News

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

The performance of Angel's Trumpets at Mississippi State University's Truck Crops Experiment Station in Crystal Springs recently had me mesmerized. I predict they will do the same for the many visitors expected at the Fall Flower and Garden Fest on Oct. 12 and 13.

These Angel's Trumpets, which are yellow-gold and rich pink, look exotic and tropical. They have been coming back for years without much attention. They really complete the tropical section in any garden.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Dr. Phil Bushby, a faculty member recognized for his innovative approaches to education and animal health, is the 2007 recipient of the prestigious Carl Norden-Pfizer Distinguished Teacher Award for Mississippi State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Let’s Go Walkin’ Mississippi and Mississippi State University have teamed up to encourage healthy living as part of the 29th annual Fall Flower and Garden Fest.

The annual horticulture event will be held Oct. 12 and 13 at the Truck Crops Experiment Station in Crystal Springs, and will focus on better health and nutrition with fruits and vegetables.

In keeping with this theme, Let’s Go Walkin’ Mississippi will kick off the flower and garden event with a one-mile walk on Oct. 12 beginning at 8:30 a.m.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- While Mississippi peanut producers are having a good year, weather problems have hurt major peanut-producing states, driving supplies down and prices up.

 “We produce excellent-quality peanuts in Mississippi. The Southeast in general produces the highest quality peanuts in the world,” said Mike Howell, area agronomic crops agent in Harrison County with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. “Farmers get paid on a 72-grade peanut, and it's not uncommon for our producers to have peanuts in the upper 70s and 80s.”

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Supply and demand forces are saving pet lives in Mississippi and making puppies and kittens available to owners in the Northeast.

Krista Gazzola, a second-year veterinary student at Mississippi State University's College of Veterinary Medicine, has a soft place in her heart for young strays.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

After the long, hot summer, you almost feel like celebrating fall's arrival. I am already seeing neighbors searching out pumpkins and doing a little fall decorating. The feeling of fall and festivals is in the air.

To celebrate, consider a little neighborhood decoration that just might catch on from one end of the street to the other. At one of my previous homes, I lived on a cul-de-sac that always had children playing, but it also had two unsightly storm drains.

By Patti Drapala
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Management plans that include alternative feeding strategies for livestock and horses will be the key to survival for producers facing severe hay shortages this year.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Timely rains in July and now during sweet potato harvest have been the keys to any success Mississippi's growers have had during this second consecutive dry summer.

Bill Burdine, sweet potato specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said rains that passed through the state in early July were essential for the early sweet potato crop. Yields and quality have been slightly lower for the midseason potatoes.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Walter N. Taylor, assistant dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Mississippi State University, has been designated a fellow of the American Association for Agricultural Education.  The designation is the highest honor given by the organization and recognizes contributions to teaching, research and service.

Taylor is a former president of AAAE and served as head of the Department of Agricultural Information Science and Education at MSU before assuming his current duties.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Fee fishing, fee hunting, agritourism, trail riding and wildlife watching are examples of outdoor recreational businesses based on natural resources commonly found on Mississippi’s private lands.

A one-day workshop will provide farmers, landowners and resource managers with the resources to start and manage a natural resource enterprise. This Oct. 11 event will be held at McKenna Ranch near Pachuta in Clarke County.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The 29th annual Fall Flower and Garden Fest in Crystal Springs to be held Oct. 12 and 13 will delight garden and horticulture enthusiasts with acres of vegetables, flowers and herbs.

The two-day event at Mississippi State University’s Truck Crops Experiment Station will be open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Admission and parking are free.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Imogene Triplett loves and supports her husband, but the first time she saw his work with what would become a lifelong career, her reaction was, “Glover this looks terrible, they're going to fire you!”

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

If there were a color that represented happiness in the garden, it would have to be yellow. One of the three primary colors, it has the power to evoke hope and excitement.

When the forsythia breaks forth in the early spring, it not only catches your eye but it also invigorates your step. You know winter is over and a new season has been born. As we head into early fall, the dark yellow goldenrods make our roadways photogenic.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Rice fields in Mississippi may be headed for the second straight year of record harvests, giving producers a reason to celebrate National Rice Month in September.

“The rice that we've cut so far has been real good to excellent,” said Nathan Buehring, rice specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. “We have a long way to go before we're done, but things have fallen in line pretty well for us this year.”

By Patti Drapala
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Many national and state campaigns promoting rural safety focus on the responsibility of adults to protect children, but it helps when kids know how to keep themselves safe.

Children remain at risk when adults are careless or disregard what they have learned. Many county Extension offices hold an annual agricultural safety day for children to strengthen the overall effort of reducing risk.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

Angelface Dark Violet angelonia came out this year and caused a stir with its unique color. It is by far the darkest angelonia we've seen in the market. It is also vigorous, sending up a bounty of wonderfully spiky flowers that are so welcome in the garden.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- A “Southern girl” with roots in north Florida is the new specialist in Family Education and Policy for the Mississippi State University Extension Service.

Tabitha Staier, who began her position Aug. 1, is responsible for the development of programs that promote healthy relationships for individuals, couples and families in Mississippi. She will work with county Extension personnel to evaluate needs of couples and families, and implement relevant family-related programs in those areas.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- An animal scientist with expertise in herd reproduction is the new beef cattle specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service.

Justin D. Rhinehart, who began his duties July 1, has been working with the state’s beef cattle producers to maintain and develop Extension programs that improve feeder calf marketing, stocker cattle management and heifer development.

“I saw an attractive opportunity presented by Mississippi State to work in an area where beef cattle are an important part of the economy,” he said.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Corn in the Delta is producing record yields because it was irrigated or caught timely rains, but corn elsewhere in the state struggled to produce low yields because of the drought.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is predicting the nation will produce the largest corn crop in history. Mississippi's corn acreage increased from 340,000 acres in 2006 to 980,000 acres in 2007. The Delta, where most of this season's corn was grown, is experiencing record yields.

By Andi Cooper
College of Forest Resources

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Part of the damage after Hurricane Katrina roared ashore across the Gulf Coast on Aug. 29, 2005, was 5 million acres of broken timber.

The U.S. Forest Service estimated that the volume of damaged wood across the Southeast was enough to build 800,000 single-family homes. 

Researchers at Mississippi State University are measuring the effects of Hurricane Katrina on the structure, performance, capacity and future of the region's lumber industry.