Research

Nov. 1, 2023

Missouri Foundation Seed moving forward with modernization project

Last year, Missouri Foundation Seed (MFS) received a $3.25 million appropriation from the State of Missouri to modernize its facilities and, ultimately, be more competitive with other states. Today, MFS is hard at work implementing that project.
A light-skinned man in a black polo shirt and kakis drives a futuristic-looking tractor in a field. There are plots of corn behind the tractor and corn stalks in the foreground.

Sep. 26, 2023

First autonomous tractor arrives at MU

Among the first of its kind in the U.S., a new electric, autonomous tractor delivered to the University of Missouri will serve as a proprietary model for research and learning
Johnny Morris wearing a ball cap and holding up a large mouth bass. He is sitting on a boat on a lake

Sep. 26, 2023

UM Board of Curators approves naming of “Johnny Morris Institute of Fisheries, Wetlands and Aquatic Systems”

John L. Morris, founder of Bass Pro Shops, recognized for his unparalleled contributions to conservation.

Aug. 2, 2023

T.E. ‘Jake’ Fisher Delta Research, Extension and Education Center to host first ever Ag Research Expo

University of Missouri’s T.E. “Jake” Fisher Delta Research, Extension and Education Center (REEC) invites the public to its first Ag Research Expo on Wednesday, Aug. 30. The event is a new approach to the REEC’s traditional Field Day, and will focus on producers while providing separate events for other stakeholders.

July 20, 2023

New study uses gene prediction tool to select premium grade Angus herds in Missouri and across the United States

Ranches across the Show-Me State manage approximately two million cattle — a significant number of which are Angus, a top-tier breed that has unrivaled success in the commercial beef market. In a new study, University of Missouri researcher Jared Decker and Thompson Research Farm tested a group of commercial Angus cows using a commercial genomic prediction tool called Zoetis GeneMax Advantage to investigate the ability of the test to predict their calves’ performance and profitability. This project demonstrates an important step forward in helping inform the selective breeding of commercial cowherds and giving Missouri cattle producers a competitive market advantage.
An Asian man with short, dark hair and glasses wears a grey sweater with 3/4 button closures inside of a building wiht large windows and a staircase behind him. He stands with his hands clasped in front of him.

July 6, 2023

When science becomes humanitarian

Ukraine has long been one of the world’s top producers of grains like wheat, corn and barley, and produces half of the world’s sunflower oil, but Russia’s invasion and the war following have left the country’s agriculture industry with a litany of problems to overcome to continue serving as the world’s breadbasket. Ukraine’s Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food has mapped out eight areas in need of immediate assistance, and among them is pollution of farmland throughout the country.

July 6, 2023

Sweet Science

The world is getting a little sweeter for people who prefer non-dairy ice cream options thanks to one Mizzou researcher who has developed a better tasting, smoother soy ice cream.
four women and one man all in white lab coats stand in a posed group amid shelves and counters of lab equipment

June 16, 2023

A Race Against Time

Phelipanche aegyptiaca, a parasitic plant commonly known as Egyptian broomrape, has been wreaking havoc on farmers’ crops in Africa and Mediterranean Europe since the ‘90s, and, in 2014, it found its way to the United States when it was discovered in a crop of tomato plants in northern California. The plant is difficult to detect and eradicate once it takes hold, but one University of Missouri researcher hopes to change that before the plant has the opportunity to spread to the Midwest.
A white woman with long, curly, blonde hair wears a pink blouse and smiles at the camera with a dark, rock wall in the background

June 12, 2023

An Unpredictable Path

Growing up, Atmospheric Sciences graduate student Sarah Weaver experienced three tornados. Now, through her PhD program at Mizzou, she is contributing to national hurricane forecasts, helping keep others safe from devastating severe weather and finding her career path.
A white man with dark hair and sungalsses wearing a bright yellow t-shirt sits next to a white woman with long, blonde hair and glasses wearing a grey polo shirt. The two examine pieces of grass laid out on a wooden table in front of them. The woman is holding one piece of grass

May 31, 2023

A Natural Fit

MU Extension Field Specialist Valerie Tate sat at her desk near Linneus as her co-worker popped in. “Oh, hey, do you mind if I put these insect traps up around the farm as part of the statewide MU IPM pest monitoring network?” Tate asked. When she asked this question, Tate was already on “the farm.” Tate works out of the Linn County Extension Office, which moved into the administrative building at Cornett Farm — part of Mizzou’s Northern Missouri Research, Extension and Education Center (NM-REEC) — in March. The REEC is part of the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural…