News From 2008

By Steven Nalley
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Freshmen and international students in college can deal with homesickness by getting involved in new activities and establishing strong social networks.

Tabitha Staier, family education and policy specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said the cause of homesickness often is not only a detachment from family and social networks at home, but also adjusting to newfound independence.

By Patti Drapala
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The need to manage diabetes goes to school or daycare with the child who has the disease, but parents and teachers can lessen their anxiety about the child's welfare with communication.

“Communication must be open and ongoing between parents and a child, and also between parents and school personnel, to help the child cope with diabetes,” said Tabitha Staier, family education specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service.

By Steven Nalley
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Both children and adults must follow safety rules to protect children from the dangers of riding, entering and exiting school buses.

Karen Benson is an area child and family development agent based in Neshoba County with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. She said children who move throughout the bus while it is moving risk not only falling, but also distracting the driver.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The cost of getting an education is high, and with gas prices hovering near $4 a gallon, just getting to school has never been more expensive.

Traffic picks up when school starts back as school bus drivers, carpooling parents and commuting college students hit the road en mass to get an education or take someone to class.

By Courtney Coufal
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Shopping for back-to-school clothes does not have to stress family finances if parents plan their spending and stick to the basics.

Bobbie Shaffett, family resource management specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said there may not be much room left in the family budget for clothing this year because of rising prices and energy costs.

This does not have to keep parents from treating their children to an annual back-to-school shopping trip if they follow a few tips.

By Steven Nalley
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- A well-planned budget and smart shopping can help prevent the pain at the pump from spreading to the classroom.

Bobbie Shaffett, family resource management specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said families should save money for occasional expenses like back-to-school and the holidays.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The price of shrimp is up this season, but so is the cost of getting Mississippi's shrimp harvest to market.

The Mississippi harvest began June 17, with early-season wholesale prices up from 10 cents to $2 a pound, depending on size, said David Burrage, professor of marine resources with the Mississippi State University Extension Service in Biloxi.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Strong market prices and the ability to cope with less moisture than most crops have Mississippi's peanut growers expanding their acreage again this year.

Peanuts have been increasingly popular since the Farm Bill ended the quota system in 2002 and allowed farmers to plant as many acres in peanuts as they wanted.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Pecan growers will have the opportunity to see exhibits on every production aspect at the 2008 Tri-State Pecan Trade Show and Convention coming up July 24-25 in Vicksburg.

Instead of the traditional orchard tour, meeting organizers are offering an expanded focus on vendors in the 17,000 square feet of the Vicksburg Convention Center exhibit hall.

By Norman Winter
Extension Horticulturist

Succulents are starting to catch on in landscapes everywhere, and one you need to keep your eyes open for is Mezoo Trailing Red.

To be honest, the weather has been making me a little grouchy. It's looked like the parting of the Red Sea when rain clouds approach my region. I wanted to write about a succulent that could withstand total abuse, and the Mezoo Trailing Red came to mind. Botanically speaking, it is Dorotheanthus bellidiformis.

By Courtney Coufal
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Many Mississippians will celebrate this Fourth of July at home, as high fuel prices cut into budgets, but they still can have a safe and memorable holiday weekend.

A survey conducted by Travelzoo.com revealed that six in 10 Americans feel it would be easier to host a large barbecue gathering during the holiday weekend than to find an affordable airline ticket.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Michael and Shuping Zhang work at the same facility, but you won't find this husband and wife team making dinner plans or coordinating transportation for their kids.

“If people ask about my husband, I tell them my husband is at home. We are just colleagues at work,” Shuping said. “We work in the same facility, but we each have our own sections.”

By Patti Drapala
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- April's cold snap may have slowed watermelon production in Mississippi, but growers are still in great shape to cash in on the Fourth of July.

David Nagel, horticulture specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said the late spring frost damaged some transplants in the ground at the start of the season. Farmers worked hard to replant those fields and stay on schedule.

“We are seeing watermelons of good quality and size now that harvesting has begun,” Nagel said.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi State University’s Institute for Digital Biology hosted a four-day international conference in May on avian genomics.

In hosting this conference, MSU joined a prestigious list of genetic research institutions that includes biomedical institutes in the United Kingdom, Japan and Spain, as well as the Stowers Institute in Kansas City, Mo., and the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories in New York.

By Patti Drapala
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- James “Wes” McPherson had his mind set on veterinary school three years ago when he began his freshman year at Mississippi State University, but his heart refused to listen.

The junior from Inverness grew up tending soybeans and corn on his stepfather's farm. The more he thought about leaving the Delta behind, the more it beckoned. This soul-searching caused McPherson to face facts and examine options. At stake were scholastic success and personal satisfaction.

With roots in Europe …

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

Interest in patio vegetable gardens and edible landscapes is going through the roof. We have known this explosion was going on in Europe and wondered if it would hit here, too.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- A female-dominated profession is getting some competition from men who have only begun to make their presence known in the scientific field of dietetics.

“We're starting to see more students who are interested in the health-care area, and that begins with nutrition,” said Benjy Mikel, head of Mississippi State University's Department of Food Science, Nutrition and Health Promotion. “We're seeing some males enter this field.”

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Farmers know what it's like to roll the dice and hope for good weather, low costs and high profits, but the stakes this year for corn producers are higher than usual.

“Farmers can't afford to have a train wreck with their crop, despite high crop market prices,” said Erick Larson, grain crops agronomist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. “They are putting so much more into their crop than in years past. One significant hiccup in production could mean the end of their agricultural careers.”

By Steven Nalley
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- A “to-go” box usually lets diners save restaurant food, but in disaster's wake, a different kind of to-go box can do the same for insurance, certificates and other documentation.

As hurricane season begins, it is important to keep copies of irreplaceable documents packed and ready for evacuation at a moment's notice.