, and Morgan Davis, assistant professor in soil and environmental sciences, received funding for a study led by researchers at Iowa State University titled “Regenerating America’s Working Landscapes to Enhance Natural Resources and Public Goods through Perennial Groundcover (PGC).” The University of Missouri (MU) is among seven universities and stakeholder organizations leading this five-year, $10-million grant. MU received $660,000…

Oct. 8, 2021

Q&A with Brenda Schreck

What do you do in your current role with the University of Missouri? Brenda Schreck, county engagement specialist in livestock with the Agriculture and Environment Extension Program, works with the Show-Me Select Heifer Replacement Program. She also works with the Missouri AgrAbility Project. My focus is consulting with elevator firms to maintain compliance with USDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) guidelines for animal feed. I also work with area producers enrolled in the …

Oct. 8, 2021

Q&A With Kate Preston

What are your job duties/job responsibilities in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources? I work in CAFNR’s Communications department as a Research News Strategist. I work with researchers on campus to write feature stories promoting their research or grants they’ve received. I also work with the Agricultural Experiment Stations across the state writing stories and promoting events held at the centers. How long have you worked in CAFNR? I started working in CAFNR this past June, so about four months. I graduated from MU in May with a master’s in Agricultural Education, Communications and Leadership. What do you…

Oct. 1, 2021

CAFNR Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month

Eduardo Segarra – MS, ’82 Agricultural Economics Agricultural Economist, Professor Segarra worked with his family’s construction business in Monterrey, Mexico, while earning a BS in economics. He then learned English in four months so he could come to Mizzou for a MS in ag econ. For the last 30+ years, he has been a professor of ag econ at Texas Tech University. During his time at TTU, Segarra served as the first Latino department chair, as well as the first Latino president of Southern Agricultural Economics Association (SAEA) and the Agricultural & Applied Economics Association (AAEA) Foundation. Mily Treviño Executive…

Sep. 30, 2021

Q&A with Ben Brown

What do you do in your current role with the University of Missouri? Ben Brown is a senior research associate focusing on agricultural risk management. I have a split appointment between MU Extension and FAPRI. My topic areas include agricultural risk management – markets, policy and finance. Currently, I’m wrapping up a project on land rental rates for Missouri’s crop, pasture and timberland. I also have projects that look at how increased precipitation impacts local basis for Midwest crop prices and a project that examines improving onboarding and training for service professionals in the areas of farm management and agronomy. In addition, I’m working on an international agri-benchmark project where I study production…

Sep. 29, 2021

Wurdack Research Center to Host Field Day

The Wurdack Research Center will host an in-person field day on Friday, Oct. 8. The event is free and open to the public, with a lunch at noon sponsored by FCNB Bank. Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. with tours starting at 9 a.m. “We are so appreciative of their support that helps us continue to provide a free event for local producers,” said Dusty Walter, superintendent of the Wurdack Research Center. Ashley Conway, assistant research professor in the Center for Agroforestry will speak about using shade to enhance herd productivity. Eric Meusch, field specialist in livestock will talk about…