CAFNR Development Not Slowing Down
The Drive to Distinction – a six-year strategic plan launched in 2019 by the University of Missouri’s College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources – was supposed to have concluded at the end of 2025. But four months into 2026, no one at CAFNR has yet tapped the brakes. In fact, Christopher Daubert, Ph.D., CAFNR’s Vice Chancellor and Dean, suggested the college would be putting the pedal to the metal to reach a 2030 ‘destination’ of doubling the value of the state’s agricultural production and output.
Dr. Daubert said, “CAFNR’s people and resources continue to evolve to serve Missouri’s land-grant mission to improve lives, communities and economies by producing relevant, reliable and responsive educational strategies that enhance access to the resources and research of the University of Missouri.” Over the past decade, CAFNR has added more faculty, postdocs and research associates. “CAFNR’s general revenue budget is over $45 million, with another $5.2 million supporting agriculture and environment programs through MU’s Extension.”
He also noted that CAFNR does not own agriculture, but seeks to collaborate with the multitudes of entities, groups and individuals that form the agriculture industry. “Ag is a big tent,” he said.
Last year CAFNR spent $88.2 million on research projects, doubling its expenditures in that space from “just a few years ago,” Dr. Daubert said. He added that faculty published more than 900 peer-reviewed articles that garnered over 100,000 citations. “The CAFNR Foundation,” he said, “continues to play a vital role ensuring our researchers have the facilities, seed funding and support needed to thrive.”
Student enrollment is strong, and opportunities in agriculture and veterinary medicine appear bright. Currently there are 2,841 undergraduates taking classes in the CAFNR curriculum. The college has distributed $2.17 million in scholarships through partnerships with alumni associations, donors and foundations. These scholarships are responsible for raising CAFNR’s four-year graduation rate to almost 70%. Dr. Daubert was happy to report that “about 53% of students whom I shake hands with at graduation shake my hand with no debt.”
Veterinary Medicine Challenges
Dr. Sri Sreevatsan, Dean of the University of Missouri’s College of Veterinary Medicine offered a sobering outlook on the shortage of large and food animal veterinarians nationwide and in Missouri. He noted that in 2023, U.S. National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) designated eight areas in Missouri that were experiencing shortages of food animal veterinarians. These locations needed anywhere from 30% to 80% more full-time large animal veterinarians.
“There is a workforce deficit in the remote areas of states where healthcare is limited,” Dr. Sreevatsan said, referring to a 2022 American Veterinary Medical Association study. He noted the AVMA data showed less than 3% of graduating DVMs enter food and mixed animal practices. But the federal government has reacted to the exodus of veterinarians from large animal practice. USDA and its affiliated agencies, including NIFA, are the biggest drivers in addressing the shortage.
Missouri’s College of Veterinary Medicine is currently developing plans and strategies to address the shortage. For one, it is planning a new department concentrating on production animal medicine. “This department,” said Dr. Sreevatsan, “will be one of the strategic pillars of Mizzou CVM, serving rural Missouri through innovation and education to build the rural health workforce.” To underscore this effort to date, he introduced four large animal veterinary students to Council members. They answered questions about the current shortage and how it influenced their decision to work in rural counties. That provided an upbeat message that the situation could get better.