Stories

March 14, 2024
Get to know Soyon Park
Wyss is the Student Success Communicator in CAFNR Marketing & Communications

March 14, 2024
Saving the herd with milo grazing
Missouri cattle producer John Chamberlin didn’t want to sell his cows during the drought last year, began grazing them on milo thanks to MU Extension.

March 5, 2024
2024 CAFNR Joy of Discovery Seed Grant Program Winners Announced
The third batch of proposals funded by CAFNR’s Joy of Discovery Seed Grant Program has been announced. The Joy of Discovery Seed Grant Program supports nascent, collaborative, multi transdisciplinary research with the goal of developing a competitive proposal for federal funding. The following proposals were selected (listed by the PI, Co-PI/s and title of the project): Mandy Bish (Plant Science and Technology); Characterization of Soil Microbial Communities Across Ecoregions as a Step TowardsImproving Soil Health Indicators Gary Stacey (Plant Science and Technology), collaborator from Yeshiva University; Development of Novel Calcium Sensors Chung-Ho Lin (School of Natural Resources), Isa Kupke (School of Natural…

March 4, 2024
Message from Heike Bücking
Dear Alumni and Friends, Welcome to the Spring semester. I am delighted to share with you more exciting news from the Division of Plant Science and Technology (DPST). Our faculty and staff continue to provide learning and leadership opportunities for our students in classrooms, research laboratories, field, and international settings. Our mission is to keep students on track towards graduation, and to provide them with high quality education and the foundation for life-long career success. Recent investments in new teaching spaces enabled us to purchase state-of-the-art laboratory equipment for the Henry Kirklin Plant Sciences Learning Laboratory and will equip a…

March 1, 2024
Q&A With Chloe Collins
Chloe Collins is an MU Extension field specialist in dairy.

March 1, 2024
CAFNR Students Named Mizzou ’39
In the spirit of service that was the cornerstone of the 1839 founding of the University of Missouri, the Mizzou Alumni Association Student Board presents the Mizzou '39 Award to 39 outstanding seniors each year.

March 1, 2024
Division of Applied Social Sciences graduate student named Mizzou 18
Rishabh Mahendra, agricultural and applied economics graduate student, was named to Mizzou 18, mentored by Harvey James.

Feb. 27, 2024
Growing a legacy: Leading the way in soybean breeding
Over the past several decades, the soybean breeding program at Mizzou, which is part of the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources’ (CAFNR) Division of Plant Science and Technology, has emerged as a leader in the field. “The breeding programs at MU both here in Columbia and at the Fisher Delta Research Center are really known as the leaders in conventional and herbicide resistant cultivar development as well as understanding the genetic architecture of seed composition traits, soybean cyst nematode resistance, and abiotic stress tolerance among others” said Andrew Scaboo, assistant professor and soybean breeder in the Division of…

Feb. 27, 2024
CAFNR soybean breeding team publishes groundbreaking discovery in fight against the crop’s biggest pest threat
Soybean cyst nematodes are small, parasitic worms that live within the soil and attack nearby plants, and they are a particular problem for soybean farmers in Missouri and across the nation. There has mostly been only one genetic mechanism used to fight these pests for the last four decades, but a Mizzou soybean breeder’s team have unlocked a key to creating a soybean plant that holds the power of increased resistance within its DNA. “Soybean cyst nematodes (SCN) are the number one pest in soybeans,” said Andrew Scaboo, assistant professor in the Division of Plant Science and Technology and co-leader…

Feb. 26, 2024
Interdisciplinary research team uses AI to create revolutionary food safety technology
Imagine being at the grocery store, picking up a package of strawberries, then giving them a quick scan that will immediately tell you exactly the types and quantities of pesticide residues that are on the fruit before you buy them and bring them home to your family. This may sound like something out of a futuristic science fiction film, but a team of interdisciplinary researchers at the University of Missouri have used the power of artificial intelligence to make the technology that would enable this scene a reality. The team, which is led by Mengshi Lin, professor of food science,…