Stories

Zach Duncan’s time in CAFNR was highlighted by numerous hands-on learning opportunities, including the Loewenberg Beef Cattle Management Internship during his junior year. That position was focused on cattle herd management, where Duncan and four other CAFNR students handled the day-to-day operations of a Salers herd donated by Bruce Loewenberg. Duncan also had a summer internship in 2017 at the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center.Photo courtesy of Zach Duncan.

Oct. 26, 2021

Preparing for the Next Step

Zach Duncan's time in CAFNR helped equip him for graduate school.

Sep. 28, 2021

Q&A With Caitlyn Allen

Why did you decide to come to the University of Missouri and major in parks, recreation and sport? What do you enjoy about the program itself? The field of study? My decision to come to Mizzou was originally because of the journalism school. However, shortly into my freshman year I decided to look into CAFNR’s sport management program to supplement my journalism degree. After taking a couple of classes in the sport management program, I knew this was where I belonged. What I love most about this program is how intent the courses are in teaching you to go out…
Mason Ward’s extraordinary research portfolio has earned him two undergraduate research awards from the Entomological Society of America (ESA). Ward earned the Undergraduate Student Achievement in Entomology award from the Plant-Insect Ecosystem (P-IE) section of the ESA, as well as the BioQuip Products Undergraduate Scholarship from the Systematics, Evolution and Biodiversity (SysEB) section.

Sep. 28, 2021

Taking a Chance

As a freshman, Mason Ward took a chance and applied to the Freshman Research in Plants (FRIPS) Program with the thought that he would give research a try. Ward wasn’t sure if research would be a major part of his collegiate career, but figured by pushing himself he would certainly learn something new. Now, three years later, Ward’s extraordinary research portfolio has earned him two undergraduate research awards from the Entomological Society of America (ESA). Ward earned the Undergraduate Student Achievement in Entomology award from the Plant-Insect Ecosystem (P-IE) section of the ESA, as well as the…
Growing up in a town of less than 300 people, Elizabeth Gunter’s graduating class at DeKalb High School consisted of just 15 students. Coming to the University of Missouri, with enrollment above 30,000 students, was a big change of pace. The MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR) made that change much easier. Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Gunter.

Sep. 28, 2021

Feeling Right at Home

Growing up in a town of less than 300 people, Elizabeth Gunter’s graduating class at DeKalb High School consisted of just 15 students. Coming to the University of Missouri, with enrollment above 30,000 students, was a big change of pace. The MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR) made that change much easier. “It was definitely a little intimidating being in a lecture hall with more people in it than my entire town,” Gunter said. “However, through CAFNR I was able to meet so many students who had that same rural background who felt the same way. Having…
CAFNR’s most recent partnership with Agriculture Education on the Move is the College’s biggest yet, and brought more than 50 Missouri high school FFA students to the Mizzou campus for a one-day curriculum training. CAFNR students led the training and are pictured, from left to right: Evan Davidson, Lauren Quinlan, Elizabeth Brooks, Hattie Grisham and Reagan Limbach.

Sep. 16, 2021

Agriculture Education on the Move

Agriculture Education on the Move (AEOTM), a program of Missouri Farmers Care, began in 2011 as a way to bring free, hands-on agriculture education to third and fourth grade students throughout the state. John Tummons, an assistant teaching professor of agricultural education and leadership in the University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR) Division of Applied Social Sciences (DASS), has been involved in the program since 2014. Tummons has partnered with the program in a variety of ways, including serving as a curriculum advisor. A total of five CAFNR students led the discussions throughout…
Gentry Hall

Sep. 10, 2021

An Innovative Approach to Networking

Even when students returned in person to campus this past year, the student experience was still not quite the same. Travel to conferences was suspended, for example, and many events were still virtual. University of Missouri’s (MU) College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CAFNR) Rebecca Mott, assistant teaching professor in the Division of Applied Social Sciences, collaborated with Amy Leman, assistant research professor from University of Illinois’ (U of I) Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication program to try to still make their students’ classroom experiences as engaging, interactive, and applicable to real life as possible. “Dr. Leman and I were…

Aug. 24, 2021

Q&A With Emma Baer

Why did you decide to come to the University of Missouri and major in nutrition and exercise physiology, with a focus in human physiology and translational sciences? What do you enjoy about the program itself? The field of study? Coming to Mizzou as a pre-med student, I knew I wanted a degree program that would provide me the core knowledge I needed to advance throughout my studies, but that would also engage me and my interests in the process. I landed on this particular path because I had a basic understanding of the impact nutrition had on overall health, wanted…
An early passion for broadcast meteorology and a desire to get a degree from a university in the state he grew up in led Matt Beckwith to the University of Missouri. Beckwith thought the atmospheric science emphasis area within the MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR) environmental sciences degree program would help prepare him for a career as a meteorologist. When Beckwith, who grew up in the Kansas City area, walked onto campus in 2015, he knew right away that he made the correct decision. Photo courtesy of Matt Beckwith.

Aug. 23, 2021

A well-rounded experience

The environmental sciences degree program prepared Matt Beckwith for a career as a broadcast meteorologist.
The Italy study abroad program is one of several summer offerings in CAFNR. The program takes place in the city of Florence, and is primarily for students interested in restaurant management or event planning – as well as Italian culture. Lauren Tippen was able to participate in the program this summer, after the program was cancelled last year. Photo courtesy of Lauren Tippen.

Aug. 23, 2021

Finding Joy in New Experiences

As a hospitality management student, Lauren Tippen was excited to participate in the Italy study abroad program last year through the University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR). That program is focused on the hospitality industry in Italy, as well as Italian culture. The pandemic forced the cancellation of the program, though, and Tippen, a senior, was unsure if she would have a similar opportunity during her collegiate career. “When it got cancelled, I was so upset and I really didn’t think I would have this opportunity again,” Tippen said. When Shanon Dickerson, CAFNR’s director of…

May 17, 2021

Q&A With Kyle Watkinson

Why did you decide to come to the University of Missouri and major in natural resource science and management? What do you enjoy about the program itself? The field of study? Having grown up in the Columbia area, the question “Where do you want to go to college?” has never been tough to answer. I am a legacy student who has been chanting “MIZ-ZOU” since preschool. As luck would have it, CAFNR offers one of the most high-quality educations in Natural Resource Science and Management in the nation! I developed a passion for the outdoors and conservation at a very…