Stories

Nov. 10, 2019

Teaching Excellence

The son of junior high school teachers, it was only natural that John Tummons would eventually find himself in a classroom setting, empowering and equipping students to make a positive impact throughout the world. Tummons knew where he wanted to make that impact, too. Tummons earned his bachelor’s degree in agricultural education from the University of Missouri, and it was while he was working toward his degree that he made a decision – he wanted to return to his alma mater as a professor. Now, 20 years later, Tummons is being honored on a national stage for…

Nov. 3, 2019

A Grand Celebration

The University of Missouri’s College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR) celebrated the grand opening of the new Land of the Osages Research Center on Tuesday, Oct. 29. The center will further research in agroforestry, a sustainability-focused system that combines trees and shrubs with crops — and sometimes livestock — to be managed on the same piece of land as a single ecosystem. Chancellor Alexander Cartwright spoke during the opening festivities about how the new center will impact the surrounding communities in the Lake of the Ozarks area. “The Land of the Osages Research Center will…

Oct. 30, 2019

An Exciting Mission

It was more than 20 years ago when Rob Kallenbach joined the University of Missouri as an assistant professor and state Extension specialist in forage crops. Kallenbach served farmers and producers across the state, educating, answering questions and building relationships. With more experience, Kallenbach gained more responsibility, which in turn led to more leadership opportunities. Those opportunities led to new positions, and, last year, he was named the interim associate dean/senior program director of Agriculture and Environment Extension in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR) at MU. The interim tag has now been officially…

Oct. 10, 2019

‘A Game Changer’

The Southwest Research Center was established in 1959 and serves 22 counties, with a focus on addressing the main agricultural concerns of area industries including beef, forage and horticultural crop production. Serving as a footprint for the University of Missouri in the southwest part of Missouri, the Center is a meeting place for farmers, producers, Extension regional specialists and students. The Southwest Research Center broke ground for a new facility last year, and held an official ribbon cutting on Friday, Oct. 25, to showcase the finished building. Southwest Superintendent David Cope welcomed guests to a reception that…

Oct. 7, 2019

A Golden Surprise

Just four years into his tenure as an assistant professor at the University of Missouri, Tim Safranski was given the Provost Award for Creative Extension Programming by New Faculty. A year later, Safranski was honored with the National Pork Producers Council Swine Industry Award for Innovation in Education. Education has always been a focus for Safranski, who is a professor in the Division of Animal Sciences and a state swine Extension specialist, and the teaching awards continue to come. Safranski received the MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR) Golden Apple Award for going above and…

Oct. 7, 2019

Honoring CAFNR’s Top Alumni

The College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources has honored its second class of recipients of the CAFNR Column Award for Distinguished Alumni. This is the only award specifically for alumni presented by the college. The awardees include one graduate from each of CAFNR’s six divisions, reflecting the six historic columns at the University of Missouri. “We are proud to recognize these six impressive graduates of our college with the highest alumni honor from CAFNR,” said CAFNR Vice Chancellor and Dean Christopher R. Daubert. “This award is unique – and prestigious – as it is given directly…

Sep. 17, 2019

Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI) Celebrates its 35th Anniversary

This year, the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI) celebrates its 35th anniversary. With its more than 20 contributing faculty, staff and students, FAPRI works with Congress to shape U.S. farm policy. It provides objective analysis of agricultural markets and policies and uses economic models to estimate how those policies affect consumers and markets. Access more information about the institute and its work at fapri.missouri.edu.

Sep. 16, 2019

Accepting the Challenge

Kristy Weber, MD, hasn’t been afraid to challenge the status quo and break barriers throughout her lifetime, regardless of where life has taken her. As a student working toward an animal sciences degree at the University of Missouri, Dr. Weber was the only female in her artificial breeding class. That didn’t stop Dr. Weber, who grew up in St. Louis, from earning an ‘A’ in the course, which primarily featured students who had grown up on the farm. When Dr. Weber made the decision to pursue medical school, she chose orthopaedics, mainly because many people told her that…

Sep. 12, 2019

Rising to the Occasion

We know CAFNR students always rise above the rest, but now – it’s official. As part of the “CAFNR Strategic Plan, Drive to Distinction,” launched in April, all undergraduate students will take part in a “signature experience” during their time on campus. This is denoted as the “RISE” initiative: Research, International, Service learning, Experiential learning. (Of course, students don’t have to stop at one – students are welcome to participate in as many signature experiences they can fit into their college career!) “RISE is another part of what we call ‘The CAFNR Experience,’” said Bryan Garton, Senior…

Aug. 29, 2019

An Investment in Agriculture

University of Missouri officials announced today a $6.5 million investment in the Missouri Agricultural Experiment Station of MU’s College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources. The investment will enhance the university’s ability to share next-generation agricultural technologies developed by MU researchers with Missouri’s farmers and ranchers. “CAFNR’s world-class animal and plant researchers use these centers to translate research from the laboratory and evaluate its impact under real field conditions,” MU Chancellor Alexander N. Cartwright said. “Because these projects oftentimes include an educational component, our students also use the research centers for essential field studies. Needless to say, these…