CAFNR

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…
Seven University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources’ Agricultural Research Centers planted a total of seven acres of hemp throughout the state. Those plantings happened from the end of June to early July. All were between half an acre and three acres.

April 9, 2020

A Unique Opportunity

Last year, Missouri lawmakers passed a law that allowed producers to grow a crop that hasn’t been legal in the state in decades – hemp. The new law required that growers be licensed with the Missouri Department of Agriculture, and it also allowed universities to plant hemp right away to collect data for future plantings. Seven University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources Agricultural Research Centers planted a total of seven acres of hemp throughout the state. Those plantings happened from the end of June to early July. All were between half an acre and three acres.

March 24, 2020

Hunger Heroes

Armed with a goal to increase student participation in the Missouri Youth Institute (MYI), coordinators expanded invitations from high school agricultural education programs to students involved in social studies, language and other high school programs for this year’s event. MYI brings together high school students, teachers and experts to research, discuss and solve local, national and global hunger and food security issues. The event has been hosted on MU’s campus since its start in 2016. This year’s institute took place March 2. “We had 81 students registered this year and the largest group we’ve ever had before was about 51,”…
The outlook for the United States farm economy depends on the implementation of new trade agreements and the evolution of animal and human disease outbreaks, according to the latest analysis of national and global agricultural trends from the University of Missouri.

March 16, 2020

Farm Economy Outlook Depends on New Trade Agreements, Evolution of Disease Outbreaks

The outlook for the United States farm economy depends on the implementation of new trade agreements and the evolution of animal and human disease outbreaks, according to the latest analysis of national and global agricultural trends from the University of Missouri. While net farm income increases in 2020, under a baseline assumption of continued trade friction with China, other indicators of the health of the farm economy are not as positive. However, there is a scenario that incorporates the “Phase 1” trade agreement between China and the U.S. that suggests the possibility of a stronger outlook for U.S. commodity prices…
The Deaton Scholars Program brings students across disciplines together to solve problems associated with poverty and food insecurity. Photo by Yanu Prasetyo, courtesy of the Deaton Scholars Program.

March 14, 2020

Nurturing Cross-Disciplinary Thinking

It’s a program where political science, business, chemical engineering, food science and students from many disciplines come together to solve problems associated with poverty and food insecurity. A part of the Brady and Anne Deaton Institute for University Leadership in International Development, the Deaton Scholars Program (DSP) is devoted to growing global sharing and application of knowledge to combat local and global hunger, inadequate nutrition and poverty. To accomplish this, the institute connects undergraduate, graduate, professional and PhD students through a collective peer mentorship program that gives students the opportunity to attend learning events centered around a wide range of…