News

Fall is my favorite time of year. There is a cool breeze in the air that makes yard work bearable, and the beautiful fall colors start to appear in nature. The rich backdrop of red, yellow and orange makes fall the perfect time of year to get outside for family photographs.

Digital cameras make taking pictures a breeze. Thanks to our memory cards, we often depend on taking multiple shots rather than plan on taking a great shot the first time.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Old West days are long gone, but cattle producers still need to take steps to prevent the theft of livestock by modern-day cattle rustlers.

John Michael Riley, agricultural economist with Mississippi State University’s Extension Service, said cattle prices have been high during most of 2011, with record-high prices last spring. 

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Local residents can get rid of their unused household medications at the third annual National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Oct. 29.

The Mississippi State University Extension Service and the Oktibbeha County Sheriff’s Department are working together to facilitate the event, which will be held from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. in front of the Starkville Piggly Wiggly store at 118 Highway 12.

The gorgeous colors we are seeing in nature this fall can be repeated in our landscapes with fall combination containers. The warm colors of red, orange, and yellow all add excitement to the cool temperatures.

Creating your own fall combination containers is easy if you follow the thriller, filler and spiller formula. Don’t limit yourself on plant selection -- use annuals, perennials and even tropical houseplants. When cold temperatures are forecast, these combination containers will also look good inside.

PICAYUNE – Mississippi State University’s Crosby Arboretum has partnered with GPTrex, a company founded by parents and educators, to produce an interactive, family-friendly application for visitors with iPhones, iPads and iPod Touches.

Using the devices’ built-in technology and intuitive touch screen, the mobile application offers families a whole new experience when visiting the arboretum. The free application provides visitors with high-resolution images of plants and animals, streaming video, GPS mapping and challenge questions.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – The state’s sweet potato crop appeared to be doomed before it started, but a late soaking allowed this hardy crop to yield average harvests after a tough year.

Bill Burdine, area agronomic specialist in Chickasaw County with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said quality may be slightly above average for this crop, which started a little behind schedule.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Creativity and self-awareness are the foundation for personal style, and fashion experts at Mississippi State University say fall clothing trends can be incorporated into anyone’s wardrobe with minimal expense.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Dr. SaraRose Knox is a 2010 graduate of Mississippi State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and an Army captain deployed in Afghanistan who keeps working dogs healthy and ensures safe food for troops.

Knox, from Brookfield, Mass., has worked with animals since she was 15.

JACKSON – An all-day event at the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum on Lakeland Drive on Oct. 29 will celebrate more than 100 years of youth development programming for the state’s 4-H members.

One of my father’s favorite sayings has always been, “A fool and his money are soon parted.” Unfortunately, criminally minded Internet users send hoaxes, scams, lotteries and giveaways bent on separating the rest of us from our money.

By Karen Templeton
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE – A new broadband initiative seeks to help Mississippians connect to new technology, increasing access to a wide range of community and economic development opportunities.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – The 38th Annual Ornamental Horticulture Field Day on Oct. 6 will give updates on current research findings and experiments relevant to this industry.

The half-day event will be held at the South Mississippi Branch Experiment Station in Poplarville. There will be tours of the trial gardens and research updates from scientists at Mississippi State University and the USDA Agricultural Research Service’s Southern Horticultural Laboratory.

Just as the changing colors in nature signal the arrival of autumn, so do the appearance of beautiful, flowering mums at our local garden centers.

Adding fall mums, which is the short name for Chrysanthemums, is a stress-free way to provide color to the fall landscape. It’s easy to see why, as these plants will produce more flowers than you could possibly count. The selection of colors seems limitless, from rustic earth tones to bright and cheery pastels.

Available sizes range from 4-inch pots all the way up to 5-gallon containers and bigger.

By Karen Templeton
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE – The summer drought could have severely affected this year’s pecan yields, but thanks to Tropical Storm Lee, growers are optimistic about the crop.

The entire Southeast experienced a dry growing season until Tropical Storm Lee hit in early September.

“The rains were very timely and needed,” said David Ingram, plant pathologist with the Mississippi State University Central Research and Extension Center in Raymond.

E-mail phishing attacks net more than just dollars and cents; they can also capture account usernames and passwords.

The term phishing is a combination of the words “fishing” and “phreaks.” Phreaks were early computer users who also dabbled in hacking. Later, malicious computer hackers began using their skills to hook unsuspecting e-mail users with phishing e-mails.

Phishers create e-mails that mimic those from well-known companies. More than half of all phishing e-mails impersonate a financial institution, such as a bank or credit-card company.

By Laci Kyles
Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station

MISSISSIPPI STATE – A Mississippi State University assistant professor is looking to “panda poop,” or microbes in panda excrement that breakdown woody materials, as a possible means to biofuel production.

Fall has always been one of my favorite times of the year, something that probably has a lot to do with my growing up in Michigan, where I enjoyed cooler temperatures and trees changing colors.

Here in Mississippi, I enjoy waking up in the morning and feeling that chill in the air. I guess I am finally becoming acclimated because even 70 degrees feels chilly after a hot and humid Mississippi summer.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – A Mississippi State University poultry sciences associate professor was recognized by the National Chicken Council for his research contributions.

Alex Corzo received the council’s Broiler Research Award for research work that has positively impacted the broiler industry. An eight-year veteran of the university, Corzo is a scientist with the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station. His research is focused on how poultry absorb nutrients and use dietary ingredients.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Tropical Storm Lee brought rain across the state Labor Day weekend with mixed results -- mostly good -- for the state’s soybean crop.

Rain that weekend ranged from a few hundredths of an inch in northwest Mississippi to as many as 10 inches in some soybean-growing areas. Whether it brought much-needed moisture to dry fields at an ideal time or halted harvest depended on when the crop was planted.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Preserving Mississippi’s vanishing prairies through conservation, restoration and establishment of new prairie gardens will save unique plants and maintain native landscapes.

“Many ecosystem processes regulate conditions for life,” said Bob Brzuszek, associate Extension professor in Mississippi State University’s Department of Landscape Architecture and Contracting. “Protecting wild species, such as those found in prairies, protects managed ecosystems, which in turn impact human interests.”