Research

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.
For nearly 150 years, scientists from the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources at the University of Missouri have contributed to advancements around the globe. For example, Aureomycin, one of the world’s first antibiotics and a contemporary of penicillin, was developed from a fungus found in the soil of Plot 23 in Sanborn Field.

Sep. 17, 2024

CAFNR Research Symposium and Aureomycin anniversary: Celebrating decades of discovery

Seventy-five years ago, a life-saving drug made possible by a discovery made on the campus of the University of Missouri in Sanborn Field was created. Since 1949, it has saved countless numbers of human lives and transformed veterinary care for livestock. That discovery was the antibiotic aureomycin, which was produced by a bacterium that lived within the soil of one very specific plot of land in Sanborn. The College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR) invites the public to join them for a celebration of this monumental discovery. The anniversary commemoration kicks off the 4th annual CAFNR Research Symposium.
rob meyers stands among mature corn.

Sep. 5, 2024

Five ways the Center for Regenerative Agriculture is cultivating growth in Missouri

For Rob Myers, preparing farmers for a productive future is a top priority. With over $40 million in funding, his center is transforming farming techniques in Missouri and beyond.
Soyon Park holds a petri dish with parasitic plants.

Sep. 4, 2024

CAFNR plant scientist’s innovative research could revolutionize genome editing in high-value crops

A CAFNR plant scientist’s research could reimagine possibilities for genome editing in plants — especially for many high-economic-impact plants in Missouri like soybeans and maize. Soyon Park, assistant professor of plant science and technology, is attempting to develop a protocol that would allow scientists to edit plant genomes through parasitic plants.