Stories

Each November, the University of Missouri Equine Teaching Facility, part of the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR) Division of Animal Sciences, offers a select group of horses for sale. All of the proceeds from the sale benefit the MU Equine Program, as well as support student activities at the facility. In preparation for the sale, the program will offer a horse sale preview and silent auction from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 6, at the facility (4400 E. New Haven Road) in Columbia, Mo.

Nov. 1, 2021

Supporting Student Activities

female students training a young bay horse, desensitizing it by tossing a blue ball over the horse
Mandy Bish in the field

Oct. 29, 2021

Q&A with Mandy Bish

Bish is a Weed Science Extension Specialist and Integrated Pest Management Coordinator with the Agriculture and Environment Extension Program.
As part of the CAFNR Experience, undergraduate students in the College have the opportunity to gain real-world skills through hands-on learning. Those experiences are especially true in the Team and Organizational Leadership course (AG_ED_LD 2260) within the agricultural education degree program. Along with important team-building exercises, students enrolled in the course participate in an important service learning component.

Oct. 26, 2021

Succeeding in a Team Setting

As part of the CAFNR Experience, undergraduate students in the College have the opportunity to gain real-world skills through hands-on learning. Those experiences are especially true in the Team and Organizational Leadership course (AG_ED_LD 2260) within the agricultural education degree program. Along with team-building exercises, students enrolled in the course participate in an important service learning component. Service learning is a key part of the RISE Initiative, part of the CAFNR Strategic Plan, and is defined by campus as experience-based learning that promotes lifelong commitment to social responsibility and public service. “Employers obviously understand the value of having employees…

Oct. 26, 2021

Q&A With Rylee Page

Page is a senior in personal financial planning.
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.