News From 2019

Hunting, fishing, wildlife watching, enjoying nature and other outdoor activities put dollars in Mississippi’s coffers. In fact, wildlife-related recreation generates economic impact of about $2.9 million per year in the state.  

The Mississippi State University Extension Service was part of a team that won a second place 2019 Gulf Guardian Award presented in October.

RAYMOND, Miss. -- The Mississippi State University Extension Service hired two regional registered dietitians to help in the fight against obesity and chronic disease in Mississippi.

Madison Payne and Dottie Kenda have joined the Extension Office of Nutrition Education. In their regions, they oversee curriculums and delivery for the Extension Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education, or SNAP-Ed, and the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program, or EFNEP.

This past weekend, I had the privilege and pleasure of being an invited speaker at the Gardening for Life Symposium hosted by Magnolia Plantation and Gardens in Charleston, South Carolina. I was a member of a diverse group of speakers from across the country.

PICAYUNE, Miss. -- The Mississippi State University Crosby Arboretum in Picayune will host the Piney Woods Heritage Festival Nov. 16.

The 17th annual event celebrates the region’s heritage with musical performances and displays and demonstrations of traditional skills and arts, including blacksmithing, spinning, quilting, butter churning, basket making, Native American dancing and more.

GREENWOOD, Miss. – Mississippi farmers and residents who live in the Greenwood area can drop off their unused agricultural pesticides and electronic waste during the Agricultural Pesticide Disposal Day event.

The collection event is Nov. 19 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the parking lot of the Leflore County Civic Center located at 200 Highway 7 North in Greenwood.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Cotton leafroll dwarf virus is capable of causing significant yield loss and was reported for the first time in Mississippi earlier this year.

The implications of this disease will be a major focus of the 2019 Mississippi State University Row Crop Short Course Dec. 2-4 at the Cotton Mill Conference Center in Starkville. This course is hosted by the MSU Extension Service and Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station.

Earlier this year, we were enjoying a cool and wet spring, and then one day, WHAM! We were thrown into a full-blown hot and dry summer that seemed never-ending.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- The teen years have challenged every generation, but resources and concerned adults are available to help today’s young people avoid dangers, including suicide.

RAYMOND, Miss. -- Despite the weather challenges this year, most Mississippi pecan producers expect a good yield.

However, a wet spring and late-summer drought could mean nut loss and lessened nut quality for some growers.

Thirty-five percent of Mississippi’s private drinking wells test positive for bacteria, which makes testing and remediation key health issues for the state.

BILOXI, Miss. -- The Mississippi State University Extension Service invites volunteers to participate in the rescheduled 2019 annual Mississippi Coastal Cleanup Nov. 16.

Volunteers will remove litter from 30 sites across Hancock, Harrison and Jackson counties beginning at 8 a.m. A complimentary lunch will be provided after the cleanup ends at 11 a.m.

OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. -- An upcoming workshop will offer training for people who want to turn their piece of land into an edible landscape, no matter the size.

The Alliance of Sustainable Farms will host its monthly workshop Nov. 8 at Galloway Family Farm in Ocean Springs.

Topics will include growing an edible landscape and square-foot gardening.

Galloway Family Farm has been in operation for more than 50 years, growing crops usually only seen on the Gulf Coast in Mississippi, including pawpaws, Japanese plums, bananas and kiwis.

I love the autumn season because we’re starting to recover from Mississippi’s hot and humid summer with cooler weather. Not only do gardeners appreciate the season change, but so do many of our landscape plants.

Jerome Goddard received the Felix J. Underwood Award from the Mississippi Public Health Association at its 82nd annual conference.

If there is a showier plant in the fall than our Mississippi native Gulf muhly grass, I don’t know what it is. Since it is a native, it was not bred for any particular characteristic but struts its stuff naturally.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Noble Guedon’s last act as a participant in the Thad Cochran Agricultural Leadership Program was to challenge members of the incoming class.

“You need to view this as a development opportunity to make yourselves better leaders in your communities and in your industry,” he said. “Make sure when you go to all these seminars, make sure you build a network and get to know the people you visit.”

For many of you, chronic wasting disease, or CWD, is old hat and you’re tired of hearing about it. I understand.

Producers are tracing the mixed results they see from the 2019 Mississippi soybean harvest back to early struggles getting the crop started.

Community organizations are encouraged to participate in an upcoming community training forum on racial understanding Oct. 31 and Nov. 1.