Stories
Dec. 21, 2020
Q&A With Sean Allen
Why did you decide to come to the University of Missouri and major in agricultural systems technology? What do you enjoy about the program itself? The field of study? It was almost destiny for me to attend the University of Missouri. I’m a legacy student, and my mother works in Jesse Hall as a programmer analyst. However, I was not going to come to Mizzou just for those reasons; I needed to fall in love on my own. When I toured Mizzou and met some CAFNR faculty, I realized quickly that it made me feel at home like…
Dec. 21, 2020
Q&A With Mason Ward
Why did you decide to come to the University of Missouri and major in agriculture? What do you enjoy about the program itself? The field of study? Initially, agriculture was not my intended major, but I am glad that I ended up here! After touring Mizzou and meeting with the agricultural education faculty, I was sold. The professors genuinely cared about my well-being and career goal as an agriculture teacher. However, life had something else planned for me. Being a highly indecisive person, I decided that agricultural education was not for me and I ended up going through…
Dec. 21, 2020
Q&A With Paxton Dahmer
Why did you decide to come to the University of Missouri and major in agricultural education? What do you enjoy about the program itself? The field of study? I came to the University of Missouri to major in Agricultural Education and Leadership because of the professors in the program and my love for agricultural education. Initially, I was preparing for a teaching certificate, but I eventually transferred to the leadership sector. I realized that the leadership degree allows me to have flexibility in my schedule, so I’m learning about a wide variety of agricultural industries. I know that…
Dec. 16, 2020
CAFNR Office of Research Recognizes Drivers of Distinction
The CAFNR Office of Research recently recognized 10 faculty members as Drivers of Distinction. The honor was given to the faculty members, listed below, who had the highest total shared credit research expenditures over the past 10 years (2011-20). David Diamond – director, Missouri Resource Assessment Partnership (School of Natural Resources) Felix Fritschi – C. Alice Donaldson Professor in Bioenergy Crop Physiology and Genetics (Division of Plant Sciences) Shibu Jose – associate dean, CAFNR Office of Research; professor (School of Natural Resources) Henry Nguyen – professor (Division of Plant Sciences) Craig Paukert – cooperative professor (School of Natural Resources) Randy…
Dec. 14, 2020
Seth Meyer Named USDA Chief Economist
Seth Meyer, associate director of the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI) and research professor, Division of Applied Social Sciences (DASS), has been named the USDA’s Chief Economist. Meyer plans to take an extended research leave from DASS to serve in this new role, which he will begin in January 2021. The Office of the Chief Economist (OCE) is the focal point for economic and policy-related research and analysis for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. OCE aims to inform public and private decision makers by providing unbiased information and data-driven analyses of current and emerging issues impacting agriculture, according…
Dec. 14, 2020
Working to Benefit Society
Pavel Somavat spent four years teaching electrical engineering at CCS Haryana Agricultural University, a land-grant university located in India. Somavat enjoyed the underlying philosophy and offerings of the land-grant system – and when he had an opportunity to take a faculty position at one of the two land-grant universities in Missouri, he jumped at the chance. Somavat joined the University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR) Division of Food Systems and Bioengineering (FSB) this year as an assistant professor of food science/biomedical, biological and chemical engineering. Somavat taught courses in food science and researched…
Dec. 14, 2020
A Strategic Change
It was just a few years after Leon Schumacher joined the University of Missouri that the agricultural mechanization program changed its name to Agricultural Systems Management (ASM). The program, located in the MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources Division of Food Systems and Bioengineering (FSB), updated its name in the early 1990s to reflect the changing teaching focus, as well as the ever-changing technology. Now, nearly 30 years later, the program is updating its name once again to reflect new strategic priorities. The new name change, which went into effect in October, is from ASM to…
Dec. 11, 2020
Q&A With Laura Friedrich
What are your job duties/job responsibilities in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources? I am a student services coordinator — so I always say my job is to help students (and families) get from where they are today to graduation. Whether that’s advising students, helping them change their major, declaring a minor, withdrawing from classes, or reviewing and submitting graduation plans. I’m also the lucky person who gets to read names at graduation. A more fun part is officially awarding the degrees to graduates in the college based on their submitted grad plans. How long…
Dec. 10, 2020
Q&A With Kaija Caldwell
Why did you decide to come to the University of Missouri and major in animal sciences? What do you enjoy about the program itself? The field of study? I decided to come to Mizzou because it was far enough from home that I could create a new, unique chapter of my life but close enough that I could get there quickly if something were to arise and I needed to be home. After touring the Animal Science Research Center and hearing how much hands-on experience I would obtain working with animals in my classes, I knew this was…
Dec. 7, 2020
Rebecca Mott Appointed to Committee With American Association for Agricultural Education
Rebecca Mott, assistant Extension professor in the Division of Applied Social Sciences, has been appointed to a three-year term on the North Central Region’s Program Improvement Committee with the American Association for Agricultural Education (AAAE). AAAE aims to foster excellence in the discovery and exchange of evidence-based solutions for social science challenges in agriculture and related sciences. Her service term will continue through 2023.