Stories

Felix Fritschi

Nov. 16, 2020

Felix Fritschi Elected as 2020 Fellow of the American Society of Agronomy

Felix Fritschi, C. Alice Donaldson Professor in Bioenergy Crop Physiology and Genetics in the Division of Plant Sciences, was recently elected as a 2020 Fellow of the American Society of Agronomy (ASA). The award was presented during the ASA-CSSA-SSSA annual meeting in November. The Fellow recognition is the highest bestowed by ASA. This honor follows Fritschi’s election as a Fellow of the Crop Science Society of America (CSSA) in 2018. Fritschi is a member of the Interdisciplinary Plant Group (IPG) at the University of Missouri. IPG is one of CAFNR’s Programs of Distinction, a select collection of programs that exemplify…
Hannah Hemmelgarn speaks during a past organic field day event. Photo taken pre-COVID-19 pandemic.

Nov. 13, 2020

Q&A With Hannah Hemmelgarn

What are your job duties/job responsibilities in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources? As the Center for Agroforestry’s outreach and education coordinator, I develop informational materials like the Agroforestry Podcast and monthly newsletters, and I organize and execute a number of events. The Agroforestry Academy, an annual week-long intensive train-the-trainer program, is one of our most recognized offerings. We’re also looking forward to the upcoming Agroforestry Symposium, which will take place January 28-30, 2021; this year’s theme is Community Health and Resilient Food Systems. How long have you worked in CAFNR? I’ve been in this position…

Nov. 13, 2020

Rebecca North Serves as Editor of Special Issue in Prestigious Journal

Rebecca North, assistant professor in the School of Natural Resources, recently served as an invited editor of a special issue in Frontiers in Environmental Science and Frontiers in Marine Ecosystem Ecology. The focus of the special issue was on climate change and light in both freshwater and marine ecosystems, including the variability and ecological consequences. Along with serving as a guest editor, two of North’s graduate students published papers in the Environmental Science section in the issue. “The goal of this research topic was to provide a broad overview of how aquatic light environments are changing at present, and…
Paxton Dahmer was recently named the 2020-21 Central Region Vice President. He becomes the first national FFA officer from Missouri since 2007 and just the third since 2000. Photo courtesy of Paxton Dahmer.

Nov. 12, 2020

Representing Missouri on the National Level

As a seventh grader, Paxton Dahmer traveled with his family to the University of Missouri to watch his older brother, Payton, receive his state FFA degree during the Missouri state FFA convention. While taking in the entire ceremony, Paxton set a lofty goal for himself – he was going to be a Missouri state FFA officer. “I’m a sixth-generation farmer and a third-generation FFA member,” Dahmer said. “Agriculture has been a staple of my family for years. I remember listening to my grandfather tell stories about FFA and what he was able to accomplish through the organization. Being an FFA…
In an effort to offer CAFNR students an international experience from Columbia, Shanon Dickerson and the CAFNR Office of Academic Programs have developed the Go Global! campaign. The main focus of the campaign is on virtual internships and preparing students for future study abroad experiences.

Nov. 11, 2020

Going Global (Virtually)

Being adaptable is a major role for a director of study abroad at a university. Directors deal with program changes, passports that need updated at the last minute and students who miss their flights, among with many other important matters. Shanon Dickerson understands that serving as CAFNR director of study abroad requires her to think outside of the box quite often. That mindset has been even more important as international travel has been halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In an effort to offer CAFNR students an international experience from Columbia, Dickerson and the CAFNR Office of Academic Programs have…
Amy Moum headshot

Nov. 6, 2020

Amy Moum Receives CAFNR Above and Beyond Award

On Nov. 1, Amy Moum, program support coordinator in the Division of Applied Social Sciences, received the Above and Beyond Award from CAFNR Staff Advisory Council. This award recognizes staff who have gone the extra mile in their jobs. She was nominated by Jaelyn Peckman, instructor, Division of Applied Social Sciences.
Caio Canella Vieira came to the United States in 2014 after finishing the first two years of his undergraduate studies in Brazil. A year at the University of Minnesota led Canella Vieira to Purdue University, where he first met Pengyin Chen. The two had a great discussion and Chen encouraged Canella Vieira to do his master’s degree work at MU – with Chen. Photo courtesy of Caio Canella Vieira.

Nov. 6, 2020

Following in His Footsteps

As an undergraduate student studying soybean breeding at the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil, Caio Canella Vieira came across the name Pengyin Chen quite often during his studies. Chen became a major source of inspiration for Canella Vieira – and someone who he referenced throughout his undergraduate work. Little did Canella Vieira know that he would soon be working with the man he had read so much about. “My experience was like that of a little kid who looks up to a superstar athlete, and you want to be just like that athlete,” Canella Vieira said. “Reading about his…

Nov. 5, 2020

Hua Qin Wins National Excellence Award as Part of Research Team

Hua Qin, associate professor of environmental and resource sociology/demography in the University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources Division of Applied Social Sciences (DASS), is part of a multidisciplinary, multi-institution research team that was recently awarded the National Excellence in Multistate Research Award from the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). This prestigious and highly competitive award recognizes scientists who conduct exemplary research and outreach efforts across multiple states and in doing so enhance the visibility of USDA multistate programs. The team was awarded the Western Region Excellence…
With the help of a grant from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), Pei Liu, an assistant professor of hospitality management in the University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR) Division of Applied Social Sciences, is looking to help Hmong farmers overcome some of the challenges they face. Photo courtesy of Pei Liu.

Nov. 2, 2020

Serving a Community in Need

The 2000 United States Census showed less than 30 Hmong residents throughout the state of Missouri. A decade later, that number was estimated to be more than 1,300 – with southwest Missouri serving as a common location for those residents. Farming was and continues to be a popular occupation among the Hmong community in southwest Missouri, but there are challenges that come with the job. With the help of a grant from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), Pei Liu, an assistant professor of hospitality management in the University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural…
Picture of the faculty of the Department of Animal Husbandry at the University of Missouri taken in 1928 or 1929. Front row (left to right) - Jim Burch, Jim Foster, Frederick B. Mumford, EA Trowbridge, and Fred F. McKenzie; Middle row (left to right) – L.A. Weaver, T.A. Ewing, A.G. Hogan, and D. Chittenden; Back row (left to right) L.E. Casida (PhD student), H. Garlock, H. Moffett, and J.E. Comfort.

Oct. 28, 2020

Reflections: Mike Smith

It has been my privilege to serve on the faculty of the Division of Animal Sciences at the University of Missouri for 40 years. In particular, I owe a debt of gratitude to Dr. Bill Day, who I met as a PhD student at Texas A&M University. He was a member of a review team that evaluated the reproductive physiology program at A&M and he encouraged me to apply for a research/teaching position in beef cattle reproduction in the Department of Animal Husbandry. At the time, I questioned whether I was ready to initiate an independent research program, but Bill…