Research

Nov. 12, 2024

Animal Sciences graduate student joining National Pork Board’s Real Pork Scholars 2024 cohort

Rachel Self, a master’s degree student in the Division of Animal Sciences, has been selected as a member of the 2024 Real Pork Scholar Cohort through the National Pork Board. This prestigious cohort-based program addresses communication gaps for the U.S. pork industry. It identifies outstanding graduate-level students engaging in value-added experiences while conducting academic work to positively advance U.S. pork production. They will learn best practices for communicating scientific research effectively to multiple audiences, helping answer commons questions about the pork industry, especially related environment, public health, community, animal welfare, food safety and people.  “I wanted to join the Real…

Oct. 30, 2024

Animal Sciences Ph.D. student awarded travel grant for Plant and Animal Genomics Conference

Hunter McConnell, an Animal Sciences Ph.D. student, has been awarded the NRSP8 Travel Award to attend the 2025 Plant and Animal Genomics Conference (PAG32) in January.

Oct. 30, 2024

Uncovering roots of agricultural simplification: NSF grant fuels SNR professor’s mission to transform farming practices, revitalize rural communities

American farmers have cherished their symbiotic relationship with the land they farm for generations. They care for the land, and the land provides a bountiful harvest that feeds the nation in return. But, what if, somewhere along the way, in that effort to care for the land, we got “stuck” and found ourselves in systems that no longer served the land we tend and depend on so much?
Collage of portraits of Van Doren and Barros Rios

Oct. 23, 2024

Plant Science and Technology and Biochemistry researchers harness DOE technology to further biofuels, basic science

Researchers at the University of Missouri have been studying plants to help farmers improve food production since the inception of the university itself, but as plants become pathways to filling other public needs — like biofuels — it opens doors to researchers who want to gain more insight into the ways that plants operate. “All major advancements start with basic science,” said Jaime Barros-Rios, assistant professor of plant science and technology. Jaime Barros-Rios Barros-Rios is one of two CAFNR researchers currently working under innovative grants with the U.S. Department of Energy that allow them access to DOE equipment and laboratories…
a group of people gather around controls on a tripod with a drone flying in the foreground

Oct. 18, 2024

CAFNR receives funding from Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development to provide agricultural drone trainings to Missourians

CAFNR and MU Extension faculty practice landing an imaging drone during the first of several “train the trainer” courses that will allow them to teach agricultural drone skills to Missourians. A grant from the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development looks to open doors for Missourians to receive agricultural drone training through the University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources’ Research, Extension and Education Centers (REECs), Digital Agriculture Research and Extension Center (DAREC) and MU Extension. “This will be a true workforce development project because it will help train people to have careers in agriculture,”…

Oct. 16, 2024

Graduate student spotlight: Q&A with Hunter McConnell

Hunter McConnell is pursuing a Ph.D. in Animal Sciences.
Leah Gastonguay poses in a field wearing a gold Mizzou shirt and a tan hat.

Oct. 10, 2024

CAFNR graduate student receives sustainable agriculture grant

Leah Gastonguay, Ph.D. student in Plant, Insect and Microbial Sciences (emphasis in Entomology), along with her advisor, Debbie Finke, professor of Plant Science and Technology, was awarded $19,792 for the project, "Companion Planting to Optimize Beneficial Insect Ecosystem Services in Pepper Cropping Systems."
An overhead view of a room filled with posters on easels and people gathered discussing those posters.

Oct. 3, 2024

Fourth annual CAFNR Research Symposium poster winners announced

The fourth annual CAFNR Research Symposium was held Tuesday, Oct. 1, and included a poster session. Undergraduate and graduate students as well as postdocs contributed posters to the session. In total, 89 posters were exhibited.
Chestnuts roast in a black pan over a grill.

Sep. 23, 2024

MU Center for Agroforestry Gearing up for Missouri Chestnut Roast Festival

The MU Center for Agroforestry will welcome families from throughout central Missouri next month for its signature field event, the Missouri Chestnut Roast Festival at the MU Horticulture and Agroforestry Research Farm (HARF) in New Franklin. The event is free and open to the public.

Sep. 20, 2024

Uzbek interns collaborate with Plant Science and Technology faculty, bringing global perspectives to research

This summer, seven students from Uzbekistan worked alongside a variety of College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources’ (CAFNR) faculty as interns, learning valuable insights and broadening the horizons of their mentors along the way.