Stories
April 12, 2023
Hailey Schepers Received Outstanding Senior Award as Part of 2023 Celebration of Excellence
Hailey Schepers, an agribusiness management major, was named Outstanding Senior at CAFNR’s 2023 Celebration of Excellence awards ceremony, held Tuesday, April 11. Schepers has had a variety of hands-on learning experiences throughout her time as a Tiger. She is the president of Sigma Alpha, where she leads more than 60 members and assists the executive officer team in completing a variety of duties. Schepers is the vice president of Collegiate Farm Bureau and also a member of the University of Missouri Honors College. She participated in a study abroad experience to Italy last spring. …
April 12, 2023
Grant Norfleet Received Outstanding Junior Award as Part of 2023 Celebration of Excellence
Grant Norfleet, an agricultural education major, was named Outstanding Junior at CAFNR’s 2023 Celebration of Excellence awards ceremony, held Tuesday, April 11. Norfleet, who is also completing a minor in both agribusiness management and digital storytelling, has taken on numerous leadership roles in CAFNR. He is currently a CAFNR Ambassador, where he serves as president, and discusses all that the College has to offer to prospective students. As president, Norfleet also manages 40 student ambassadors through meetings, campus events and volunteer hours. Norfleet is a member and past president of the Agriculture Education…
April 12, 2023
Abby Loesing Received Outstanding Sophomore Award as Part of 2023 Celebration of Excellence
Abby Loesing, an agricultural education major, was named Outstanding Sophomore at CAFNR’s 2023 Celebration of Excellence awards ceremony, held Tuesday, April 11. Loesing is a CAFNR Ambassador and member of Sigma Alpha. She is also part of the Agriculture Education Society, where she serves as part of the executive team. Loesing spent her first semester at Mizzou working for Tiger Garden, Mizzou’s student-run floral shop. She was an events associate where she planned, coordinated and assisted with delivery, set up and pick up of event pieces. This year, Loesing is…
April 12, 2023
Morgan Watkins Received Outstanding Freshman Award as Part of 2023 Celebration of Excellence
Morgan Watkins, an agricultural education major, was named Outstanding Freshman at CAFNR’s 2023 Celebration of Excellence awards ceremony, held Tuesday, April 11. Watkins is an active member of Missouri 4-H and the National FFA Organization. She is currently serving as a 2022-23 Missouri state FFA vice president, where she educates high school students and is focused on building a bright future for the agricultural industry. The vice president role allows Watkins to network with industry leaders, and she has facilitated numerous events during the past year. Since coming to the University of Missouri,…
April 10, 2023
Livestock Team Named Reserve Team Overall at Blue Dragon Classic
The Mizzou Livestock Judging Team was named Reserve Team Overall at the Blue Dragon Classic in Hutchison, Kansas, held in early April. The team placed third in Reasons, Cattle and Sheep & Goats, and fourth in Swine. Team members who placed include: Allison Eitel, senior in agriculture, 11th Overall; Sam Wheeler, junior in agriculture, 12th Overall; and Addie Thessen, junior in plant sciences, 14th Overall. The team is coached by Tawnie DeJong, instructor of animal sciences. Team members pictured left to right are Brady Schnelten, junior in animal sciences; Shane Vehige, junior in animal sciences; Eitel; Jenna Blessing, senior in agriculture; Thessen;…
April 7, 2023
Daubert Elected Incoming President of Institute of Food Technologists
CAFNR Vice Chancellor and Dean Christopher Daubert has been chosen as the president-elect of the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT). He has been part of the Board of Directors of IFT since 2000, and has also served as Food Engineering Division chair. “I am excited to lead an organization dedicated to advancing science and promoting people who are addressing global challenges associated with food access,” Daubert said. “Throughout my career, IFT has been a steady and positive influence; a community that provides and shares resources to best serve our industry.” He will become IFT’s 85th president when he assumes the…
April 5, 2023
Advisors Recognized as Drivers of Distinction
CAFNR Vice Chancellor and Dean Christopher Daubert recognized 10 individuals as Drivers to Distinction. The awards were given in honor of their exceptional work advising students. The recipients were: Amy Marek, senior academic advisor, Division of Food, Nutrition & Exercise Sciences Kelsey Marek, academic advisor, Animal Sciences Robyn Eschenbrenner, senior academic advisor, Division of Applied Social Sciences Libby Johnson, academic advisor, School of Natural Resources Laura Hertel, senior student service coordinator, School of Natural Resources Jenna Fusinatto, academic advisor, School of Natural Resources Mackenzie Ewing, senior academic advisor, Plant Science & Technology Katie Ogan, coordinator of student services, CAFNR Office…
April 5, 2023
Interdisciplinary Plant Group Director Recognized by Maize Genetic Cooperation
David Braun, professor of plant science and technology and biological sciences and director of the Interdisciplinary Plant Group, was awarded the 2023 L. Stadler Mid-Career Award from the Maize Genetics Cooperation. The L. Stadler Mid-Career Maize Genetics Award is given to an individual who has been in a permanent position for between nine and 20 years and has an outstanding track record of discovery research in maize or related species genetics. This award is named after Lewis J. Stadler who held a joint appointment at the University of Missouri and USDA from 1921 to 1954. Stadler was a co-discoverer that…
April 5, 2023
NEP Research Specialist Awarded Outstanding Preceptor Award
Research Specialist Jen Anderson, nutrition and exercise physiology, was recently awarded the Outstanding Preceptor Award from the Nutrition and Dietetic Educator and Preceptor practice group of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Representing more than 112,000 credentialed nutrition and dietetics practitioners, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is the world’s largest organization of food and nutrition professionals.
April 4, 2023
Putting the AI in AI
Peter Sutovsky, professor of animal sciences, and one of his postdoctoral researchers, Lauren Hamilton, were recently awarded a $1.3 million grant by USDA-National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) to support their work in creating artificial intelligence they hope will not only help farmers and the agriculture industry, but couples battling infertility, too. “We want to translate this into any area of science where it can be beneficial,” Sutovsky said. “That could be livestock, humans or even endangered species.” The project itself involves examining tens of thousands of images of sperm samples from 85 genome-sequenced bulls for morphological irregularities and…