Stories

Zach Duncan’s time in CAFNR was highlighted by numerous hands-on learning opportunities, including the Loewenberg Beef Cattle Management Internship during his junior year. That position was focused on cattle herd management, where Duncan and four other CAFNR students handled the day-to-day operations of a Salers herd donated by Bruce Loewenberg. Duncan also had a summer internship in 2017 at the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center.Photo courtesy of Zach Duncan.

Oct. 26, 2021

Preparing for the Next Step

Zach Duncan's time in CAFNR helped equip him for graduate school.
Mallory at Mo State Fair

Oct. 22, 2021

Q&A with Mallory Rahe

Rahe is an agriculture business and policy education director.

Oct. 21, 2021

Exploring Careers in Agriculture

For years, the University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR) has opened the doors to the Agricultural Research Centers to high school students from across the state. This is an opportunity for research centers to showcase its research, programs, and academic opportunities. The Career Exploration Days feature several CAFNR faculty and staff as well as MU Extension specialists as guest speakers. “The focus of these days is to educate high school students about career opportunities in agriculture, food and natural resources,” said Shibu Jose, CAFNR’s associate dean of research. “The various speakers represent different career opportunities…
Samniqueka Halsey; glasses; grey suit coat

Oct. 19, 2021

Samniqueka Halsey Receives Outstanding G.O.L.D Alumni Award

Samniqueka Halsey, assistant professor in the School of Natural Resources in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR) and CAFNR’s Faculty Fellow for Campus Community, received the 2021 Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU) Outstanding G.O.L.D (Graduates of the Last Decade) Alumni award. The Outstanding G.O.L.D Alumni award recognizes alumnus/alumna who have graduated in the last ten years and have excelled in his or her chosen profession. Honorees offer inspiration and encouragement as models for principled leadership and commitment to serving others. Halsey was recognized at the NEIU Golden Gala and Alumni Awards banquet on Saturday, Oct. 16.
20190917_CAFNRHeadshots_9980_calim_017_AhmedBalboula_AnimalScience

Oct. 19, 2021

Ahmed Balboula Receives Outstanding Investigator Award

Ahmed Balboula, assistant professor in animal sciences, is working to understand how chromosome segregation is regulated in female gametes (oocytes). During the early stages of pregnancy, chromosome mis-segregation can result in aneuploidy (abnormal number of chromosomes in a cell), the leading genetic cause of miscarriages and congenital abnormalities. His work has implications for both animal and human health. Balboula recently received R35 grant (Outstanding Investigator Award) through the National Institute of General Medicine (NIGMS, NIH) totaling $1.9 million for a five-year period. Funding is for a project titled Mechanisms Underpinning Meiotic Spindle Formation and Behavior. Balboula is a reproductive…
Jerry Hitzhusen, an associate professor emeritus in the School of Natural Resources, is a national and international advocate for disabled athletes and was committed to recreation therapy for veterans and advocacy for minority aging populations. Hitzhusen was recently inducted into the Missouri Recreation and Parks Hall of Fame.

Oct. 18, 2021

A Commitment to Those in Need

Editor’s Note: Jerry Hitzhusen passed away in January 2022. As Jerry Hitzhusen worked on his family’s farm growing up, he would oftentimes walk through the cornfields and wonder what lay beyond the borders of his northern Iowa home. Hitzhusen ended up spending his entire career not only travelling well past those borders – he also supported those in need the whole way. Hitzhusen’s career spanned five decades, and his specialties in the University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR) focused on therapeutic recreation, leisure and mental illness, leisure and aging, and continuing education in therapeutic recreation.
Recently, three CAFNR professors, in the area of plant biology, were honored with Extraordinary Professor appointments in the Department of Biotechnology at UWC – Bob Sharp, Curators’ Distinguished Professor in the Division of Plant Sciences and director of the Interdisciplinary Plant Group (IPG); David Mendoza-Cózatl, associate professor in the Division of Plant Sciences; and Scott Peck, professor in the Department of Biochemistry.

Oct. 15, 2021

Interdisciplinary Plant Group Celebrates their 40th Anniversary with Seminars

The Interdisciplinary Plant Group (IPG) is celebrating their 40th Anniversary this year. The IPG is a campus-wide community of University of Missouri (MU) faculty, students, postdoctoral fellows and professionals who are pursuing novel, creative and transformative ideas in the field of plant biology. To celebrate the 40th anniversary, a series of seminars will be presented throughout the months of October and November. The series will feature a prominent IPG alum from each of the four decades of the program. Two additional seminars will highlight recent IPG alumni. The series will showcase the various career paths IPG alumni have pursued.
Field of corn under sky.

Oct. 14, 2021

Jacobs and Davis Receive AFRI Sustainable Agriculture Systems Program Grant

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) has announced awardees of its AFRI Sustainable Agriculture Systems Program. Two CAFNR researchers were part of the 2021 awards. Keri Jacobs, associate professor of agricultural and applied economics, and Morgan Davis, assistant professor in soil and environmental sciences, received funding for a study led by researchers at Iowa State University titled “Regenerating America’s Working Landscapes to Enhance Natural Resources and Public Goods through Perennial Groundcover (PGC).” The University of Missouri (MU) is among seven universities and stakeholder organizations leading this five-year, $10-million grant. MU received $660,000…
Brenda Schreck at work

Oct. 8, 2021

Q&A with Brenda Schreck

What do you do in your current role with the University of Missouri? Brenda Schreck, county engagement specialist in livestock with the Agriculture and Environment Extension Program, works with the Show-Me Select Heifer Replacement Program. She also works with the Missouri AgrAbility Project. My focus is consulting with elevator firms to maintain compliance with USDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) guidelines for animal feed. I also work with area producers enrolled in the …
Kate Preston

Oct. 8, 2021

Q&A With Kate Preston

What are your job duties/job responsibilities in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources? I work in CAFNR’s Communications department as a Research News Strategist. I work with researchers on campus to write feature stories promoting their research or grants they’ve received. I also work with the Agricultural Experiment Stations across the state writing stories and promoting events held at the centers. How long have you worked in CAFNR? I started working in CAFNR this past June, so about four months. I graduated from MU in May with a master’s in Agricultural Education, Communications and Leadership. What do you…