Feature Story

By Robert H. Wells
Delta Research and Extension Center

STONEVILLE -- Rice producers will need to consider other variety options this year after losing the popular variety Cheniere to contamination.

“The discovery in August of Liberty Link Rice 601 contamination in U.S. commercial long-grain rice supplies will significantly affect variety selection for Mississippi rice producers in 2007,” said Tim Walker, assistant agronomist at Mississippi State University's Delta Research and Extension Center in Stoneville.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Upcoming workshops in Jackson will address landowners’ potential to produce fruit and vegetables for a profit on small tracts of land.

Experienced and beginner farmers can benefit from a series of three workshops that will take place from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Feb. 10, 24 and March 10 at the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum in Jackson. Sponsors of the workshops include the Mississippi State University Extension Service, the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce, and the Mississippi Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The decision to use homegrown flowers may cut wedding costs, but at what price?

Julie Reeves of Starkville wanted to help with her son's May 1999 wedding.

“We wanted so many flowers that we knew we couldn't afford to pay a florist for all of them. It seemed like the effort would be worth it,” she said. “There really wasn't much cost involved, just a lot of effort.”

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Whether as guests or part of the wedding party, children add an element of uncertainty that may or may not be welcome at these ceremonies.

Louise Davis, child and family development specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said a simple rule of thumb is to bring children to weddings if they are invited and are 5 years or older.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- With almost half of all marriages today being remarriages, a bride and a groom often go home to a newly created family rather than set out to start their own.

Joe Wilmoth, assistant professor of human development and family studies in Mississippi State University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, said stepfamilies face incredibly diverse challenges.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- When couples cannot decide between traditional wedding locations, the South offers some ideal spots away -- but not far -- from home.

Mississippi couples do not have to travel to Hawaii or the Bahamas to find romantic settings. Beaches, resorts and antebellum homes are a few of the sites gaining popularity in what is known as destination weddings.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- An upcoming interactive video short course will provide rose enthusiasts with tips for growing and enjoying healthy plants.

The five-week course will meet from 6:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. on Tuesdays from March 20 until April 17. The American Rose Society Gulf District and Mississippi State University’s Extension Service in cooperation with the Mississippi Master Gardener Association are sponsoring the course.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Several veterinary students at Mississippi State University have taken advantage of opportunities to learn about foreign animal diseases that could threaten the nation's domestic animals.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi's mostly mild climate can show an ugly side unexpectedly, and ice storms are an occasional nasty part of life in the state.

The accumulation of ice knocks down power lines and trees, cutting off the electricity to many homes and communities and making driving dangerous. For others, the intense cold can be deadly, especially when electricity is needed to keep a house warm.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- A 20-county effort to improve the health of Mississippians is spreading across the state with all programs set to be under way by the end of February.

Organizers for the 12-week Mississippi in Motion project cite the state’s poor health report card as the motivation for this potentially life-changing program.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Teachers, 4-H agents, volunteers and other group leaders are among those who are invited to take part in a two-day facilitator training for people interested in conservation activities.

Mississippi State University’s Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is sponsoring the Leopold Education Project training Feb. 8-9 at the Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- An army of volunteers is largely responsible for the success of 4-H, and once a year, this group has the chance to meet to renew their enthusiasm and better equip themselves for the task of working with youth.

4-H volunteer adult leaders from across the state are gathering March 2-4 at the Bost Extension Center at Mississippi State University for the state’s annual 4-H Volunteer Leaders’ Conference. This year’s theme is “4-H Volunteers Gearing Up for the Race.” The deadline for registration is Feb. 1.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi’s oldest regional farm show will salute the state’s $6 billion agricultural industry during the Jan. 16-17 event in Cleveland.

Farmers and agricultural consultants across the region will converge on the Bolivar County Exposition Center, located on Highway 61 North, for the 34th annual Delta Ag Expo.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- A member of the Mississippi State University Plant and Soil Science Department has been named a Fellow of the Crop Science Society of America.

Research professor K. Raja Reddy received the honor at the society’s 2006 annual meeting in November. The Fellow designation is the highest honor the 4,500-member organization confers on its members. Reddy was one of just 10 selected for the honor in 2006. 

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Rose lovers will find a lot to like in a new garden on the Mississippi State University campus.

Researchers began working with landscape roses at MSU in 1982, and established a rose garden near the Enology Lab on the North Farm in 1985. In the mid-1990s, the garden moved to the teaching and research arboretum on the South Farm.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Careful Mississippians know that the usefulness of a Christmas tree does not have to end with the holidays as the tree can serve other purposes after the decorations come down.

The National Christmas Tree Association calls Christmas tree recycling treecycling and states online that more than 33 million real Christmas trees are sold in North America.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- A multidisciplinary effort at Mississippi State University to create an agricultural genomic database has resulted in a million dollar grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The funding will support ongoing efforts to enlarge AgBase, an online database developed by College of Veterinary Medicine researcher Dr. Shane Burgess and College of Engineering researcher Susan Bridges. Burgess and Bridges are also co-directors of the Institute for Digital Biology at MSU.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Flooded markets and dry fields were leading causes of an estimated 11 percent decline in Mississippi's farm value of production for 2006.

John Anderson, agricultural economist with Mississippi State University's Extension Service, is predicting a total agricultural value of $5.8 billion, which includes a 29 percent decline in government payments. Mississippi's total farm-gate value in 2005 was $6.5 billion.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Cotton's reign as king of Mississippi's row crops remained unchallenged in 2006 as it posted an estimated $583 million production value, but growers paid a high price to bring it to harvest.

Cotton's estimated value rose 9 percent from the state's $533 million production in 2005.

“It was a real frustrating year,” said Tom Barber, cotton specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. “Some people picked the best crop they've ever picked, but it was probably the most expensive crop they've ever paid for.”

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Hurricane-damaged trees that flooded the market and drove prices down are the primary cause for an expected 9.6 percent decline in Mississippi's timber harvest value.

Marc Measells, a research and Extension associate with Mississippi State University's Department of Forestry, recently predicted the state's timber harvest value at $1.3 billion in 2006, compared to $1.45 billion the previous year. He based his estimate on timber severance tax collections and timber prices through October.