Stories
March 20, 2023
Q&A with Sarah Kenyon
What do you do in your current role with the University of Missouri? I am a field specialist in agronomy serving six counties in the southwest region. Based in West Plains, Missouri, I conduct educational programs for producers in forage production and management. I also participate with local farmer cooperators with on-farm demonstrations concerning grazing management, weed control and fertility management. How long have you worked in this position? I started in November 2009, so I have been in this role for over 13 years. What is your favorite part about the work you do? I enjoy working with farmers…
March 20, 2023
CAFNR Celebrates Women’s History Month: Q&A with Melissa Joy Dobbins
Melissa Joy Dobbins speaks to the crowd as she is recognized at the 2022 CAFNR Column Awards. Melissa Joy Dobbins, MS, RDN, CDCES (MS Nutrition Education and Coordinated Program in Dietetics ’93) is CEO of Sound Bites®, founded in 2011. She is a registered dietitian, certified diabetes educator, podcaster, speaker and spokesperson who helps people make well-informed food decisions based on facts, not fear, so they can enjoy food with health in mind. She is a media trainer and communications coach to food, nutrition and wellness professionals. Her program is consistently rated as a top nutrition podcast and has more…
March 20, 2023
MU Announces New Institute of Fisheries, Wetlands and Aquatic Systems
Through a partnership with the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) and the Missouri Conservation Heritage Foundation (MCHF), the University of Missouri’s College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources made a joint announcement featuring the launch of its new Institute of Fisheries, Wetlands and Aquatic Systems today. “Clean water and healthy aquatic systems are vital for our global future,” said Mun Choi, University of Missouri president. “This Institute will be a crucial resource for citizens, government entities and private industries committed to this mission in the years to come, and MU is proud to be a driving force in that mission…
March 17, 2023
Annie’s Project empowered Marion County farmer Amy Lehenbauer
Annie’s Project, a program offered by University of Missouri Extension for two decades, gave Amy Lehenbauer the confidence she needed to become active in the family farm. Lehenbauer is one of more than 19,000 women across the nation who completed the program during the past 20 years, says MU Extension agriculture business specialist Karisha Devlin. The program celebrates two decades of helping women in agriculture gain skills in leadership, business and estate planning, self-defense and self-care. “Annie’s Project educates and empowers women in agriculture and encourages them in whatever role they choose to have in their farming operations,” says Devlin.
March 13, 2023
Mid-Career Research Development Program Accepts Hospitality Management Faculty
Pei Liu, associate professor of hospitality management, was accepted into Mizzou’s Mid-Career Research Development Fellows Program for a two-year term beginning fall 2023. This is a partnership program between the Office of the Provost and the Office of Research, Innovation, and Impact. It is designed to provide research development opportunities to post-tenure/mid-career faculty prior to promotion to full professor. Selected faculty participate in workshops and career-building events that focus on research support including topics of balancing service commitments, engaging in collaborative work, understanding promotion criteria, and other topics of concern to mid-career faculty.
March 13, 2023
Hospitality Management Professor Receives Fullbright Award
Dae-Young Kim, professor of hospitality management, was selected by the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board as an award recipient for 2023-24. Kim is a Fulbright U.S. Senior Scholar for the upcoming academic year. He will use his scholarship to teach and conduct research on sustainable tourism in Las Palmas, Spain, for five months. The Fullbright program provides awards to approximately 8,000 students, scholars, teachers, artists, and professionals each year from the United States and 160 countries. Fulbright is unique in its binationalism and noted for its merit-based selection process and academic prestige. Fulbright alumni from the United States and around the…
March 13, 2023
CAFNR Celebrates Women’s History Month: Q&A with Tahira Hira
Tahira Hira (MS Agricultural Economics ’73; PhD Family Economics & Financial Management ’76) is an internationally recognized leader in personal finance and consumer economics. She is professor emeritus in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at Iowa State University and also served as senior policy advisor to the president of the university, overseeing initiatives around enhancing research, awards/honors and the student experience. Her research and teaching focused around consumer behavior, financial literacy, investment behavior and financial education. She has served as a member of the U.S. President’s Advisory Council on Financial Literacy, chaired the NYSE committee on financial literacy,…
March 10, 2023
From Student to Specialist
As a high school student in Salem, Mo., Nick Wesslak was an active member of his local FFA chapter. That experience not only introduced him to the University of Missouri, it also showed him an interesting career path – one that he is now serving in with MU Extension. Wesslak earned two degrees from Mizzou – a bachelor’s degree in plant sciences and a master’s degree in natural resources. After stops in two states, Wesslak recently joined MU Extension as an agronomy field specialist where he covers eight counties in northeast Missouri. “I’m really happy to be back in the…
March 10, 2023
CAFNR Celebrates Women’s History Month: Q&A with Stacey Follis
Stacey Follis shared the moment with her family as she received the 2022 CAFNR Column Award for Animal Sciences last fall. Stacey L. (Wood) Follis (BS Agriculture – Minor in Animal Sciences ’98; MS Animal Sciences – Reproductive Physiology ’00) has been employed in the animal health industry for more than 22 years. Her focus is in clinical development with a wide spectrum of experience, from bovine to feline to canine to swine, contributing to more than 30 product indications. Follis started her career with Pharmacia & Upjohn in Kalamazoo, Michigan. She has not technically changed employers since, although…
March 9, 2023
An End in Sight
The Spring Equinox will usher in the season of blooms and rebirth in just a couple of weeks, and according to one expert, this year it will bring some much-needed relief to farmers after devastating drought last year. It may, however, also bring with it a dark side — an increased likelihood of severe weather. Tony Lupo, University of Missouri professor of atmospheric science and interim state climatologist, tracks long-term weather patterns, and he is confident that this spring and summer will bring drought relief and excellent growing conditions for the bulk of the state. He attributes the drought to…