Across campus, we’re committed to meeting Missouri’s needs and delivering incredible impact for all we serve, including in rural communities. Last week, we were proud to host multiple events connecting elected officials, friends and alumni with the groundbreaking work happening in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources to support our state’s ag industry.

On Thursday, we welcomed Gov. Mike Kehoe, who joined the Mizzou Collegiate Farm Bureau’s annual farm forum to discuss the future of agriculture. He also met with Dr. Rob Myers and members of our Center for Regenerative Agriculture to discuss the impact of innovations such as virtual fencing, which – for the first time – makes it easy for producers to rotate grazing livestock using just GPS collars and a mobile app.

On Saturday, I joined Alpha Gamma Rho – Theta Chapter, a Mizzou social-professional agricultural fraternity, for their 110th Founders Day celebration. Present at the event were USDA Undersecretary for Farm Production and Conservation Richard Fordyce, Missouri Cattlemen’s Association Executive Vice President Mike Deering as well as more than 100 current students and alumni. Alpha Gamma Rho has a long record of service, including hosting an annual youth cattle show that in 2026 raised more than $10,000 for childhood cancer awareness. They also count many elected officials and state commodity leaders among their alumni. It was great to see their continued success.

Later that evening, we gathered in downtown Columbia for CAFNR Unlimited, an annual event focused on advancing student success across the college. We were honored to welcome Undersecretary Fordyce once again, along with Board Chair Todd Graves, Curator John Raines and many partners from Missouri’s elected and state leadership. Those in attendance included State Senators Jason Bean, Rusty Black and Kurtis Gregory, as well as Missouri Department of Agriculture Director Chris Chinn, Missouri Department of Natural Resources Director Kurt Schaefer and numerous commodity partners. Their presence underscored the broad reach of CAFNR’s work and its impact on Missouri’s workforce and ongoing growth.

Each event was a great opportunity to highlight the importance of CAFNR’s mission, including its contribution to Mizzou’s $5 billion in annual economic impact. I want to thank CAFNR Vice Chancellor and Dean Chris Daubert for his incredible leadership in growing research, student enrollment and engagement with the ag community. Mizzou is proud to be our state’s flagship, land-grant university and to support the success of producers and all Missourians.

— Mun