Research
April 30, 2024
A bountiful harvest: Agrivoltaics blends solar energy with agriculture in innovative research project at University of Missouri
As solar-generated electricity is increasing, some landowners are pondering converting land used to produce food to land used to produce energy, but what if they could do both? What if they didn’t have to choose? Agrivoltaics is a new concept that blends solar energy production with agricultural uses like row crops or pastureland, and researchers at the University of Missouri’s Central Missouri Research, Extension and Education Center (CM-REEC) are looking to answer many questions about the new practice with its new demonstration site. A herd of sheep grazes among solar panels at a farm practicing agrivoltaics. “As a research institution,…
April 29, 2024
CAFNR students and mentors earn Show Me Research Week awards
Over 500 MU students and postdoctoral fellows presented their research and creative activity during Show Me Research Week, April 8-12. The week celebrates Mizzou students as creators, innovators, problem solvers and thinkers.
April 29, 2024
Collaborative CAFNR research paper published in American Journal of Botany
“Halophytes and heavy metals: A multi-omics approach to understand the role of gene and genome duplication in the abiotic stress tolerance of Cakile maritima” was published in the American Journal of Botany, a combined effort between CAFNR students and computer sciences students.
April 17, 2024
Jay Thelen honored with 2024 Distinguished Research Award
Jay Thelen, professor, Biochemistry, has received the 2024 Distinguished Research Award. Thelen’s career highlights include establishing a successful research program focusing on understanding the regulation of de novo fatty acid biosynthesis in plants and algae. His research program excels in grantsmanship, scholarly activity and entrepreneurship, with notable achievements including over $18 million in extramural grants, 150 research publications and four licensed patents. Jay Thelen Thelen’s pioneering work in phosphoproteomics, particularly the development of the Kinase Client assay, has garnered international attention and significantly advanced understanding of plant signal transduction. Additionally, his research on fatty acid biosynthesis has practical implications for…
April 17, 2024
Harpreet Kaur recieves Distinguished Dissertation Award at Celebration of Excellence
Harpreet Kaur has received the William R. Lamberson Distinguished Dissertation award. She completed her Ph.D. in Plant, Insect and Microbial Sciences in 2023. Harpreet Kaur Portions of Kaur’s dissertation, “Drainage Water Management Practices Affect Water Quality, Soil Properties, and Crop Production,” have been submitted to 11 journal publications, and five of those have been published in reputable journals. Additionally, Kaur has presented her research to national and international groups. In addition to her Ph.D., Kaur completed an M.S. in statistics simultaneously, giving her a deeper understanding of statistical analysis of her findings. “I have been impressed by her academic achievements…
April 12, 2024
2024 Roger L. Mitchell Fellow Award to Jaume Padilla
Jaume Padilla, associate professor, nutrition and exercise physiology, has received CAFNR’s 2024 Roger L. Mitchell Fellow Award as part of the College’s annual Celebration of Excellence awards ceremony. Jaume Padilla The research of Padilla, who is also an investigator in NextGen Precision Health, focuses on the nexus of cardiovascular disease, physical inactivity, obesity and type 2 diabetes, incorporating diverse methodologies from in vitro tissue culture to clinical studies. His achievements include more than 175 peer-reviewed publications, more than $11 million in external funding, invited talks both nationally and internationally, and prestigious awards such as the 2023 Impact Award from the…
April 12, 2024
2024 Outstanding Mid-Career Research Award: Jaume Padilla
Jaume Padilla, associate professor, nutrition and exercise physiology, has received CAFNR’s 2024 Outstanding Mid-Career Research Award as part of the College’s annual Celebration of Excellence awards ceremony. Jaume Padilla Joining the University of Missouri in 2009 as a postdoctoral fellow, he become an associate professor with tenure in 2019. His research is having a major impact on the field of cardiovascular research. “His focus is on the connections between cardiovascular disease, physical inactivity, obesity, and type 2 diabetes, and addresses some of the greatest challenges facing society,” said nominator Dojin Ryu, director of the Division of Food, Nutrition and Exercise…
April 12, 2024
Soyon Park receives Early Investigator Research Award from College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources
Soyon Park, assistant professor of plant science and technology, has received the Early Investigator Research Award. Trained in plant molecular biology, Park’s expertise lies in chlorophyll degradation, plant-agrobacteria interactions, and host-parasitic plant interactions. Her research, published in prestigious journals like Plant Cell and Molecular Cell, focuses on understanding host and parasitic plant interactions, particularly with parasitic plants like Cuscuta and Phelipanche, aiming to devise effective control strategies to enhance crop yield. Notably, her lab developed a groundbreaking Cuscuta transformation method, bypassing the time-consuming tissue culture process. This achievement led to a $2 million NSF proposal with Park as the principal…
April 11, 2024
RaFF projects a dip in farm income for springtime
Another decline in net farm income is projected for the Show-Me State, according to the Spring 2024 Missouri Farm Income Outlook released by the University of Missouri’s Rural and Farm Finance Policy Analysis Center (RaFF). The report offers a state-level glimpse at projected farm financial indicators, including farm receipts, production expenses and other components that affect net farm income. Projections from the report suggest that declining market receipts and lower crop prices play a role in the estimated $0.8 billion decrease in net farm income for 2024. “Although decreased production expenses offer some relief, reduced livestock inventories and lower crop prices…
April 11, 2024
Groundbreaking for new building named for former Sen. Roy Blunt held at Fisher Delta Research, Extension and Education Center
Robert Cook, Don Rone, Paul T. Combs, David Haggard, Patrick McHaney, Aaron Brandt, Gary Wheeler, Chris Chinn, Jason Bean, Roy Blunt, Keith Holloway, Shelly Fisher, Trent Haggard, Charlie Kruse, Dave Blakemore, Mun Choi, Justin Rone, Rob Kallenbach, Chad Higgins, Shibu Jose and Chris Daubert. A groundbreaking was held Friday, April 5, for the Roy Blunt Soil Testing and Research Laboratory at the University of Missouri’s Fisher Delta Research, Extension and Education Center (FD-REEC) in Portageville, Mo. “As a longtime Delta Day attendee and Delta Center advocate, I’m pleased to have been part of spearheading a new facility that will support…