Stories

The Precision and Automated Agriculture Lab (PAAL) in the CAFNR Division of Food Systems and Bioengineering recently teamed up with researchers in the CAFNR Division of Plant Sciences to study yield estimation of soybean breeding lines under drought stress using unmanned aerial vehicle-based imagery and convolutional neural network. Their work resulted in a paper published by Biosystems Engineering. Pictured is Jing Zhou flying a drone at the Fisher Delta Research Center. Photo courtesy of Jing Zhou.

April 7, 2021

A Different Perspective

High yield potential is often the top trait crop breeders look at, as higher yielding crops can lead to more money in a producer’s pocket. Researchers in the University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR) conduct a variety of trait-related trials through various breeding programs. The Precision and Automated Agriculture Lab (PAAL) in the CAFNR Division of Food Systems and Bioengineering recently teamed up with researchers in the CAFNR Division of Plant Sciences to study yield estimation of soybean breeding lines under drought stress using unmanned aerial vehicle-based imagery and convolutional neural network. Their work…
University of Missouri Extension specialists and experts work to cultivate and promote an atmosphere of lifelong learning among Missourians. Those specialists and experts work with Missourians of all ages. Here, Eric Bailey, assistant professor in the Division of Animal Sciences and state beef Extension specialist, talks with farmers and producers during a field day at the Forage Systems Research Center, located in Linneus, Mo.. Photo taken pre-COVID.

April 1, 2021

Keeping Missourians Up to Speed

Lifelong learning. It’s an essential part of Agriculture and Environment Extension’s goal of doubling the value of Missouri agriculture by 2030 while sustaining the state’s natural resources. It’s a bold goal where lifelong learning meets real people. When Ron Brown was approached to check out the Missouri Master Gardener Extension Program, he thought the opportunity to expand his already extensive gardening knowledge would only help as he worked in his home garden and a community garden in Ferguson, Mo. Ron Brown has worked in gardens throughout his life. Halfway through his time in the Missouri Master Gardener Program, the director…
Randall Westgren

March 25, 2021

Collective Entrepreneurship Research and Education for Socially Disadvantaged Small- and Medium-Food System Enterprises

Randall Westgren, professor in the Division of Applied Social Sciences and McQuinn Chair of Entrepreneurial Leadership, recently received a grant from USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). The grant is for $499,975 and is titled “Collective Entrepreneurship Research and Education for Socially Disadvantaged Small- and Medium-Food System Enterprises.” The project builds the capacity of socially-disadvantaged food system entrepreneurs to utilize collective entrepreneurial strategies to found and scale-up small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in local and regional food systems. It is an integrated project of research and outreach activities with minority, marginalized and socially disadvantaged (MMSD) food system…
Kiruba Krishnaswamy

March 18, 2021

Food Innovations to Address Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2 – Zero Hunger

Kiruba Krishnaswamy, assistant professor of food science in the Division of Food Systems and Bioengineering, recently received a VentureWell Faculty Grant that will support a new course that incorporates experiential learning to create innovative solutions in food and agricultural systems. The course will be aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goal to eradicate hunger. “Students will learn about global challenges in food systems, including chronic hunger and hidden hunger, and learn how to become agents of change through food systems innovation,” Krishnaswamy said. Krishnaswamy was one of 13 recipients from across the United States who were chosen through a competitive…
Abigail Turner, a senior studying agricultural education, has spent a good portion of her collegiate career at the University of Missouri traveling – through study abroad experiences and other opportunities. Those experiences have offered Turner the chance to gain valuable insights and broadened her view of the world. Photo courtesy of Abigail Turner.

March 18, 2021

Gaining a New Perspective

The day after Abigail Turner graduated from high school she jumped on an airplane and flew to Australia with the encouragement of her parents, who love to travel. Turner grew up in Brookfield, Mo., a town of less than 4,500 people, and the trip to Australia was her first foray into international travel. It wouldn’t be her last. Turner, a senior studying agricultural education, has spent a good portion of her collegiate career at the University of Missouri traveling – through study abroad experiences and other opportunities. Those experiences have offered Turner the chance to gain valuable insights and broadened…

March 17, 2021

Q&A With Toyin Jackson

Why did you decide to come to the University of Missouri and major in food science and nutrition? What do you enjoy about the program itself? The field of study? The initial reason I was drawn to the University of Missouri was because I was selected to be in the inaugural class of MU Stamps Scholars through the Honors College. I visited campus during my latter years of high school, specifically the food science program and Dr. (Ingolf) Gruen. What stuck out to me during that visit was the program’s level of autonomy and the freedom to carve out your…
Pengyin Chen

March 17, 2021

Pengyin Chen Honored with American Soybean Association Pinnacle Award

Pengyin Chen, who holds the David M. Haggard Endowed Professorship in Soybean Breeding at the Fisher Delta Research Center, recently received the American Soybean Association’s (ASA) Pinnacle Award, the ASA’s highest honor. Chen was honored during the ASA Awards Program virtual broadcast on Tuesday, March 16. The Pinnacle Award provides industry-wide recognition of individuals who have demonstrated lifetime contribution and exemplary long-time leadership within the soybean family and industry. Chen joined the University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR) in 2016. He does a variety of research at the Fisher Delta Research Center, located…
Maya Puller, senior in Plant Sciences, spoke about the importance of the state-of-the-art Henry Kirklin Plant Sciences Learning Laboratory at the dedication event on Feb. 24. (photo courtesy of News Bureau)

March 12, 2021

A Historic Dedication

On Feb. 24, the 151st anniversary of the founding of our college, CAFNR recognized Henry Kirklin, a celebrated Black farmer and educator who lived in and around Columbia from 1858 until his death in 1938, with the naming of the Henry Kirklin Plant Sciences Learning Laboratory, and the establishment of a scholarship for underrepresented minority students studying plant sciences, in his honor. Nearly a dozen of Kirklin’s descendants were in virtual attendance as leadership of MU and CAFNR, along with city leaders, dedicated the lab, which recognizes the man believed to have been the first Black teacher at the University…
Cindy Greenwood

March 12, 2021

Q&A With Cindy Greenwood

What are your job duties/job responsibilities in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources? I am the Executive Assistant in the School of Natural Resources. I provide support to our Director, Dr. Patrick Market. I handle his calendar, work with faculty on promotion and tenure, annual reviews, faculty hiring/interviews, event planning, and I am the Building Coordinator for ABNR. I also am a member of the Director’s Staff Advisory Team in SNR and Co-Chair of the CAFNR Staff Council. How long have you worked in CAFNR? I started in SNR on June 1, 2015. Previously on campus, I worked…
Farm income could decline in 2021, in spite of large increases in the value of crop and livestock sales, according to the latest analysis of national and global agricultural trends from the University of Missouri. Lower government payments and higher farm production costs could outweigh the increase in sales. Even with the decline projected by analysts at the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI), net farm income of $112 billion in 2021 would still be much higher than it was from 2015-2019. Net farm income increased to $121 billion in 2020, the highest level since 2013, primarily because of $46 billion in government payments.

March 12, 2021

Agricultural Markets Still Face Uncertainty, but University of Missouri Analysts See Signs of Optimism

Farm income could decline in 2021, in spite of large increases in the value of crop and livestock sales, according to the latest analysis of national and global agricultural trends from the University of Missouri. Lower government payments and higher farm production costs could outweigh the increase in sales. Even with the decline projected by analysts at the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI), net farm income of $112 billion in 2021 would still be much higher than it was from 2015-2019. Net farm income increased to $121 billion in 2020, the highest level since 2013, primarily because…