News From 2014

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Who knew Mississippi corn growers should worry about bears?

The bears are not in the fields eating the crop; they are in the market, eating the profits. When economists refer to a bear market, they are talking about declining stock prices over a prolonged period, usually a 20 percent or larger decline.

Brian Williams, agricultural economist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said several factors have pushed corn prices down in recent weeks.

STARKVILLE -- Land owners and property managers can get a firsthand look at the latest land management techniques during a special tour organized by the Mississippi State University Extension Service.

The Golden Triangle Wildlife Management Tour will be Aug. 7 in Clayton Village at a property located on Highway 182 about 200 yards east of the MSU Golf Course. Signs will be posted along the highway. Registration begins at 4:30 p.m. Tours depart at 5:30 p.m. Water will be provided on the tour wagons.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Teachers, students and parents need to be on the same page when disasters happen during school hours.

Ryan Akers, assistant Extension professor of community preparation and disaster management at Mississippi State University, said basic plans can make a huge difference for everyone involved when emergencies occur.

“Emergency plans are becoming more important to schools, and not just the traditional fire and tornado drills,” Akers said. “Schools are gathering supplies and working on extensive communication plans to help everyone involved.”

STONEVILLE -- Mississippi State University increased its support of the state’s rice industry in the state with the recent appointment of Ed Redoña as rice breeder at the Delta Research and Extension Center.

STONEVILLE -- Growers and consultants are invited to the Mississippi State University Delta Research and Extension Center Aug. 13 for a look at late-season issues affecting the state’s row crop acreage.

The half-day field day begins with registration and exhibits at 11 a.m., followed by lunch at noon and field tours that start at 1 p.m. Visitors will make several stops in the research station fields to examine current crop conditions and hear reports and information from MSU researchers and Extension Service specialists.

CORINTH -- Despite jokingly being called her father’s “second son” because of her willingness to help with chores while growing up on her family’s farm, Sandy Coleman Mitchell has proven that women make valuable contributions to the agricultural industry.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Many children get sick when the school year starts up, and germs may be lurking in an unexpected place: the lunch box.

Natasha Haynes, a family and consumer sciences agent for the Mississippi State University Extension Service in Rankin County, said lunch boxes and bags can harbor bacteria.

“Kids don’t always wash their hands before handling their lunch boxes and food,” Haynes said. “Since most lunches include finger foods, it’s easy to see how germs and bacteria can make kids sick.”

RAYMOND -- Fruit and vegetable growers can learn how to grow and sell produce for farmers markets during an upcoming short course.

Micro Farming: Growing for Farmers Markets will be held Aug. 27 and 28 in Raymond.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Winning first place at a state-level competition earned senior-level Mississippi 4-H’ers a unique, four-day trip across the state.

From July 15–18, 60 young people will tour the state in the 2014 4-H Cooperative Business Leadership Conference.

Canna lilies are valued for their large, tropical foliage and showy, brilliantly colored flowers. They are an easy landscape plant that everyone should have in their gardens.

Many gardeners are familiar with the big cannas that have to be grown in the back of the planting bed. With their upright growth habit, cannas have an almost statuesque presence in the landscape. But the plant breeders have been at it again, developing selections that have dwarf characteristics.

GOODMAN – Fruit and vegetable growers who sell their produce at local farmers markets and to schools or retailers can learn about food safety training, certification programs and new government rules during a July 18 field day in Goodman.

The Alliance for Sustainable Agricultural Production Demonstration Farm will host the field day.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- People like graduate student Alyssa Barrett are turning the Mississippi State University goal of international outreach into reality.

Barrett, a master’s student in agricultural and Extension education from Wiggins, went to the West African nation of Ghana in March to collect data for her thesis, which is examining the effectiveness of an agricultural education program. In 2013, she traveled to Nigeria to teach the same agricultural program.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi producers planted more of the state’s major row crops than they planned in March, and the majority of them are in good condition.

Every winter, Mississippi producers estimate how many acres they will plant of each crop they intend to grow. The U.S. Department of Agriculture tabulates these in March and issues the planting intentions report. On June 30, USDA released actual planted acre figures for the state.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Cattle and hog prices are soaring to record highs, causing producers to debate whether to sell their valuable animals or expand their herd sizes for the future.

“It’s hard not to sell when prices are this good and the pull of the feedlot is so strong,” said John Michael Riley, an agricultural economist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service.

As producers continue to reduce herd sizes nationally, prices should remain strong, but the result will be fewer animals available to sell in the future.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- A biochemist with 37 years of experience has been named head of Mississippi State University’s Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Entomology and Plant Pathology.

The lazy days of summer are winding down, and shiny new school supplies are greeting us on our weekly grocery runs. When the school bell rings this year, students will need to pack more than just their lunches and new school supplies. They also will need to pack technology.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- A common question in all county Extension offices this time of the year is, “Will the weeds in my pond hurt my fish?” As the water in ponds warms up, the vegetation starts growing.

Is vegetation growing in a pond a problem for the fish? Not necessarily.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Students who struggle with math rarely consider it interesting or fun, but 30 Mississippi teachers spent 80 hours of intensive training in June learning how to change those students’ attitudes.

IMPACT2, or In-depth Mathematical Practices and Content Teacher Training, is a professional development opportunity for teachers to meet the requirements for their “highly qualified” certification in mathematics.

VERONA -- The North Mississippi Research and Extension Center’s Agronomic Row Crops Field Day on Aug. 7 will present the latest research to area farmers and consultants.

The field day will be from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Lee County Agri-Center Magnolia Conference Center on Highway 145 South in Verona.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – A Mississippi State University undergraduate student and research scholar has won the Harold Weaver Undergraduate Student Excellence Award for his research on the flammability of hardwood forests.

Senior forestry major Zach Senneff of Caledonia, received the honor from the Association of Fire Ecology at the Large Wildland Fires Conference in Missoula, Montana.