Greetings from the University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry! As many of you know, the Center has gone through a leadership change during the reporting year. Dr. H.E. “Gene” Garrett, the founding director, has retired after his outstanding service of nearly 35 years to the University of Missouri, the Center for Agroforestry, and the agroforestry profession. This is my first opportunity as director to address you and I do so with great honor and pride.

The University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry is one of the premier centers of its kind in the world dedicated to agroforestry research, teaching and technology transfer. Our mission is to support the long-term future of rural and urban working farms and forests by achieving economic, environmental and social sustainability. The Center’s long-term research, teaching and technology transfer efforts help make a better Missouri, U.S. and world by (1) Discovering, integrating and applying new agroforestry knowledge and technologies to promote economic, environmental and social vitality; and (2) Educating and training students, professionals, scientists, leaders and general public who are empowered to make a difference locally, regionally, nationally and globally.

Our strength lies in the 22 core Center faculty and staff, over 50 associated faculty, staff and external collaborators, and over 20 graduate students and postdoctoral research associates who define, design and carry out more than 70 research and tech transfer projects. We also find strength in our diverse clientele base and friends who believe in agroforestry as a major form of future global land use.

In difficult economic times like these we can fully appreciate the diverse opportunities agroforestry offers to the family farm. The annual report highlights a few of the research and tech transfer accomplishments of our faculty, staff, students, partners and collaborators. The impacts of our research and tech transfer activities have reached far and wide. For example:

• Center’s long-term woody and non-woody biomass research is leading to the development of integrated biomass feedstock production systems potential income opportunity from marginal cropland

• Redcedar, an abundant Midwestern tree, contains chemicals that can fight MRSA, an antibiotic-resistant staph bacteria potential income opportunity for small farms and new high-tech industries

• Buffer strips of trees and grasses can trap and break down veterinary antibiotics from manure another environmental benefit of buffers and silvopasture

• 11th North American Agroforestry Conference, bringing together researchers from across the world this was one of 40 tech transfer activities in 2009 that reached an estimated 9,000 people directly

The increasing realization that agroforestry offers solutions to many of the environmental and economic challenges that we face today will help spur adoption. We will work together to help realize agroforestry’s potential. I appreciate your continued support of our program and look forward to another exciting and productive year in 2010.

Shibu Jose, Ph.D.
H.E. Garrett Endowed Professor and Director
University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry