CAFNR

CONGRATS to our Mizzou Grads 2020

May 16, 2020

CAFNR Congrats: 20 Words or More for our 2020 Graduates

“You will shape the world in a whole new way with your epic 2020 insights and Tiger resiliency and pride — no matter where you land. ROAR FIERCELY!” — Mary Simon Leuci, BS ’77, faculty/staff “You’ve earned your stripes. Now go forth and embrace them and show them off to the world.” — Madison Byrd, BS Science & Agricultural Journalism ’18 “Stay a life long learner. Seek to learn something from every person and every situation. Learn about yourself, your community, your industry, your family and friends. Ask questions and really listen to the answers.” — Robin Wenneker, BSBA ’91,…

May 12, 2020

CAFNR Outstanding Sophomore: Lauren Quinlan

Hands-on learning opportunities are a key part of the CAFNR Experience. Those opportunities showcase the uniqueness of the University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, and include student-run retail, competitive judging teams, research labs and policy centers. For Lauren Quinlan, these types of opportunities are exactly why she chose CAFNR. She has worked with Tiger Garden, the full-service floral shop ran by MU students, for the past year. “Hands-on experience is truly the backbone of CAFNR,” Quinlan said. “I am a very hands-on learner, so I thrive off of the opportunities to apply what I have learned…

May 7, 2020

Q&A With Drew Anderson

What are your job duties/job responsibilities in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources? I am the research specialist at Baskett Research Center in Ashland. The position is a “jack of many trades” situation, which I really enjoy. Much of the work that I do is collecting data and measurements for ongoing projects such as the National Atmospheric Deposition Program, AmeriFlux, and research from both faculty and students. I also handle outreach and communications, maintain the trails and grass areas, and make maple syrup. How long have you worked in CAFNR? I started working for CAFNR in May of…
G.B. Thompson, far right in the back row, served as the University of Missouri Livestock Judging team coach for 10 years. Photo courtesy of George Jesse.

May 6, 2020

Reflections: G.B. Thompson

When I was in grade school in Pettis County (Quisenberry Grade School), there was a World Book Encyclopedia with a chapter on animals in it. I practically wore that chapter in the book out I read it so often. I had a passion for animals incredibly early. I just loved to be around livestock. I grew up on a dairy farm, where we also raised hogs and sheep. I got involved in 4-H at a young age and was part of the 4-H livestock judging team right away. J.U. Morris was our county Extension agent and coached the livestock judging…
Tawnie DeJong, pictured on far left, served as an assistant livestock judging coach at Michigan State University during the 2018-19 academic year and was the head coach during the Fall 2019 season. Photo courtesy of Tawnie DeJong.

May 6, 2020

A Dream Job

Since she was a toddler, Tawnie DeJong has been studying what separates a superior specimen of livestock from one just a little less impressive. Tawnie DeJong Livestock judging has been a mainstay in DeJong’s life since she began judging cattle in 4-H. She continued to judge through FFA in high school and joined the livestock judging team at South Dakota State University (SDSU) during her junior year. DeJong has gained a deeper passion for judging recently, too, as she finishes her master’s degree at Michigan State University (MSU). DeJong has served as an assistant and head livestock judging coach at…
A lot has changed in the 56 years that Eldon Cole has served as a University of Missouri Extension specialist, but one thing has remained incredibly consistent – Cole’s desire to build relationships with the Missourians he continually serves.

May 6, 2020

A Consistent Presence

A lot has changed in the 56 years that Eldon Cole has served as a University of Missouri Extension specialist, but one thing has remained incredibly consistent – Cole’s desire to build relationships with the Missourians he continually serves. While it’s hard to imagine MU Extension in Lawrence County without Cole, his career path nearly looked much different. As a child, Cole was planning on running the family farm in Potosi, Mo. There was a major roadblock in that plan, though – his dad sold the farm while Cole was still in grade school. Cole earned his bachelor’s degree in…
Four CAFNR students were selected as recipients of the MU Award for Academic Distinction.

May 5, 2020

An Academic Honor

Propelled by two of MU’s values, discovery and excellence, four CAFNR students have received the 2020 University of Missouri Award for Academic Distinction. Undergraduate students who excel at contributing to MU’s academic atmosphere are recognized with the award. CAFNR seniors Cole Diggins, Kody Jones, Paxton Kostos and Stephanie Scott were among the 15 students selected for the campus-wide honor. Criteria for the award includes evidence of extraordinary intellectual curiosity, actively seeking knowledge beyond the classroom and striving to share that knowledge with others for a broader impact. Cole Diggins – Soil, Environmental and Atmospheric Sciences As a member…
The Center for Agroforestry’s Chung-Ho Lin, an associate research professor, and his lab are currently looking at how to redirect its analytical capacity (reverse-transcription and real-time qPCR) for the detection and quantification of COVID-19 in food, water and air – and develop mitigation techniques to reduce community exposure to COVID-19.

May 4, 2020

Contributing to Research

For more than 20 years, the Center for Agroforestry at the University of Missouri, has served as one of the world’s leading centers contributing to the science underlying agroforestry, which is the science and practice of intensive land-use management combining trees and shrubs with crops or livestock. Agroforestry practices help landowners to diversify products, markets and farm income; improve soil and water quality; sequester carbon; reduce erosion, non-point source pollution and damage due to flooding; and mitigate climate change. The Center for Agroforestry’s Chung-Ho Lin, an associate research professor, and his lab are currently looking at how to redirect…

April 10, 2020

Q&A With Christa Smith

What are your job duties/job responsibilities in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources? I am the executive assistant to the division director in the Division Plant Sciences. I support Bruce Barrett with his calendar, travel, meeting minutes and work with faculty and MyVita, which is a faculty activity reporting system. I’m the liaison for all academics in plant sciences, so I work with the registrar’s office managing the course offerings and MyZou, and the graduate school for all issues related to the graduate students. I also handle phone inquiries that come into the division and coordinate web page…
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way the CAFNR experience looks. Mizzou announced that the rest of the spring semester would be taught remotely. Teaching faculty within CAFNR have been working hard to make the transition to remote learning as easy as possible. For example, Marci Crosby, instructor in the Division of Animal Sciences, and Mikaela Adams (pictured), graduate research assistant, are still caring for the horses at the Equine Teaching Facility at the South Farm Research Center in Columbia. They are recording and photographing a lot of that care. Photo courtesy of Marci Crosby.

April 9, 2020

Being Adaptable

Part of CAFNR’s mission is preparing students for a complex, interconnected planet. To thrive in tomorrow’s society, students must be adaptable learners and informed citizens to make purposeful contributions in the world. CAFNR provides these opportunities through exceptional experiential and practical learning experiences based on cutting-edge science and through communicating and engaging with people and the community. Students in CAFNR not only get a degree while in Columbia – they get the entire CAFNR experience. Students gain that experience through award-winning advisors and teachers, research opportunities with internationally renowned scientists, study abroad options tailored to degree programs and in more…