Inside CAFNR

Sep. 29, 2021

FAPRI Releases U.S. Baseline Outlook Report Update

Strong demand from China, smaller supplies and other factors have resulted in higher prices for many agricultural commodities. Projected prices for corn, soybeans, hogs and several other commodities moderate in the years ahead, while cattle prices increase. Economists from the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI) team release the annual U.S. Baseline Outlook report each spring, and provide an update to that report each fall. This year’s update was prepared beginning the week of Aug. 23. This report is based on information available in mid-August 2021 which updates the 2021 FAPRI baseline outlook prepared earlier this year.

Sep. 7, 2021

Cover Cropping and Crop Rotation Strategies to Build Soil Health and Improve Yield and Profitability of Organic Vegetable Production Systems

Tim Reinbott, director of field operations for the Agricultural Experiment Stations, recently received a grant from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) for the project titled Cover Cropping and Crop Rotation Strategies to Build Soil Health and Improve Yield and Probability of Organic Vegetable Production Systems. As part of the award, Jefferson Farm and Garden, one of University of Missouri’s Agricultural Experiment Stations, received approximately $57,000 to conduct research and outreach at the Center. The grant in total was for $496,815. This research and outreach project is in collaboration with a team…

Aug. 30, 2021

Unconscious Biases can Drive Foodborne Illness Outbreaks, MU Researchers Find

In the midst of a pandemic that has claimed more than 2 million lives worldwide and disrupted nearly every facet of society since it appeared more than a year ago, understanding the factors that create and facilitate disease outbreaks is more important than ever. Now, researchers at the University of Missouri have determined that cognitive biases — patterns of errors in thinking that affect judgments and behaviors, often unconsciously — can help create and worsen foodborne disease outbreaks. Harvey James believes studying unconscious biases can help researchers learn how outbreaks are born. “Unethical behavior isn’t always…

Aug. 30, 2021

Breakthrough Could Lead to Early Detection of Pregnancy Complications

Constantine Simintiras and his colleagues in Thomas Spencer’s lab have found a non-invasive way to study fluid produced in the uterus during pregnancy. The quest to create safer, more successful pregnancies is one of the top goals of modern science. While pregnancy is better understood today than ever before, with improvements in technology helping to lower the risk of negative outcomes, there is much researchers still don’t know about a vital part of the pregnancy process: uterine fluid. Secreted by glands in the uterus during pregnancy, uterine fluid is believed to play an important role in…

Aug. 30, 2021

Piecing Together the Puzzles of Bird Genomes

In 2003, scientists finished sequencing the entire human genome, paving the way for new discoveries about genetic disorders and the numerous ways that genes influence behavior, health and other traits. But the importance of a complete genome for scientific reference is not limited to humans — researchers are now engaged in an all-out push to assemble the genomes of vertebrates across the animal kingdom, racing to unlock the secrets behind the genetic origins of unusual behaviors and the evolution of devastating diseases. In a flagship paper recently featured on the cover of Nature, more than 100 researchers worldwide contributed groundbreaking research to…

Aug. 30, 2021

A Burning Passion for the Good Kind of Forest Fire

Michael Stambaugh wants people to know that fire is not always bad. He knows that to some people, this is like saying water is dry, and after 20 years as a researcher at the University of Missouri, he’s still trying to show the good that can come from one of nature’s most powerful forces. “Fire is a historical legacy,” said Stambaugh, who is currently an associate research professor in MU’s College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR). “We, as people, are linked to it for our survival.” Stambaugh inspects the stump of an old white pine…

April 21, 2021

Sharing Insights and Opportunities

The inaugural University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR) Research Day will not only showcase the variety of research conducted within the College, the event will share insights about grants and programs for faculty, staff and students. CAFNR Research Day will be held Friday, May 7, and will be completely virtual. Registration is required for the event. “We’re incredibly excited to be able to offer this opportunity for our faculty, staff and students,” said Sarah Low, associate professor in the Division of Applied Social Sciences (DASS) and chair of the CAFNR Research Council. “The purpose…

April 8, 2021

Nudging Landowners and Tenants Toward Environmental and Social Stewardship

Ray Massey, Extension professor, and Michelle Segovia, assistant professor, both faculty of agricultural and applied economics in the Division of Applied Social Sciences, recently received a grant from USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). The grant is for $498,833 and is titled, “Nudging Landowners and Tenants Toward Environmental and Social Stewardship.” The grant was part of a recent $11.5-million USDA research investment to help ensure America’s small and medium-sized farms become more profitable and improve the quality of life in American farm communities. “The ultimate goal of our project is to promote societal goals by fostering new leasing…

March 25, 2021

Collective Entrepreneurship Research and Education for Socially Disadvantaged Small- and Medium-Food System Enterprises

Randall Westgren, professor in the Division of Applied Social Sciences and McQuinn Chair of Entrepreneurial Leadership, recently received a grant from USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). The grant is for $499,975 and is titled “Collective Entrepreneurship Research and Education for Socially Disadvantaged Small- and Medium-Food System Enterprises.” The project builds the capacity of socially-disadvantaged food system entrepreneurs to utilize collective entrepreneurial strategies to found and scale-up small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in local and regional food systems. It is an integrated project of research and outreach activities with minority, marginalized and socially disadvantaged (MMSD) food system…

March 12, 2021

A Historic Dedication

On Feb. 24, the 151st anniversary of the founding of our college, CAFNR recognized Henry Kirklin, a celebrated Black farmer and educator who lived in and around Columbia from 1858 until his death in 1938, with the naming of the Henry Kirklin Plant Sciences Learning Laboratory, and the establishment of a scholarship for underrepresented minority students studying plant sciences, in his honor. Nearly a dozen of Kirklin’s descendants were in virtual attendance as leadership of MU and CAFNR, along with city leaders, dedicated the lab, which recognizes the man believed to have been the first Black teacher at the University…