Stories

Photo of Mary Ann Gowdy, in colorful scarf and purple sweater

April 21, 2023

CAFNR Advisor Spotlight: Mary Ann Gowdy

How rewarding is it to work with students in the plant science degrees program? Advising and mentoring is immensely rewarding because students begin their college experience as timid students unsure of themselves and graduate as confident energetic young professionals. How do you assist those students throughout their academic journey? I encourage them to take calculated risks and to accept unsuccessful events as learning experiences. I stress the importance of learning to accept responsibility for their actions and how important it is to ask for help when needed. My job as their advisor is to be honest with them and that…
Andrew Dean (right) and Alex Stone earned parks, recreation and sport degrees from the University of Missouri in 2014 and 2016, respectively. The duo both work in ticket development for the St. Louis Cardinals. Dean serves as manager; Stone is a supervisor.

April 20, 2023

Building Their Careers

The University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR) offers its students a variety of opportunities to connect with industry professionals, through career fairs, symposiums and tours. For Alex Stone, one of those opportunities connected him with a fellow parks, recreation and sport alumnus – as well as the St. Louis Cardinals. During his senior year, Stone attended a sport-specific symposium where he met Andrew Dean. Dean had earned his parks, recreation and sport degree from MU two years prior and was working with the Cardinals in ticket development. The two had a good conversation and Stone…
An older, white man in a white button-up and kaki pants shakes hands with a black man in a blue polo while sitting at a table.

April 20, 2023

The Legacy of Jake Fisher

Jake Fisher greets attendees of the 52nd annual Fisher Delta Field Day in 2013. Fisher retired as superintendent in 2011 but continued to serve the REEC as an advisory board member. The community across the Delta region of the southeast corner of Missouri was struck with a deep loss with the passing of Jake Fisher in March. Fisher was the long-time superintendent and namesake of the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources’ T.E. “Jake” Fisher Delta Research, Extension and Education Center (REEC) in Portageville, but to the community there and at the University of Missouri, he was so much…
Colby Radifer wearing a pale yellow shirt

April 19, 2023

Colby Redifer Received 2023 MWASAS Young Scholar Award

Colby Redifer, PhD candidate in ruminant animal physiology, was honored with the Young Scholar Award at the 2023 Midwest American Society of Animal Science (MWASAS) meeting. His research focuses on developmental programming, specifically the impacts of late gestational nutrient restriction on prenatal and postnatal offspring nutrient utilization in beef cattle, under the guidance of his advisor, Allison Meyer, associate professor in the Division of Animal Sciences. The Young Scholars Program recognizes and features research accomplishments of recent PhD recipients or current PhD students in the advanced stages of their program at the annual ASAS Midwest Section meeting. Promising scholars within…
Student soil judging team in California.

April 17, 2023

Soil Judging Team Takes Fourth Place at National Competition

The MU Collegiate Soil Judging Team took fourth place in the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture Judging Conference 2023 Soils Contest, held April 12-15, in Modesto, California. Two students from the Mizzou team also placed in the top ten: India Williams, freshman in environmental sciences, placed sixth; Kali Dolson, sophomore in environmental sciences, received seventh place. The team was composed of the following students (front row, in the photo): Sophie Teddy, sophomore in environmental sciences; Paige Simpson, sophomore in environmental sciences; Bit Sochacki, sophomore in environmental sciences; Dolson; Rosie Garza, senior in environmental sciences; Williams; Alayna Kruse, junior…
female student with dark hair that's pulled back is standing in a lab with several instruments while wearing a lab coat

April 17, 2023

CAFNR Junior Named Goldwater Scholar

Kristen Barwick, junior in biochemistry, was one of four University of Missouri students selected as a Goldwater Scholar for 2023. Each year, universities nominate up to four students for this prestigious national scholarship — this year, all four nominees from Mizzou were named to the scholar program. The Goldwater Scholarship is a competitive national scholarship program that recognizes outstanding undergraduate students in the fields of mathematics, natural sciences and engineering. It provides $7,500 for tuition, fees, books, and room and board, and is awarded based on academic merit, research experience and potential for future achievement. This year, 413 scholars were…
Two United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) grants, totaling almost $900,000, will allow Henry Nguyen to build on his research focus related to abiotic stress tolerance and disease resistance in plants, primarily soybeans. The grants will help Nguyen and his team tackle important issues related to soybeans, including waterlogging tolerance and soybean cyst nematodes (SCN). Flooding and SCN cause billions of dollars worth of damages every year.

April 14, 2023

Plant Sciences Student Earns GPC International Student Award

Bruna Montes Luz has been awarded the Graduate Professional Council International Student Award. Montes Luz is a graduate student pursuing a PhD in Plant, Insect and Microbial Sciences. The GPC International Student Award is an award that honors an international graduate or professional student who shows exemplary leadership and service to the university and to the international student community. This award celebrates the accomplishments of international graduate and professional students through their hard work, dedication, and adherence to Mizzou’s core values of respect, responsibility, discovery, and excellence.
black and white photo of Kelly Wilson holding a watermelon on each shoulder, standing in the field

April 13, 2023

Get to Know Kelly Wilson

What are your job duties/job responsibilities in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources? I am the Associate Director for MU’s Center for Regenerative Agriculture and an assistant professor with the School of Natural Resources. I work closely with farmers, farm advisors, and farm groups to research and promote adoption of farming practices that are restorative to the environment and benefit people. I use participatory research approaches to conduct applied research that meets the felt-needs and challenges of farmers and others across the ag value chain. I work with all types of farmers, but one of my…
Jesse Hall and campus

April 13, 2023

CAFNR Represented Among 14 MU Students, Alumni Honored by National Science Foundation

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported STEM disciplines who are pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees at accredited U.S. institutions. The five-year fellowship includes three years of financial support including an annual stipend of $34,000 and a cost of education allowance of $12,000 to the institution. This year’s recipients included three CAFNR students and alumni: Daniel Lamm, BS ’20 (biochemistry); Joseph Fritsche, BS ’21 (biochemistry); and Chantelle Wimms, current graduate student in natural resources. Alyssa Smolensky, current graduate student in natural resources, received an honorable mention. Wimms and Smolensky…
A red tractor sits in a harvested corn field

April 12, 2023

Missouri Farm Income Projected to Decline in 2023

Missouri’s net farm income is predicted to fall in 2023 following a record-setting 2022, according to the spring 2023 Missouri Farm Income Outlook report. The report, released by the Rural and Farm Finance Policy Analysis Center (RaFF) at the University of Missouri, provides comprehensive insights that can equip industry stakeholders and policymakers with information to understand the state-level impacts of economic factors, weather and policy initiatives on the agriculture industry. One factor that could explain this projected drop in farm income is the state’s livestock receipts, which were impacted by the country-wide drought that reduced cattle inventories and supported Missouri marketings, which…