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December 15, 2015 - Filed Under: Health

FOREST, Miss. -- When the new year begins, so do commitments to drop extra pounds and live healthier lifestyles. But many people find it hard to keep these promises to themselves.

Walk-A-Weigh, a program of the Mississippi State University Extension Service, gives people the proper tools to change their lifestyles by helping them improve their eating habits and stick to regular exercise routines. It began as a pilot program in 2015 but will be offered statewide in 2016.

December 15, 2015 - Filed Under: About Extension

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Mississippi State University Extension Service Director Gary Jackson recently was selected to be a professional member of North America’s first conservation organization.

Founded by Theodore Roosevelt and George Bird Grinnell in 1887, the Boone and Crockett Club promotes wildlife conservation and management, including sportsmanship, habitat conservation and the ethical standards of fair chase hunting.

Pennisetum, such as this Fireworks variety, is an ornamental grass with a lot of pizazz. It is an annual everywhere except right along the coast. (Photo by MSU Extension/Gary Bachman)
December 14, 2015 - Filed Under: Lawn and Garden

Ornamental grasses are reliable warm-season performers that keep on giving, even in winter landscapes. Their color and interesting texture make them great choices for any garden.

A couple of good ornamental grasses that I like are Gulf muhly grass and pampas grass.

Gulf muhly grass is a native plant that really performs in the winter. It flowers in billowy masses that resemble pink clouds in the landscape. The color will hold as long as there isn’t a hard freeze. Even after freezing temperatures, the flower heads keep their airy shape.

December 11, 2015 - Filed Under: City and County Government

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Low voter turnout may not be a big deal to some Mississippians, but for a group of concerned experts with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, a lack of interest in the election process signals an educational opportunity.

Jason Camp, an Extension associate with the Center for Government and Community Development, said he and his colleagues wanted to boost involvement and interest in local government.

December 11, 2015 - Filed Under: Wildlife

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- So, you have finally worked up the nerve to ask that landowner for permission to hunt his property for the upcoming hunting season, and he said yes.

December 11, 2015 - Filed Under: Rural Development

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- A longtime department head at Mississippi State University has been named the new director of the Southern Rural Development Center.

Steven Turner, who has served as head of the MSU Department of Agricultural Economics for 12 years, will officially begin as the center’s director Jan. 1.

Mike Phillips
December 9, 2015 - Filed Under: Leadership, Food

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Two Mississippi State University faculty members are participating in an executive leadership program to gain enhanced management skills and a broader perspective on food systems.

Mike Phillips, head of the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, and Mary Beck, head of the Department of Poultry Sciences, began the Food Systems Leadership Institute program in the fall of 2015.

December 9, 2015 - Filed Under: About Extension

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- A proven ability to work with producers, university professionals and industry representatives has earned Steve Martin new responsibilities with the Mississippi State University Extension Service.

Korie Stallings, 8, gets her hair pinned by Mississippi State University senior Claudia Robinson of Jackson, Mississippi. Robinson and other School of Human Sciences students made dresses for girls in the Starkville Boys and Girls Club as part of an apparel design class service-learning project. Participants modeled new dresses in a fashion show on Dec. 5, 2015. (Photo by MSU Extension Service/Kat Lawrence)
December 8, 2015 - Filed Under: Community

Korie Stallings, 8, gets her hair pinned by Mississippi State University senior Claudia Robinson of Jackson, Mississippi. Robinson and other School of Human Sciences students made dresses for girls in the Starkville Boys and Girls Club as part of an apparel design class service-learning project. Participants modeled new dresses in a fashion show on Dec. 5, 2015. (Photo by MSU Extension Service/Kat Lawrence)

Southern Gardening TV recently featured the Savannah holly, which is outdoing itself across the state this year. Its colorful fruit load can weigh down branches. (Photo by MSU Extension/Gary Bachman)
December 7, 2015 - Filed Under: Lawn and Garden, Trees

Driving around Mississippi’s coastal counties has reminded me that we are in the middle of the red berry season. Yaupon hollies have translucent red berries that sparkle like landscape jewels, and Nellie R. Stevens have dark, glossy-green foliage that provides the perfect background for bright-red berries.

Representatives of the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks are the best contacts when someone discovers a sick or injured wild animal. Their goal is to treat and re-release wild animals, as Chad Dacus, wildlife bureau director, is shown doing for this rehabilitated bald eagle at the Barnett Reservoir near Jackson, Mississippi. (Photo courtesy of Brian Broom)
December 4, 2015 - Filed Under: Wildlife

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Wild animals are amazing for many reasons. Whether it’s flying high in the sky, singing beautiful songs or simply displaying the amazing colors and patterns of their feathers or fur, wild creatures attract people. So, when we come upon an injured or sick animal, in most cases, we want to help it any way possible.

Mississippi State University’s award-winning horse judging team includes (front row, from left) Hannah Collins of Pontotoc; Ashley Greene of Jacksonville, Florida; Samantha Miller of Birmingham; and Ashley Palmer of Jackson; and (back row, from left) Emily Ferjak, graduate student and assistant coach, from Killingworth, Connecticut; Hannah Miller of Starkville; Carlee West of Brooklyn; and MaeLena Apperson of Mocksville, North Carolina. Clay Cavinder coaches the team in its first year of competition. (Photo
December 3, 2015 - Filed Under: Equine

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Mississippi State University’s horse judging team continues to earn honors in its first year of competition.

Clay Cavinder, equine specialist with the MSU Extension Service and associate professor in the MSU Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences, coached the team for the recent American Quarter Horse Association World Championship Show in Oklahoma.

December 2, 2015 - Filed Under: Farming

CEDAR BLUFF, Miss. -- High Hope Farm in Cedar Bluff is set to host the year’s final field day organized by the Alliance for Sustainable Agricultural Production on Dec. 11.

Experts will present information on timely issues, including presentations from David Nagel Mississippi State University Extension Service horticulture specialist; Eric Stafne, Extension fruit specialist; William Kingery, an agronomist in the MSU Department of Plant and Soil Sciences; and Nancy Woodruff, a member of the Mississippi Food Policy Council.

Annette Lockett, left, Thelma Washington and Mary Kohn, members of a newly formed Mississippi Homemaker Volunteers Club in Holmes County, cut out and sew quilt squares as part of a quilt-making project on Nov. 24, 2015. The group donated 67 lap quilts to residents at the Lexington Manor Senior Care facility. (Photo by MSU Ag Communications/Susan Collins-Smith)
November 30, 2015 - Filed Under: Mississippi Homemaker Volunteers

LEXINGTON, Miss. -- A new Mississippi Homemaker Volunteer Club spread some holiday cheer with a set of quilts they made throughout the summer and fall.

On Nov. 24, residents at Lexington Manor Senior Care facility received 67 lap quilts made by the recently formed Holmes County club.

Mississippi Homemaker Volunteer Clubs, called MHV clubs, are supported by the Mississippi State University Extension Service and provide a variety of educational opportunities and services to their communities.

Citrus trees such as this Meyer lemon perform well in Mississippi, but they need protection from cold weather. (Photo by MSU Extension/Gary Bachman)
November 30, 2015 - Filed Under: Lawn and Garden

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, I had the chance to get back into my garden and landscape after what seemed like a horticultural marathon that began in mid-July. While I hadn’t totally neglected my chores, there was still plenty to do.I harvested the remaining fall crop of heirloom tomatoes and removed the plants growing in my self-watering patio containers. I then proceeded to my citrus grove; understand that I use the term “grove” lightly, as it consists of two Satsuma oranges, two Meyer lemons and a kumquat.

November 30, 2015 - Filed Under: Pesticide Applicator Certification, Farming

YAZOO CITY, Miss. -- Mississippi farmers can safely remove leftover pesticides from their property during a free disposal event on Dec. 16 in Yazoo City.

Insecticides, herbicides, fungicides and other pesticide products can be dropped off at the former Tal Port building located at 2003 Gordon Avenue between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m.

No household waste, tires, rinsates, empty containers or products in bulk containers will be accepted.

Gary Bachman and Amy Taylor Myers
November 25, 2015 - Filed Under: About Extension

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Two employees with the Mississippi State University Extension Service received a national award from the National Association of County Agricultural Agents.

Amy Taylor Myers, an Extension associate in the Office of Agricultural Communications, and Gary Bachman, associate Extension and research professor at the Coastal Research and Extension Center, received an achievement award for their Southern Gardening radio segments in the “Communications: Audio Recording” category.

November 25, 2015 - Filed Under: Family
Large groups of cormorants typically roost at night in clusters of trees, such as these, and spend their days fishing in natural lakes, rivers and catfish ponds, to the dismay of Mississippi’s catfish producers. (File photo by MSU Extension Service)
November 25, 2015 - Filed Under: Nuisance Wildlife and Damage Management

STARKVILLE, Miss -- It’s a duck, it’s a goose...no, it’s a Cormorant?

The double-crested cormorant is a 4- to 6-pound bird with black or dark plumage. Often cormorants are mistaken for common waterfowl because they are seen swimming on ponds and lakes throughout Mississippi from late fall to early spring. Cormorants migrate each year from the Great Lakes region of the U.S. and Canada to spend their winters on the warm waters of the South. They really are snow birds!

November 24, 2015 - Filed Under: About Extension

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