Stories
March 10, 2013
History in Wood and Oil
A bit of agriculture history can be found in the CAFNR Dean’s Offices. The two pieces of furniture and a portrait are tied to William Henry Hatch (Sept. 11, 1833 – Dec. 23, 1896), the U.S. Congressman who in 1877 wrote legislation known as the Hatch Act of 1877. This act established state agricultural experiment stations for land-grant colleges across the nation. The furniture pieces, a hutch and a close stool (a chair with a hidden chamber pot in the absence of indoor plumbing), belonged to Hatch and were donated to the College after his death. The furniture came from his Congressional office. The portrait of…
Feb. 7, 2013
Academic Co-Stars
In 1885, in a move that newspapers of the day decried as a cynical grab for Morrill Act money, University of Missouri President Samuel Laws merged Mizzou with the supposedly separate new College of Agriculture and Mechanical Arts to create the Missouri Agricultural College and University. The union, which survived only a few months, triggered angry outbursts by students, heated newspaper editorials and reprisals by the state government. The hot reaction caused Laws to quickly make the College a division of MU, but that didn’t stop the furor. An angry Missouri Governor called for ag’s removal and relocation from the University.
Dec. 13, 2012
How Mizzou Got Ag
It’s taken for granted today that the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources should be part of the University of Missouri. In the days when Missouri was struggling to recover from the Civil War and had no ag college, this was no cut-and-dried proposition.
Nov. 26, 2012
This Bug’s for Mizzou
Aphis mizzou, a new member of the aphid family, has been officially described in October in Zootaxa, a peer-reviewed scientific journal that describes newly identified organisms.
Nov. 8, 2012
Border Ruffian Savant
If George Clinton Swallow harvested anything, it was controversy.
Nov. 8, 2012
New Experiential Lab
Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM), one of the world’s leading agricultural processors, has given the University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR) a gift of $1 million to support a dedicated laboratory space designed specifically for student experiential learning. The ADM Center for Agricultural Development, to be located in the Agricultural Engineering building on MU’s east campus, will provide space for valuable student-faculty interactions, enhanced student team learning, and capstone design projects. “We’re proud of our partnership with ADM and the investment they are making in CAFNR and our students,” said Thomas Payne,…
Oct. 14, 2012
Solving the SCN Mystery
For 50 years, the world’s soybean crop has depended on the use of cyst nematode resistant varieties of beans, but no one knew how these plants fought off the nematode pests. Now, the secrets of resistant soybean plants are finally coming to light.
Oct. 11, 2012
From the Soil, Medicine
For a century and a quarter, Sanborn has yielded scientific information about the health and best use of Missouri soils, soil erosion, fertilizer run-off, crop rotation, and best methods to recover exhausted soils.
Oct. 2, 2012
Breaking HIV’s Resistance
The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) can contain dozens of different mutations, called polymorphisms. In a recent study an international team of researchers, including University of Missouri scientists, found that one of those mutations, called 172K, made certain forms of the virus more susceptible to treatment.
Sep. 24, 2012
Superior Sires
The Angus Foundation Board of Directors is funding a research project at the University of Missouri for the genomic sequencing of Angus bulls. This sequencing is meant to enhance the understanding and genetic prediction of Angus cattle performance.