News From 2014

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.

When it’s hot in the summer months like it has been lately, I always look for low-maintenance plants that carry the color load. I imagine I’m not alone.

Plants that look good massing over a landscape bed are smart choices. My go-to plant for these conditions is the colorful sweet potato vine.

I’ve been growing ornamental sweet potato vine for about 20 years. The first selection I ever planted was Margarita, which has large, lime-green leaves. I like the vigorous growth, but to say this plant is unruly is an understatement.

PICAYUNE -- Visitors to the Mississippi State University Crosby Arboretum can view the work of area artists in the arboretum’s new art gallery.

Located in the recently remodeled visitor center and gift shop, the gallery opened June 21. It displays artwork that celebrates the natural world, and much of the art was made on or inspired by the arboretum grounds in Picayune.

BILOXI -- Mississippi shrimpers had an excellent opening day, a fact that had them pleasantly surprised.

Based on reports from just two of Biloxi’s three shrimp dealers as of July 1, fishermen landed 790,000 pounds of shrimp in the first week. Last year, all three Biloxi shrimp dealers reported total first-week landings of 541,000 pounds of shrimp.

Dave Burrage, professor of marine resources with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said hot, dry spring weather is considered good for shrimp crops, but the state got the exact opposite this year.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Some of Mississippi’s future medical professionals demonstrated their dedication by taking college-level classes the summer before their senior year in high school.

This year, 23 academically gifted high school students participated in the five-week Rural Medical Scholars program at Mississippi State University. Since the program began in 1998, 317 students have participated, experiencing college life and shadowing doctors and other medical professionals for an on-the-job view of their professional lives.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Fire ants are more than aptly named, given the reddish-orange color of their bodies and the painful, burning sting they can give.

Fire ants were unintentionally introduced to the United States from South America. The first documented release of fire ants occurred near Mobile, Alabama around 1918, and by the late 1930s, most of Mississippi had them.

Fire ants are very small and aggressive. When disturbed, they swarm, bite and sting, producing a painful or itchy pustule within hours.

BROOKHAVEN -- Mississippi’s cold, wet winter and spring gave the state’s new tea farm its first test.

Owner Jason McDonald and business partner Timothy Gipson started the farm in October. Their 250 one-gallon plants and 10 three-gallon plants are thriving this summer, despite some losses.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi State University experts will share the latest tips and best practices for creating healthy, beautiful and low-maintenance landscapes at an Aug. 1 short course.

Garden enthusiasts can attend the sustainable landscapes workshop at their county Extension office. Up to 20 participants can attend in Room 409 of the Bost Extension Building. The workshop will be broadcast through the distance education interactive video system.

JACKSON -- Proposed changes to the nutrition facts label should make it easier for consumers to make decisions about the food they eat.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is updating the label for the first time since it appeared on packaged foods in 1993. The only major change made to the label in its 20-year history was the required addition of trans fats in 2006.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Steak lovers beware: scientists have discovered certain tick bites can cause an allergy to red meat.

Jerome Goddard, medical entomologist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said the lone star tick species carries a sugar that can be transmitted through its bite. The transmission of the sugar may cause people to become allergic to red meat.

Some of the most familiar faces seen in Mississippi during the summer are found in our gardens.

Most gardeners across the state recognize the yellow petals and dark centers of Black-eyed Susans. If you have admired them from afar in the past, now is the time to bring some home. There are many selections that look great in the landscape.

STARKVILLE -- Turn on the lights, ready the store and post an online update. Business owners are incorporating social media into their daily routines, and customers like it.

Ellen Graves, social media strategist for the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said using online platforms allows entrepreneurs to join the conversation about their businesses.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Professional inquiry and persistence recently resulted in the confirmation of a new cattle virus in Mississippi that previously had been identified only in California.

Dr. Jim Cooley, a veterinary pathologist and professor in the Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine, worked with a colleague at the University of California-Davis to identify the neurologic disease that causes inflammation in the brains or spinal cords of affected cattle.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi State University scientists analyzed risk-management programs in the Agricultural Act of 2014 and have a recommendation to help soybean producers make informed decisions.

In the new farm bill, soybean producers must decide which of two types of coverage -- Agricultural Risk Coverage or Price Loss Coverage -- will best protect their profit margins.

JACKSON – Party planners may have a hard time finding Mississippi-grown watermelons and blueberries for July 4th celebrations this year.

Unfavorable weather slowed maturity and increased disease pressure for both crops. Much of the state’s blueberry crop is grown in south Mississippi, and most of its watermelons are grown in the southeast quarter of the state. Acreage for both crops remains steady. Blueberry producers grow about 2,700 acres, and watermelon growers have about 2,400 acres.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Shooting fireworks is an exciting way to celebrate Independence Day, but an accident can quickly turn the holiday into a tragedy for any family.

In the month around the Fourth of July, an average of 200 people go to emergency rooms across the U.S. every day with fireworks-related injuries. At least a quarter of the victims are younger than 15, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which provided these figures.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – A well-managed prescribed burn is an important tool in a landowner’s kit.

Yet news stories about wildfires often discourage landowners from using prescribed burning as a management tool. Prescribed burning is a useful and very valuable management option on public and private lands. Prescribed burning can benefit a variety of wildlife species and are necessary in fire tolerant ecosystems, such as longleaf pine forests and coastal savannas.

PURVIS – The Pine Belt Master Gardeners reached a milestone June 19.

The group constructed its 100th salad table, which is designated for donation to the University of Southern Mississippi’s Office of Sustainability. It is one of many the group has donated throughout the last year.

When the Pine Belt Master Gardeners built two raised beds for demonstration at the Mississippi State University Lamar County Extension office in 2013, they did not expect the educational project to become so popular.

Most people I know like to celebrate our nation’s birthday with fireworks, and gardening and fireworks have something in common.

When the Chinese invented fireworks, they gave the individual shells the names of the showy flowers they resembled after exploding in the sky. One of the most common fireworks is an expanding circle of stars and is called a peony. Others have much larger expanding rings of stars and are called dahlia. When long trailing streaks are added, the firework becomes a chrysanthemum.

LOUISVILLE -- When the April 28 EF4 tornado leveled Destiny’s Day Care in Louisville, center owner Deborah Holmes was relieved by the quick response from two Mississippi State University programs.

“I started getting calls from MSU wanting to know how we were and what we needed,” Holmes said. “They showed up at the right time.”

The first call Holmes received came from the Early Childhood Institute, a program of the MSU College of Education, which had previously provided technical assistance to her staff.