Feature Story

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi's hog producers are finding ways to stay in business despite the major blow dealt by the March 30 closing of Bryan Foods' West Point plant.

The Sara Lee Corp. decision to close the meat-processing plant caused the state's swine industry to scramble to find new markets and a new direction. Mark Crenshaw, swine specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said the closing has a devastating impact on the swine industry in Mississippi and surrounding states.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Local economic development officials, a Mississippi State University team and railroad owners are working to revive a 92-mile section of tracks linking the Delta and the eastern part of the state.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi's wheat that thrived in March's balmy weather experienced major damage during two nights of freezing temperatures over the Easter weekend.

Erick Larson, small grains specialist with Mississippi State University's Extension Service, said the early warm temperatures had advanced the maturity of the crop and made it more vulnerable to the freeze. Wheat was about two weeks ahead of schedule.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- A one-day workshop for farmers, landowners and resource managers will provide the tools to start and manage a natural resource enterprise. 

Fee fishing, fee hunting, agritourism, and wildlife watching are examples of enterprises based on the natural resources commonly found on Mississippi private lands.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Organized 38 years ago to encourage youth to become involved in exhibiting livestock, the Dixie National Sale of Junior Champions still meets that goal and much more.

R.O. Buckley of Starkville said magnificent animals, hard-working youth and generous buyers are the key components in one of the best youth livestock sales in the country.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Summer annuals, perennials, herbs, baskets and ferns will be available at the Mississippi State University Horticulture Club’s annual spring plant sale April 13 and 14.

Doors to the greenhouses behind Dorman Hall will be open from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. on Friday and from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. on Saturday.

Horticulture students will be on hand to answer questions and offer guidance in plant selections. Proceeds from the sale help fund academic trips, community service projects and next year’s sale.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi cotton growers may have fewer acres to plant, but not necessarily fewer challenges in 2007.

While environmental conditions will be the biggest factor, the boom in corn acreage may increase certain insect pressure in Mississippi's cotton.

Angus Catchot, entomologist with Mississippi State University's Extension Service, said corn is one of the primary hosts for bollworms, which edged out tarnished plant bugs as the state's No. 1 cotton pest last year.

VERONA -- Each year for more than 50 years, representatives of agricultural producer groups in 27 northeast Mississippi counties have met to talk about their needs and to tell those needs to Mississippi State University research scientists and Extension professionals.

In the early 1950s, meetings were held under the oak trees at the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station in Holly Springs. More recently, the site of the gathering has been the North Mississippi Research and Extension Center in Verona.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- An unknown enemy is destroying honey bee colonies across the nation, and researchers are scrambling to discover what is causing it and how it can be prevented.

The problem is being called colony collapse disorder, and it was identified in late 2006. Hives with the disorder go from a robust colony with a large adult bee population to an empty hive with the queen and brood abandoned in the space of a few weeks.

MISSISSIPPI STATE --  Corn market prices are almost double what they were a year ago, and Mississippi farmers are responding in kind.

Arkansas and Mississippi will lead the nation in percentage corn production increases with 296 percent and 279 percent, respectively. Of 48 states with a corn crop in 2006, only Massachusetts is expected to decrease its acreage this year.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Anyone looking to add some sparkle to their home lawn will find lots of ideas at the North Mississippi Spring Garden Day.

The May 19 event will be held at the North Mississippi Research and Extension Center in Verona from 9 a.m until 5 p.m. Everyone is invited to attend the free program.

Featured speakers include Mississippi State University Extension horticulturist Mengmeng Gu, who will give a presentation on plants for shade gardening, and plant columnist Jim Long with a program on cutting-edge plants.

By Patti Drapala

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi ranks No. 1 among states in AIDS cases diagnosed in black women, and health-care officials want to focus on ways to halt the spread of AIDS, raise awareness and improve medical care for these women.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Everyone involved in Mississippi’s dairy industry is invited to the Mississippi State University Statewide Dairy Field Day May 24 in Tylertown.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- As therapeutic riding programs catch on across the state, Mississippi State University is planning to host a national training workshop for instructors and volunteers interested in improving their skills.

The MSU Extension Service’s 4-H therapeutic riding program will host a national workshop June 7 and 8 for up to 40 people. The deadline for registration is May 1.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi State University's herd of jersey cows is among the best in the nation, and proof of it can be found in the MSU Sales Store in the form of ice cream, cheese and other dairy products.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Dry conditions and aphids are challenging Mississippi's winter wheat just as the crop enters the weeks critical for growth and yield potential.

Grower interest in wheat was strong last fall coming off the record 59-bushel-per-acre average in 2006 and high market prices.

Erick Larson, small grains specialist with Mississippi State University's Extension Service, said growers planted 275,000 acres of wheat in 2006, the most in the state since 1992. Growers planted 85,000 acres in 2005.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Before preparing the yard for spring's arrival, homeowners should make sure their lawn-care equipment is safe and up to the challenge.

Herb Willcutt, safety specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said homeowners can handle most lawn and garden equipment maintenance if they take a little time to study the operators' manual and know the basics of simple 2- and 4-cycle engines.

“Consult the operator's manual for troubleshooting, and proper servicing and regular maintenance schedules,” Willcutt said.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Experience, not age, was the key for five Newton County 4-H members as their knowledge of horses and participation in previous competitions took them to first place in a recent national competition in Denver.

The team had some of the youngest participants in the senior division of the Western National 4-H Roundup Horse Bowl. But at age 15, these young teens were not new to horse bowl competitions.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The array of available plants, fertilizers, treatments and tools can overwhelm beginning gardeners, but there are ways to simplify the process and give plants a better chance of success.

Mengmeng Gu, ornamental specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said whether planting vegetables or ornamentals, take a soil test first of the garden spot.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi pecan growers can learn how to maintain their orchards at an April 4 workshop in Crystal Springs.

The half-day workshop begins at 9:30 a.m. at Mississippi State University’s Truck Crops Experiment Station. Lunch will be provided following the workshop.

Topics for discussion include crow control, pecan tree pruning and thinning, and how to sample and grade pecans for optimum marketing strategies.