News From 2014

COLUMBUS -- Teens gained an inside look at the agriculture industry and service-learning during a three-week residential collegiate experience at the Mississippi Governor’s School in Columbus.

By partnering with Mississippi State University’s Center for Advancement of Service-Learning Excellence, or CASLE, the Mississippi Governor’s School engaged students with activities about farmers markets, family-run farms and barn quilts.

STONEVILLE -- Mississippi State University personnel gathered Tuesday to address weed, insect, disease and plant development concerns related to the challenge of another growing season pushed off schedule by a late, wet spring.

The MSU Delta Research and Extension Center in Stoneville stationed 13 Extension and research personnel at eight field stops to discuss soybean, corn, rice, cotton and peanut production at the half-day event. They summarized current crop conditions, discussed the challenges producers face and answered specific questions.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi cotton producers remain optimistic about a crop that is up significantly in acreage despite frequent planting delays.

The state is expected to plant about 400,000 acres of cotton in 2014, about 40 percent more than last year. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported on June 15 that cotton was 98 percent planted. USDA rated 65 percent of the crop as “good” or “excellent,” but 32 percent was rated “fair.”

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Warmer weather and no school mean local streets and sidewalks are filled with more walking and biking traffic, so drivers and parents must pay special attention to children’s safety.

“In the summer months, there are many additional precautions that parents need to focus on to reduce accidents,” said Louise Davis, Extension professor and director of the Mississippi Child Care Resource and Referral Network with Mississippi State University Extension Service.

By James E. “Jim” Miller
Professor Emeritus, Department of Wildlife Fisheries and Aquaculture
MSU Extension Service

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Wildife is too important to be owned by an individual.

OAKLAND -- As the first woman to win the Mississippi Forestry Association Tree Farmer of the Year award, Patrice O’Brien is a testament to the impact women make on the agricultural industry.

O’Brien jumped feet-first into the agriculture business when her father passed away in 1982, leaving the family farm, Twin Oaks Farm in Oakland, for her and her siblings to manage.

NEWTON -- The Mississippi State University Extension Service and Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station welcomed a plant materials specialist on June 16.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Exploring the wonders of nature does not have to be time-consuming, expensive or complicated.

June is National Great Outdoors Month and is an ideal time to encourage kids to explore the world around them, said Marina Denny, a research associate with the Mississippi State University Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture.

Because Mississippi landscapes get so hot in the summer, one of my favorite go-to plants is the lantana. This is a great plant that thrives in the heat and humidity of summer, providing consistently bright colors and nonstop blooming through summer and into fall.

Lantana is available in a variety of sizes and colors. While many of the older lantana selections are large landscape plants, I really like the newer selections that have a smaller growth potential. Smaller plants open up an entirely new landscape option for lantana.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- A 66-year-old piece of forestry equipment on display at Mississippi State University is being restored by the company that built it.

The Logger’s Dream is a 1948 log loader manufactured by Louisville, Mississippi-based Taylor Machine Works. The equipment has been on display at the biennial Mid-South Forestry Equipment Show at the university’s John W. Starr Memorial Forest since 2005.

J. D. Massey of Starkville was the loader’s original owner and operator. His son Paul donated the loader to the equipment show.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Cancer kills nearly 600,000 Americans each year, and a team of researchers at Mississippi State University is developing new and better ways of fighting back.

Dr. Cody Coyne, professor of molecular pharmacology and immunology in the Department of Basic Sciences at the MSU College of Veterinary Medicine, and his team of scientists are researching more effective ways to kill cancer cells.

While his work is incredibly complex, he has a simple analogy.

JACKSON -- Although most of the state’s soybeans have been planted, Mississippi famers will have to deal with the consequences of this spring’s wet weather for the rest of the growing season.

“We never want to wish away a rain in June,” said Trent Irby, Mississippi State University Extension Service soybean specialist. “But growers are and will continue to experience some issues because of the excess rain we’ve had.”

Irby estimates the state’s largest row crop is 90 percent planted, and some fields are already in the reproductive stage.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- A camera that began as a cool gadget for photographing bucks and monitoring food plots or game trails has become an important survey instrument for managing deer populations.

White-tailed deer management involves more than managing habitats and planting supplemental food plots. Proper deer management requires managing populations as well. Deer managers can use game cameras to estimate deer population characteristics and develop good harvest management strategies. This will help maintain a healthy and productive deer herd.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The Mississippi State University Extension Service is taking steps to reduce the number of accidents and fatalities involving all-terrain vehicles, or ATVs.

Larry Alexander, 4-H youth development specialist with the MSU Extension Service, said national ATV Safety Week, June 8-15, is the perfect opportunity to highlight the importance of properly using these powerful vehicles.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Area forage and livestock producers are invited to the Broadhead Cattle Farm July 8 for a half-day program on forage issues.

The Simpson County Forage Field Day is from 8:30 a.m. to noon at the farm in Mendenhall. It is sponsored by the MSU Extension Service Forage Program, the Simpson County Extension office and the Simpson County Soil and Water Conservation District.

Now that the truly hot days of summer have arrived, vitex is ready to show its colors. This is one of the few plants that make Mississippi gardeners and nongardeners alike stop and take notice.

Many people call with questions about the beautiful, blue flowering shrubs we have at the Mississippi State University Coastal Research and Extension Center in Biloxi. Whenever I need to take a little break, the gorgeous purplish-blue flowers of the vitex right outside my window provide an ideal location.

STONEVILLE -- Researchers at the Mississippi State University Delta Research and Extension Center believe a new research project can help farmers reduce their number of pesticide applications without reducing peanut yield.

Jeff Gore, an Extension entomologist and assistant research professor with the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station at the MSU Delta Research and Extension Center in Stoneville, said Mississippi peanut producers soon will have pesticide recommendations tailored specifically to the local climate.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- As graduates transition from enrollment to employment, they face challenges in the workplace that can leave them asking, “Now what?”

Leslie Corey, a Mississippi State University human resources professional, said learning does not stop once the caps and gowns are issued.

“One of the best things you can do for your job is continue to learn,” Corey said. “A willingness to learn helps you be professional, which is essential for your success.”

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- A program that provides equine therapy to children and adults with special needs recently received special recognition from an international organization.

The Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International (PATH International) accredited the Mississippi State University Extension Service’s Elizabeth A. Howard 4-H Therapeutic Riding and Activity Center (TRAC).

STONEVILLE -- With Mississippi’s rice crop about two weeks later than normal, growers will have narrow windows of opportunity to perform necessary management as it grows.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimated 92 percent of rice was planted by June 1. Seventy-four percent of the crop that has emerged was in good to excellent condition.

Bobby Golden, Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station agronomist in Stoneville, said the late planting and heavy rains in late May are making management a challenge.