Stories

Aug. 17, 2020
Meeting His Goals
When Ronald Revord joined the University of Missouri last year, he arrived with lofty goals in mind. Revord wasted no time in getting to work, either. Revord spent his first three months on the job working on and submitting a grant proposal to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) focused on establishing a participant network to characterize genetic variety and ancestry of chestnuts in the Midwest. While Revord’s main goal was to complete the grant proposal and submit something he was happy with, his proposal was strong enough to earn him a grant for nearly $1 million. The…

Aug. 14, 2020
Gardeners Make Community Impact
Those who have planted gardens feel that they have “done something for the good of the whole world,” wrote American author Charles Dudley Warner in 1871. For Greene County Master Gardeners Maryfrances DiGirolamo and James Hilburn, gardening has become a way to give back to their community, doing “something for the good of the world.” They use their University of Missouri Extension Master Gardener training to oversee a vegetable demonstrations garden at the Nathaniel Greene-Close Memorial Parks inside the Springfield Botanical Gardens. “They donate all the produce they grow to local food pantries,” said Kelly McGowan, coordinator of Master Gardeners…

Aug. 14, 2020
Q&A With Cheryl Recker
What are your job duties/job responsibilities in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources? I am a senior research and lab technician at the Horticulture and Agroforestry Research Center (HARC) in New Franklin. My title does not convey the full scope of my duties, though. I help with various research projects taking place at HARC. I am also the HR and fiscal officer for the Research Center. I assist HARC’s co-superintendents, Barry Eschenbrenner and Sarah Lovell, planning meetings, tours and field days, as well as HARC and the University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry’s annual Missouri Chestnut Roast Festival.

Aug. 14, 2020
Showcasing a Competitive Spirit
The COVID-19 pandemic pushed the national Animal Society of Animal Science (ASAS) Academic Quadrathlon to a virtual competition. That didn’t slow down the Mizzou Academic Quadrathlon team. After winning their regional competition, MU finished tied for first at the national competition, which was held in July. The team finished second overall after tiebreakers were taken into consideration. They finished first in the lab practical, second in the written exam and the quiz bowl, and third in the oral presentation. “I’m super proud of the entire team and how far they’ve come,” said Addison Byrne, instructor in the Division of Animal…

Aug. 12, 2020
A New Path
A new road will soon be constructed through CAFNR’s South Farm Research Center, but disruption to operations will be minimal and visibility for the research center will be increased, according to Tim Reinbott, South Farm superintendent and assistant director of the Missouri Agricultural Experiment Station. Discovery Parkway will soon extend from the Discovery Ridge exit off of Hwy 63 north to the intersection of Rolling Hills and New Haven roads, passing through South Farm from the south. The effect on the Research Center will include removing the portions of Sugar Grove Road that would intersect Discovery Parkway. Sugar Grove Road…

Aug. 10, 2020
Keeping Consumers Safe
Produce contamination accounts for an estimated 46% of foodborne illnesses across the United States each year — a serious issue affecting health, the economy and society as a whole. Even in the midst of the current pandemic, safety training for produce farmers is not only vital, but required for many, said MU Extension horticulture field specialist Patrick Byers. To combat contamination issues, the federal Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule requires that many growers receive education and produce safety training, such as that offered by the Produce Safety Alliance through MU Extension. With COVID-19 restrictions on face-to-face training,…

Aug. 6, 2020
Tracking Two Bird Species
Two bird species – black duck and wild turkey – are incredibly important to the regions where they are commonly found. Those species are also well studied; however, there is a period of time during the summer where research is lacking. Mitch Weegman, an assistant professor in the School of Natural Resources, is looking to track both species’ whereabouts during that time frame. Weegman recently received $2.4 million in funding through two separate grants to conduct the research. “I could not be more thrilled to get started,” Weegman said. “These are projects you develop to meet great conservation priorities. To…

July 31, 2020
History in Bloom
Successful efforts by a handful of energetic horticulture students in the late 1970s led to the planning and execution of an ambitious garden project located next to MU’s Agriculture Building. The space was dedicated as the Woodland and Floral Gardens in April 1980. A public celebration to mark the garden’s 40th anniversary and rededicate what remains of the original landscape as the Missouri Woodland Garden was scheduled to be held April 2020, but has been postponed until further notice. Left to right: Kevin Karel and Bill Ruppert, the horticulture students who worked to design and build the Woodland & Floral…

July 27, 2020
An Investment in Animal Reproduction Research
The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) recently announced an investment of $6.2 million in animal reproduction research. Nearly $1.5 million of that investment is coming to the University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources’ (CAFNR) Division of Animal Sciences. A total of 14 awards were handed out to 11 institutions, with CAFNR earning three of the awards. “This is an incredible achievement and showcases how strong our Division of Animal Sciences continues to be,” said Shibu Jose, associate dean in the CAFNR Office of Research. “We’re proud of…

July 22, 2020
A Lifelong Learner
As Darcy Wells looks back on her 30-plus-year career in higher education, the majority of which took place at the University of Missouri, there’s one experience she does her best to overlook – a year at the University of Kansas. “It’s a little bit of an unmentionable experience that I definitely get a lot of grief for,” Wells joked. “Honestly, though, it was a first-class experience. I really enjoyed Lawrence and met so many exceptional people during that year.” It was actually that year away from Columbia that made Wells realize how much she missed being a Tiger. She joined…