Stories

Awardees holding awards with President Choi, Vice Chancellor and Dean Daubert and Senior Associate Dean Garton.

April 5, 2023

Advisors Recognized as Drivers of Distinction

CAFNR Vice Chancellor and Dean Christopher Daubert recognized 10 individuals as Drivers to Distinction. The awards were given in honor of their exceptional work advising students. The recipients were: Amy Marek, senior academic advisor, Division of Food, Nutrition & Exercise Sciences Kelsey Marek, academic advisor, Animal Sciences Robyn Eschenbrenner, senior academic advisor, Division of Applied Social Sciences Libby Johnson, academic advisor, School of Natural Resources Laura Hertel, senior student service coordinator, School of Natural Resources Jenna Fusinatto, academic advisor, School of Natural Resources Mackenzie Ewing, senior academic advisor, Plant Science & Technology Katie Ogan, coordinator of student services, CAFNR Office…
After finding a passion for agriculture in high school through the National FFA Organization, Bailey Henry was incredibly involved during her time at MU, especially with Block and Bridle and the Swine Club. She helped coordinate the Steers and Stripes Cattle Show (pictured here, second from left) and was also active with the Chi Alpha campus ministry. Photo courtesy of Bailey Henry.

April 2, 2023

Finding Her Passion

Although she didn’t grow up with a traditional agriculture background, Bailey Henry found a passion for the industry through the National FFA Organization. That passion led her to the University of Missouri – and eventually to a career where she is educating high school students about all things agriculture. Henry earned her agricultural education degree from Mizzou in 2019. She has been an agriculture instructor and FFA advisor at Marceline High School since finishing her bachelor’s degree. “Once I got involved in FFA, I was really hooked,” said Henry, who also earned her master’s degree in agricultural education from MU…

March 25, 2023

2023 AFA Institute Selections Include Several CAFNR Students

Several CAFNR students were recently chosen as 2023 Agriculture Future of America (AFA) Animal Institute and Food Institute selections. AFA experiences connect students to a diverse community of peers and professionals who are passionate about food and agriculture. The goal of the experiences is to challenge the way students think about themselves, their potential career and the agriculture industry. 2023 AFA Animal Institute Selections: Addison Anna Brisbane, sophomore, agriculture Caitlyn Kleffner, junior, animal sciences Emily Popa, sophomore, animal sciences Aleece Thornhill, junior animal sciences Tanner Tipton, junior, animal sciences 2023 AFA Food Institute Selections: Halley Blades, senior, food science and…
A woman stands outside next to her cattle operation. The sky is great and it looks windy.

March 17, 2023

Annie’s Project empowered Marion County farmer Amy Lehenbauer

Annie’s Project, a program offered by University of Missouri Extension for two decades, gave Amy Lehenbauer the confidence she needed to become active in the family farm. Lehenbauer is one of more than 19,000 women across the nation who completed the program during the past 20 years, says MU Extension agriculture business specialist Karisha Devlin. The program celebrates two decades of helping women in agriculture gain skills in leadership, business and estate planning, self-defense and self-care. “Annie’s Project educates and empowers women in agriculture and encourages them in whatever role they choose to have in their farming operations,” says Devlin.

March 13, 2023

Mid-Career Research Development Program Accepts Hospitality Management Faculty

Pei Liu, associate professor of hospitality management, was accepted into Mizzou’s Mid-Career Research Development Fellows Program for a two-year term beginning fall 2023. This is a partnership program between the Office of the Provost and the Office of Research, Innovation, and Impact. It is designed to provide research development opportunities to post-tenure/mid-career faculty prior to promotion to full professor. Selected faculty participate in workshops and career-building events that focus on research support including topics of balancing service commitments, engaging in collaborative work, understanding promotion criteria, and other topics of concern to mid-career faculty.

March 13, 2023

Hospitality Management Professor Receives Fullbright Award

Dae-Young Kim, professor of hospitality management, was selected by the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board as an award recipient for 2023-24. Kim is a Fulbright U.S. Senior Scholar for the upcoming academic year. He will use his scholarship to teach and conduct research on sustainable tourism in Las Palmas, Spain, for five months. The Fullbright program provides awards to approximately 8,000 students, scholars, teachers, artists, and professionals each year from the United States and 160 countries. Fulbright is unique in its binationalism and noted for its merit-based selection process and academic prestige. Fulbright alumni from the United States and around the…
Tahira Hira, professor emeritus at Iowa State University, was honored as a CAFNR Column Award winner in fall 2022.

March 13, 2023

CAFNR Celebrates Women’s History Month: Q&A with Tahira Hira

Tahira Hira (MS Agricultural Economics ’73; PhD Family Economics & Financial Management ’76) is an internationally recognized leader in personal finance and consumer economics. She is professor emeritus in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at Iowa State University and also served as senior policy advisor to the president of the university, overseeing initiatives around enhancing research, awards/honors and the student experience. Her research and teaching focused around consumer behavior, financial literacy, investment behavior and financial education. She has served as a member of the U.S. President’s Advisory Council on Financial Literacy, chaired the NYSE committee on financial literacy,…

March 2, 2023

Five CAFNR Students Earn Mizzou ’39 Honors

This week, the Mizzou Alumni Association and Alumni Association Student Board named the 2023 Mizzou 18 Award and Mizzou ’39 Award recipients. In the spirit of service that was the cornerstone of the 1839 founding of the University of Missouri, the Mizzou Alumni Association Student Board presents the Mizzou ’39 Award to 39 outstanding seniors each year. Recipients are chosen for their academic achievement, leadership, and service to Mizzou and the community. The five CAFNR students to earn the honor are: Javier Kelly Cuenca – Biochemistry Kelly Gillespie – Hospitality Management Isaiah Massey – Agriculture Jack McGrath – Parks, Recreation,…
Ray stands in front of a green field presenting a poster to field day guests.

Feb. 20, 2023

Q&A with Ray Massey

What do you do in your current role with the University of Missouri? I am an extension economist in the Division of Applied Social Sciences. My primary responsibilities revolve around crop production economics. I tend to focus on the intersection of production and the environment. So, I have done research and education on manure value, biosecurity, managing under extreme weather events and insurance decisions. I am fortunate to be able to work with faculty from other departments to create programs that meet the needs of Missouri farmers and businesses. Some programs that I have contributed. These programs…
portrait of TaylorAnn Washburn

Feb. 7, 2023

Get to Know TaylorAnn Washburn

What are your job duties/job responsibilities in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources? I am the program manager for the newly formed Rural and Farm Finance Policy Analysis Center (RaFF). In this role, I manage relationships with our collaborators at other land-grant universities, oversee all communications and public relations efforts for the center to gain visibility, and generally keep all our projects on track! I also offer communications and PR assistance to the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI). How long have you worked in CAFNR? I joined CAFNR in May 2022 – just a little over…