Feature Story

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- President George W. Bush signed the dotted line, but new legislation may not have happened without the dean of Mississippi State University's veterinary college.

The Veterinary Medical Services Act encourages veterinary assistance in underserved areas by helping veterinarians repay student loans. These veterinarians may also guard against foreign and domestic disease outbreaks or agro-terrorist threats.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Students at Mississippi State University's College of Veterinary Medicine are throwing a birthday party as their college turns the big 3-0.

The students, faculty and staff will host the 20th annual open house April 2 and 3 at the Wise Center, located on the south side of campus off Spring Street. The theme of the open house is "Celebrating a 30-Year Heritage and Continuing Tradition of Service." 2004 marks 30 years since the Mississippi Legislature established the MSU College of Veterinary Medicine.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Four Mississippi youth were selected in February to help out for a week in the 2004 state legislature.

Beth Alexander from Newton County, Arcenio Cooke from Lee County, Drew Hearn from Leflore County and Kaitlin Lindsey from Itawamba County will serve March 15-19 in the offices of the Mississippi Speaker of the House and the Lieutenant Governor.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- A Health and Safety Summit on March 23 and 24 in Jackson will address rural and occupational health concerns for much of Mississippi.

Summit organizers want to create awareness, identify issues and develop a plan to improve the safety and health environment of rural Mississippians, especially in the Delta region. The meeting will begin at 10 a.m. on the first day with remarks from Gov. Haley Barbour.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Since last summer, drivers along Highway 82 near the Mississippi State University campus have been inquiring about the school's cemetery.

The rows of white, round-topped "tombstones" visible from the highway adjacent to MSU's North Farm don't mark final resting places. They are, instead, part of a turf grass research project.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Gardeners looking for a break from the long, wet winter may want to head down to the 2004 Mississippi Garden and Patio Show March 13 and 14 in Jackson.

The show is a result of the combined efforts of the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce, the Mississippi Nursery and Landscape Association and Mississippi State University, and officially kicks off the gardening season.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Rotational grazing may sound like a way to get a cow dizzy, but this method of forage management gives producers the highest efficiency from their pastures.

Stan Pace, agronomic crops agent in Wiggins with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said using rotational grazing can increase efficiency up to 75 percent over conventional grazing's 30 percent to 35 percent efficiency.

By Tricia Hopper

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Sandwiched between high-calorie holidays and swimsuit weather, March offers the perfect time of the year for people to consider healthier nutrition.

March is National Nutrition Month, and this year's campaign, "Eat Smart, Stay Healthy," focuses on the importance of healthy eating choices and physical activity.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Instead of the typical veterinary internship, one Mississippi State University student joined a human influenza response team during the severe 2003-04 flu season.

Dr. Brittany Baughman originally planned to work with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention studying diseases that are zoonotic, or pass between humans and animals. But when the unusually severe flu season hit, that branch of the CDC needed extra help with an in-depth study of influenza deaths in children.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- An anniversary celebration Feb. 27 will mark 30 years of veterinary education, service and research at Mississippi State University's College of Veterinary Medicine.

While the college has grown considerably since its development and construction began in 1974, MSU-CVM Dean Dr. John U. Thomson said the mission remains constant.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi will soon host an intensive, one-of-a-kind greenhouse tomato workshop with national and international appeal.

The short course on March 9 and 10 in Jackson will be the state's 14th annual gathering exclusively dedicated to helping producers of greenhouse tomatoes. Mississippi is home to 135 growers who combine to produce a $6.5 million greenhouse tomato crop annually. In 2003, the short course attracted participants from 24 states and four countries.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi State University's College of Veterinary Medicine has been recognized for its efforts in achieving performance excellence.

The veterinary college earned the Quality Commitment Award, one of four awards given by the Mississippi Quality Awards program. MSU-CVM received the Quality Alignment Award last year.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The worst may not be over for cattle producers despite mid-January market rebounds from the Dec. 23 news of the nation's first case of mad cow disease.

After the discovery of one cow in Washington state with bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad cow disease, virtually all countries stopped accepting beef from the United States. Although domestic consumption changed very little, the loss of almost 10 percent of the beef market in exports is contributing to a build-up of supplies.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Most consumers never consider what happens to animal by-products that accumulate as farmers work to deliver safe, affordable food to their tables. But a recent meeting offered a platform for agricultural stakeholders to review efforts and consider future needs.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- When AgrAbility fitted a step onto Donald Vowell's all-terrain vehicle, he joined the group of about 60 Mississippians served by this program for people with a disability who live or work on farms.

Vowell, an Ackerman native, was 20 when he suffered a spinal cord injury in a car wreck. He was paralyzed from the chin down, but five months of spinal cord rehabilitation helped him learn to walk again.

"Now I can walk with the aid of a cane -- not real good, not real far, not real fast -- but I can do it," Vowell said.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mad cow disease will be one of the health concerns dairy producers will discuss during an in-depth seminar on herd diseases Feb. 19 in Tylertown.

In addition to bovine spongiform encephalopathy (mad cow disease), producers will learn about Johne's disease, the U.S. Animal Identification Program, biosecurity concerns and other issues related to dairy herd health.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Full accreditation of the Mississippi Veterinary Research and Diagnostic Laboratory System confirms the state's animals receive the level of care they deserve.

In December, the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians granted full accreditation to the four-laboratory system that includes labs in Jackson, Pearl, Starkville and Stoneville. The AAVLD accreditation committee conducted on-site inspections of the laboratories in September.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The deadline for catfish producers to apply for cash assistance to offset import competition and the required technical training is fast approaching.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Imported fire ants are a fact of life for Mississippians and most of their neighbors across the Southeast.

Scientists believe imported fire ants first arrived in the United States during 1918 at the port of Mobile, Ala., as stowaways on a ship from South America. Since then, the invaders have spread across most of the Southeast. Their name comes from the "fiery" sting of their bite.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- While imported fire ants are a problem across the South, most species of ants are actually beneficial -- helping to aerate soil, disperse plant seeds, control insect pest species, and aiding in the decay process of dead plants and animals.