Feature Story

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi farmers are finding out not only what a difference a year makes, but also what a difference a decade makes.

Agricultural economists with Mississippi State University’s Extension Service predict a record $6.9 billion production value for the state’s farm enterprises. The figure represents a 19 percent increase, or $1.09 billion, from 2009’s disastrous bottom line. After adjusting for inflation of agricultural prices, it is 45 percent, or $1.55 billion, better than in the year 2000. The previous record of $6.4 billion was set in 2005.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Soybeans remained the state’s most valuable row crop in 2010, bringing an estimated $821 million to growers, a 16 percent increase over the previous year.

The increase came despite a somewhat late start and a very hot, dry summer. The Mississippi Agricultural Statistics Service estimates 1.95 million acres of soybeans were harvested, yielding a state average of 39 bushels per acre. The average market year price is estimated to be $11.45 a bushel.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – The myth that a single type of person uses food stamps was examined in a recent Southern Rural Development Center study that impacts how to best reach those in need of food assistance.

The report, “One-size doesn’t fit all: Different reasons drive food stamp use in areas across the South,” looks at certain characteristics of food stamp users in the Borderland in Texas, the Appalachia region in West Virginia, the Delta in Mississippi and Louisiana, and the Black Belt in Alabama.

By Alicia Barnes
Southern Rural Development Center

MISSISSIPPI STATE – A national economic development program coordinated by the Southern Rural Development Center has received $1.7 million to expand an initiative to help high poverty and oil spill-affected communities.

Launched in 2010 as a pilot study in eight states, Stronger Economies Together, or SET, encourages communities to look beyond city and state borders to capitalize on shared assets and strengthen regional economies.

By Patti Drapala
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Online tools from the Mississippi State University Extension Service can help those facing reduced income gain regain financial control.

Prompt action is the most important step in achieving control.

“When income is reduced or lost, many families don’t adjust their lifestyles for six months,” said MSU Extension family resource management specialist Bobbie Shaffett. “The best chance to land safely on the other side of a financial emergency is to take control of resources as quickly as possible.”

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Four Mississippi State University entomologists are among a group of Mid-South colleagues being honored for a continuing project to identify effective cotton pest management strategies.

The group received the “Friends of IPM ‘Pulling Together’” award from the Southern Region Integrated Pest Management Center at North Carolina State University. The award recognizes the success of groups working with integrated pest management, which is a combination of techniques and strategies to control agricultural pests.

By Karen Templeton
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Feral swine, commonly called “wild pigs,” can do more than damage crops and property; they also can transmit diseases to humans and domestic animals.

Feral swine are a non-native, highly adaptable species found throughout the country. They have been seen in Mississippi since the 1980s and have caused significant agricultural and environmental damage.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – A local bank turned Bulldog football games into significant events for young people with life-threatening conditions.

Macon-based BankFirst teamed up with the Mississippi State University athletic department to make a $10,000 donation to the Catch-A-Dream Foundation, which is affiliated with the MSU Extension Service. BankFirst made a donation each time the team scored touchdowns at home. The Bulldogs scored 28 home touchdowns this year on their way to an 8-4 football season and a bowl game appearance after Christmas.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Where some saw an eyesore, others saw an opportunity: could an old hatchery be transformed into a much-needed child-care center?

With a lot of hard work, patience and some help from the Mississippi State University Extension Service, not only did Sanderson Farms Inc. administrators create a place for their employees’ children to be cared for, they developed it into the most highly rated child-care center in the area.

By Dr. Walter Mullen
MSU College of Veterinary Medicine

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Pet owners need to realize that Christmas decorations attract more than human eyes during the holidays, and many of those items can pose hazards to curious animals.

When new plants are brought into the home, they can interest a mischievous pet. Unfortunately, some festive holiday plants can poison pets.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Mississippi State University scientists have found a new way to turn wood into highly absorbent charcoal and automobile parts.

While wood has been used to manufacture charcoal since the early 1600s, the new technique can create charcoal and other carbon-based products with a higher absorption capacity. Charcoal has been used widely to treat water and clean up chemicals, but the production of magnetic charcoal creates new possibilities. Magnetic charcoal is more efficient in cleaning environmentally hazardous chemicals.

By Dr. Joel D. Ray Jr.
MSU College of Veterinary Medicine

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The holiday season is a fun time for family and friends to celebrate, but it is also a time when pet owners should be aware of holiday dangers for dogs, cats and other beloved pets.

By Dr. Joel D. Ray Jr.
MSU College of Veterinary Medicine

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- As gifts, travel companions or left-behind loved ones, pets need special attention by responsible owners during the holidays to ensure their long-term health and happiness.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Mississippi cotton, soybean and corn producers who take advantage of a three-day short course in December will receive valuable information about how to succeed in agriculture.

Registration for the Dec. 6-8 Row Crop Short Course is free until Nov. 26 and $40 a person after that. The event is hosted by Mississippi State University’s Extension Service and will be held on campus in the Bost Extension Center. The program begins with lunch at noon on Dec. 6 and concludes with lunch on Dec. 8.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Three Mississippi State University students spent three weeks in China studying that country’s extensive involvement with season-extension agriculture.

Season-extension technology allows a crop to be grown beyond the normal production window typically allowed by weather. One method gaining popularity in Mississippi is growing crops in high tunnels, which are unheated greenhouses that capture the sun’s heat, allowing crops to be grown earlier or later than normal.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Two Mississippi State University biochemistry and molecular biology students won top honors in the Maroon Edition’s “Three Cups of Tea” essay contest, which was open to all MSU freshmen.

Liza Hudspeth of Walnut and Ryan Stockman of Hurley took first and second place, respectively.

Maroon Edition is MSU’s campus-wide reading initiative, which seeks to foster discussion by encouraging freshmen to read the same book in a limited timeframe. This year’s book was Greg Mortenson’s “Three Cups of Tea.”

By Patti Drapala
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Several Mississippi State University student groups recently waged war on hunger by bagging sweet potatoes for food pantries in the Golden Triangle area.

The Society of St. Andrew, a grassroots, nonprofit organization that recruits volunteers to gather leftover crops, located farmers willing to donate produce. The 15,000 pounds of Beauregard sweet potatoes that arrived at the Palmeiro Center on Nov. 12 for the event known as the sweet potato drop came from Dawson Farms of Delhi, La.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Dozens of poinsettia varieties and holiday plants will be available at the Dec. 3 holiday plant sale hosted by Mississippi State University’s Department of Plant and Soil Sciences.

The MSU student horticulture club will sell poinsettias and other holiday plants from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. in the campus greenhouses behind Dorman Hall on Stone Boulevard. Thirty-two varieties of poinsettias in shades of red, pink and white will be available in 6-inch pots and 10-inch baskets.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- A Dec. 9 workshop at Mississippi State University will delve into the increasingly important world of risk management in agriculture.

The event is free to those who preregister and $20 per person for those who register at the door. The event will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in MSU’s Bost Conference Center and is being coordinated by John Michael Riley, MSU Extension Service agricultural economist.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- People expect veterinarians to offer quality care to their pets, but they may be surprised to discover the depth of the doctors’ concern for animals and their owners.

Dr. Joey Burt is chief of community veterinary services with Mississippi State University’s Animal Health Center. Beginning when he was in private practice in Ohio, he has felt an emotional connection with pet owners when they lost pets.