University of Missouri founded
1839
Established in 1839, the University of Missouri was the first public university west of the Mississippi River. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress.
George Clinton Swallow appointed as the first Dean of the MU Agriculture and Mechanical College
1870
Switzler Hall was built
1871
The first classes for the new MU College of Agriculture and Mechanical Arts were held here. It was originally named Scientific Hall, then Agricultural Hall.
Henry Kirklin, the University’s first Black teacher, teaches how to prune and graft plants
1880
Henry Kirklin with Lorenzo Renfro, his grandsonHenry Kirklin (1858-1938) was a former enslaved person who became a prize-winning gardener and horticulturist and a successful businessman. After joining the University of Missouri’s horticulture department as a gardener and greenhouse supervisor, he may have been the first African American to teach at the university, although in an informal, unofficial capacity, as the university did not allow Black people to hold official teaching positions during his lifetime. Read more about Kirklin.
J.W. Sanborn became dean
1882
(1882-1889)
J.W. Sanborn establishes Sanborn Field (then called Rotation Field)
1888
Agricultural Experiment Station (AES) was created within the college to develop the agricultural sciences by practical research
1888
The annual report from AES from 1951-1952AES was created within the college to develop the agricultural sciences by practical research
Edward D. Porter became dean
1889
(1889-1895)
Swallow Hall constructed
1892
Natural resources and some ag classes were taught here. The building is named for the first dean of MU agriculture, George Swallow.
Agricultural Chemistry becomes first department in the College of Agriculture
1894
H.J. Waters became dean
1895
(1895-1909)
Dairy science building built
1901
Later expanded and renamed Eckles Hall in honor of Clarence Henry Eckles in 1938
First short courses offered
1903
Farmers from Johnson County visit Mizzou for a short course, 1911.Short courses were popular because they lasted only eight weeks and were held during the winter, a slow time of the year for farmers.
Animal husbandry department formed
1904
Professor Mumford teaches an early animal husbandry class.In 1904 most Missouri farmers raised livestock, so the department worked closely with livestock producers. This trend of working with livestock producers has continued through the years.
Farmer’s Week began
1906
Farmer’s Week was popular for decades until World War II when the draft and gasoline rationing affected attendance.
Dairy chemistry lab, Eckles Hall
1909
Home economics class
1909
Frederick Blackmar Mumford became dean
1909
Frederick Blackmar Mumford at his retirement in 1938.(1909-1938)
Dairy cow Chief Josephine produces a record 15,725 pounds of milk in one year
1910
Poultry Husbandry Department established
1911
A class on poultry takes place before the establishment of the poultry husbandry department.Memorial Union’s first phase of construction completed
1926
Today, the University of Missouri’s Memorial Union is a campus icon that remembers soldiers who died in battle. The concept came from a poem written by a MU College of Agriculture graduate who perished in World War I. Robert McGhee “Peaches” Graham (1892 – 1918) and his Army friends wrote the poem, which calls for the construction of a bell tower on the MU campus to memorialize the University’s war dead. Photo of Bell Tower construction courtesy University Archives.
Early Leaders of the College
1928
Picture of the faculty of the Department of Animal Husbandry at the University of Missouri taken in 1928 or 1929. Front row (from left) – Jim Burch, Jim Foster, Frederick B. Mumford, EA Trowbridge, and Fred F. McKenzie; Middle row (from left) – L.A. Weaver, T.A. Ewing, A.G. Hogan, and D. Chittenden; Back row (from left) L.E. Casida (PhD student), H. Garlock, H. Moffett, and J.E. Comfort.
M.F. Miller became dean
1938
(1938-1945)
Aureomycin discovered
1945
E.A. Trowbridge became dean
1945
(1945-1948)
First MU Livestock Judging Team with a female participant
1948
J.H. Longwell became dean
1948
(1948-1960)
Foremost Dairy Research Center was built through a generous donation from J.C. Penney
1952
During the ceremonies honoring J.C. Penney for his donation to Mizzou, photographers snapped Penney feeding an MU calf. Courtesy University Archives.The center was named after his famous bull, Langwater Foremost.
Horticulture Research Center opens
1953
The Horticulture Research Center became the Horticulture and Agroforestry Research Center (HARC) in 1995.
Farmers tour the new Bradford Research Farm
1959
Elmer R. Kiehl became dean
1960
(1960-1979)
Ag Building dedicated
1961
Sanborn Field added to National Register of Historical Places
1964
Greenley Research Center dedicated after Hortense Greenley donates 700-acre farm
1974
Miss Hortense Greenley.Max Lennon became dean
1980
(1980-1983)
Animal and poultry science departments merge; single undergraduate curriculum in animal, dairy and poultry science created
1983
Roger Mitchell became dean
1983
(1983-1998)
Construction of the Anheuser-Busch Natural Resources building
1996
Anheuser-Busch Natural Resources Building dedicated
1998
Artist’s rendering of the Anheuser-Busch Natural Resources BuildingThomas L. Payne became dean
1999
(1999-2016)
Christopher R. Daubert became dean
2017
(2017 – present)
Drive to Distinction – CAFNR Strategic Plan Launched
2019
Missouri is fortunate to have strong agriculture, natural resource, financial and healthcare industries as allied partners to provide CAFNR, as part of Missouri’s land-grant university, an opportunity to affect the lives of every citizen by providing unbiased, relevant and accessible education, information and resources. Read the strategic plan
CAFNR officially opens Land of the Osages Research Center
2019
Osage flag ceremony, song and prayer at the grand opening.This new center, the first center to open in more than 30 years, will further research in agroforestry, a sustainability-focused system that combines trees and shrubs with crops.
About the future from Vice Chancellor and Dean Christopher Daubert
2019
“Massive changes are happening in agriculture and natural resources,” Vice Chancellor and Dean Daubert says. With the world’s population projected to increase to 9 billion by 2050, along with rapidly changing climates, it’s up to science to help communities adapt, he says. “As a land-grant institution, we work hard to share current technologies with our students and Missourians. But we also must go beyond that and teach next-generation practices that will keep our agriculture and natural resource industries thriving and striving to be on top far into the future.”
CAFNR celebrates 150 years of serving Missouri and the world
2020
Founding Day 150th Celebration
2020
CAFNR’s Founding Day celebration was Feb. 24, 2020.
On the Drive: Biennial Report 2021 Released
2021
This report shows the progress made over the first two of the six years. Read the report