News From 2023

Sweet potato producers and industry professionals are invited to tour Mississippi State University’s research plots and learn current information about this crop’s production at an Aug. 24 event in northeast Mississippi. The 2023 MSU Sweet Potato Field Day at the Pontotoc Ridge-Flatwoods Branch Experiment Station begins with registration at 8 a.m., followed by a guided tour of ongoing projects that begins about 8:30.

I recently visited the home of Marian Hill in Tupelo and toured her beautiful pollinator gardens full of plants buzzing with activity. There were several varieties of yarrow, some bachelor’s buttons and Stokes’ aster planted throughout.

Mississippi adults will continue to be offered science-based vaccine information by the Mississippi State University Extension Service with help from a national grant.

MSU Extension received the Extension Collaborative on Immunization Teaching and Engagement, or EXCITE, grant to provide adult vaccine education in Mississippi. MSU was one of 37 institutions chosen for this award.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Row crop growers interested in the latest updates in cotton variety research and testing are encouraged to attend the 2023 Mississippi State University Cotton Agronomy Field Day August 24.

The MSU Extension Service and Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station will host the event from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the MAFES Veteran’s Memorial Rose Garden at 601 Highway 182 in Starkville.

It’s no wonder Mississippi is called the Magnolia State. The Southern magnolia is an iconic symbol in our landscape and across the Southeast. I have many great childhood memories of my sister and me climbing and playing in my grandparents’ large magnolia tree in their front yard. Its numerous, small-diameter branches made it a great tree to climb.

BILOXI -- Are you an avid fisherman, a fish enthusiast (such as a teacher), or simply interested in learning more about Mississippi’s coastal biodiversity? If so, the Mississippi State University Coastal Research and Extension Center has a course just for you this fall.

I recently visited the Magnolia Botanical Garden at the North Mississippi Research and Extension Center in Verona, and I saw some impressive ornamental grasses at this Mississippi State University location. Ornamental grasses are great landscape choices and can add color and interesting texture to any garden.

RAYMOND, Miss. -- Six years ago, John Malanchak combined his love of science, passion for teaching and a call to serve others into a project he named Dominic’s Garden. The project, which serves people with disabilities in the Jackson metro area, was recognized in June with an award at the International Master Gardener Conference in Overland Park, Kansas.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- A Mississippi State University Extension Service administrator with more than 30 years of experience in youth education has been selected to lead Mississippi’s 4-H program.

I recently visited with my friend Doyce Deas in Tupelo and was amazed by her beautiful, shady backyard garden. Some people struggle with the challenge of growing plants in shady areas of their yard, but not Doyce. She has done a great job of selecting plants that grow well in the part-shade and shade of her yard.

It’s July, and that means it’s pumpkin planting time. Pumpkins are part of our American heritage. Both Native Americans and the first European settlers grew them and depended on them for food.

In the landscape, begonias are often thought of as annual plants you grow in shade areas, but most of today’s varieties grow well in full sun. This makes them very versatile.
A benefit of begonias grown in the sun is that they tend to develop more flowers than those in the shade. All begonias tend to bloom continuously throughout the summer and early fall.

The smells coming from the classroom at one Mississippi State University summer camp will make a person hungry, which makes sense as the camp teaches kitchen skills and introduces new foods. Culinary Arts Kids Camp is offered each year, with one week for older elementary age kids and another for junior high and high school students. The events focus on local foods, kitchen basics and easy recipes. Young people in grades 4-6 and 7-12 are introduced to food science, culinary arts and food preparation techniques.

Mississippi’s cotton crop was in the ground by the second week of June, although fewer acres were planted this year because of low prices and high production costs.
Brian Pieralisi, cotton specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said cotton planting was essentially complete by mid-June. Any unplanted fields intended for cotton were too wet to plant and will likely be switched to soybeans instead.

RAYMOND, Miss. -- Harvest is in full swing for Mississippi watermelon producers as rains ramp up, increasing the likelihood of disease and ruined melons.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Agricultural professionals who have not learned how to use grain bin rescue equipment can do so while learning about emerging precision agriculture applications and seed-applied technologies.

The Mississippi State University Extension Service and Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station invite seed and agricultural industry professionals, stakeholders, producers, crop consultants and research professionals to attend the 2023 MSU Seed and Agricultural Technology Short Course Aug. 1-2.

BILOXI, Miss. -- The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality awarded Mississippi State University $800,000 to begin a three-year project to establish the Mississippi Sound Estuary Program and facilitate future conservation and restoration projects from Escatawpa to the Pearl River.

I think no matter where you display them, foliage hanging baskets can bring a sense of serenity and beauty to your indoor and outdoor spaces. To make your own foliage basket, select a single plant or a combination of plants with unique foliage. Consider the foliage color, texture and shape when making your choices.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- After a June 14 severe thunderstorm dropped some of the state’s largest recorded hail on Noxubee County, row-crop farmland there suffered up to 50% yield loss.

A 5-inch-diameter hailstone from the eastern Mississippi storm cell made media headlines, but reports of wind and hail damage to crops in the Mississippi Delta began rolling in as early as the previous weekend.

When the summer temperatures are sweltering, gardeners still have the option for bright landscape color. SunPatiens don’t just tolerate full sun and high temperatures; they thrive in it. They are the ideal plant for worry-free color spring through fall.