CAFNR

The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) recently announced an investment of $6.2 million in animal reproduction research. Nearly $1.5 million of that investment is coming to the University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources’ (CAFNR) Division of Animal Sciences. A total of 14 awards were handed out to 11 institutions, with CAFNR earning three of the awards.

July 27, 2020

An Investment in Animal Reproduction Research

The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) recently announced an investment of $6.2 million in animal reproduction research. Nearly $1.5 million of that investment is coming to the University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources’ (CAFNR) Division of Animal Sciences. A total of 14 awards were handed out to 11 institutions, with CAFNR earning three of the awards. “This is an incredible achievement and showcases how strong our Division of Animal Sciences continues to be,” said Shibu Jose, associate dean in the CAFNR Office of Research. “We’re proud of…

July 7, 2020

CAFNR Faculty Earn 2020 President’s Awards

Each year, the UM System President’s Awards are presented on behalf of President Mun Choi to faculty members across the four universities of the UM System. These highly competitive awards recognize faculty who have made exceptional contributions in advancing the mission of the University. President’s Award recipients will be recognized at a Board of Curators meeting on their university campus, as well as at a faculty awards event hosted at their home institution. This year, the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources had three faculty members earn President’s Awards: Thomas Spencer, Chung-Ho Lin and Randall Miles. Thomas Spencer…
Recently, three CAFNR professors, in the area of plant biology, were honored with Extraordinary Professor appointments in the Department of Biotechnology at UWC – Bob Sharp, Curators’ Distinguished Professor in the Division of Plant Sciences and director of the Interdisciplinary Plant Group (IPG); David Mendoza-Cózatl, associate professor in the Division of Plant Sciences; and Scott Peck, professor in the Department of Biochemistry.

June 22, 2020

An Extraordinary Honor

For more than 30 years, the University of Missouri System and the University of the Western Cape (UWC) in Cape Town, South Africa, have been collaborating through the University of Missouri South African Education Program (UMSAEP). The focus of the partnership is to advance mutual understanding between the institutions’ faculties and foster cooperative research, teaching and service projects – and for decades UMSAEP has delivered on the goal of aiding South Africans disadvantaged by their government’s former apartheid policies. Researchers in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR) have played an important role in the partnership, including…
Kamal Yadav, middle, pictured during the 2019 College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR) Column Award for Distinguished Alumni award night. Yadav is pictured with CAFNR Vice Chancellor and Dean Christopher Daubert (left) and Michael Chapman, chair of the Department of Biochemistry.

June 22, 2020

An Entrepreneurial Spirit

When Kamal Yadav came to the United States from India in 1961, he had never seen snow before. Working toward his master’s degree in biochemistry at the University of Missouri, Yadav stepped out of his apartment early one snowy morning during his first semester and didn’t make it very far before slipping and hurting his back. The injury forced Yadav to miss several classes, which caught the eye of his PhD advisor George B. Garner. Garner found where Yadav lived and went there right away to check on him. Yadav appreciated his advisor’s visit – and was shocked when Garner…
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…