Inside CAFNR

July 9, 2014

No Drought of Ideas

Droughts have a devastating effect on farms. In Missouri and most of the world, droughts are the leading cause of crop failure. They increase consumer costs, kill livestock, reduce crop yields and trigger wildfires and dust storms. They also can cause malnutrition and famine, social unrest and political instability. To combat these drought problems, researchers at Bradford Research Center have turned to making it dry every year in the two drought simulators on site. The simulators enable the scientists to study how reduced water availability affects plants and crop productivity. The shelters look like 50-by-100-foot greenhouses on…

June 13, 2013

That Certain Glow

Research at CAFNR is investigating how plants glow. Called delayed fluorescence, this may someday help farmers monitor the health of their crops to more accurately apply fertilizers, water and pesticides.

June 13, 2013

Nanoparticles-Yummy

CAFNR researchers are investigating the toxicity of nanoparticles and a detection method to be able to identify nanoparticles in our food

March 10, 2013

Easier Cancer Detection?

A more accurate and less invasive breast cancer detection tool is being developed by Susan Deutscher and Thomas Quinn, both professors of Biochemistry.

March 10, 2013

History in Wood and Oil

A bit of agriculture history can be found in the CAFNR Dean’s Offices. The two pieces of furniture and a portrait are tied to William Henry Hatch (Sept. 11, 1833 – Dec. 23, 1896), the U.S. Congressman who in 1877 wrote legislation known as the Hatch Act of 1877. This act established state agricultural experiment stations for land-grant colleges across the nation. The furniture pieces, a hutch and a close stool (a chair with a hidden chamber pot in the absence of indoor plumbing), belonged to Hatch and were donated to the College after his death. The furniture came from his Congressional office. The portrait of…

Nov. 8, 2012

New Experiential Lab

Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM), one of the world’s leading agricultural processors, has given the University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR) a gift of $1 million to support a dedicated laboratory space designed specifically for student experiential learning. The ADM Center for Agricultural Development, to be located in the Agricultural Engineering building on MU’s east campus, will provide space for valuable student-faculty interactions, enhanced student team learning, and capstone design projects. “We’re proud of our partnership with ADM and the investment they are making in CAFNR and our students,” said Thomas Payne,…