Daniel Downing

Extension Specialist; State Coordinator SARE

Growing up on a farm in Lincoln County, Missouri where in the late 1960s his family rehabilitated an existing drilled well for use as their residential water supply sparked Daniel’s interest in water quality. In the 1940s and 1950s “this well was the only water supply for miles around” with people hauling wooden barrels of water for their families and livestock in horse drawn wagons according to his father. He also witnessed the impacts of major flooding in the 1970’s along the Mississippi River and its impact on his classmates and their families.
Daniel received his B.S. in Agriculture from the University of Missouri before engaging in the family farming operation. Upon his return to Mid -Missouri he worked in county Extension offices while completing his M.S. in Extension and Adult Education. After a decade in Extension he accepted a statewide Extension position helping farmers, other land owners, and municipalities protect their local water supplies and maintain regulatory compliance through public engagement and locally driven watershed management planning efforts. He was then called upon to provide leadership for Missouri’s Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program and assist with teaching in the Ag. Systems Management Program at MU.

Currently he coordinates the SARE program, represents MU with the North Central Region Water Network, the SERA-46 (Gulf of Mexico) hypoxia outreach committee, leads the Heartland Extension Disaster Education (4 state) Network, is active with the New Madrid Seismic Zone Education effort, has served on the Boone County Extension Council, and is currently volunteering on the board of directors for the Boone County 4-H Foundation.

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