Feature Story

POPLARVILLE, Miss. – A rare tropical plant drew a steady stream of fascinated onlookers to a Mississippi State University research station as it bloomed for the first time on June 30.

The 9-year-old titan arum was nicknamed “Spike” by the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station researchers who care for it. Known scientifically as Amorphophallus titanum, Spike likely will not bloom again for several years.

JACKSON, Miss. -- An organization ready to harvest and distribute quality food to the hungry always looks for new farms to glean and more hands to help with the work.

The Mississippi Gleaning Network exists to link agricultural endeavors with organizations that distribute food to the needy. It is operated under the Society of St. Andrew, a Christian nonprofit, nationwide organization that supplies the volunteer labor.

Gleaning is an ancient practice in which workers are allowed into a harvested field to gather for themselves the food that is left over.

BEIJING, China -- Expanding Mississippi agriculture requires getting to know potential markets, and a group of Mississippi State University Extension agents is seeing one of the largest in the world firsthand.

BATESVILLE, Miss. -- Farmers can learn about financial management and a new produce safety program during the upcoming Alliance for Sustainable Agricultural Production field day July 15.

The on-farm field day will be at the Cotton Warehouse Farmers Market, located at 550 Highway 6 West in Batesville. Start 2 Finish Community Farms’ Happy Foods Project is co-hosting the event.

STARKVILLE, Miss. – During the summer months, few activities are more appealing than a dip in the pool to escape the heat, but safety must be the top priority.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, toddlers have been known to drown in as little as a bucket of water. Swimming pools can pose the greatest drowning riks to toddlers.

Despite the dangers associated with swimming, the good news is that drowning is preventable.

The live broadcast has ended. Watch our timelapse footage.

POPLARVILLE, Miss. – Horticulture researchers at the Mississippi State University South Mississippi Branch Experiment Station anticipate the first bloom of the rare titan arum (Amorphophallus titanum) will happen soon.

The plant will not likely bloom again for several years.

POPLARVILLE, Miss. – Horticulture researchers at the Mississippi State University South Mississippi Branch Experiment Station anticipate the first bloom of the rare titan arum (Amorphophallus titanum) will happen soon.

The plant will not likely bloom again for several years.

JACKSON, Miss. -- Mississippians are stepping in to support dwindling Eastern monarch butterfly populations with a nationwide program aimed at reestablishing their diminishing North American habitat.

VERONA, Miss. -- North Mississippi farmers and consultants can learn about the latest row crop research and the potential for using unmanned aircraft systems in crop production during a free field day program in Lee County.

Experts with the Mississippi State University Extension Service and Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station will host the biennial North Mississippi Research and Extension Center Agronomic Row Crops Field Day on Aug. 11 from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. 

VICKSBURG, Miss. -- After raising five children, Bobbie Beard began to concentrate on her second passion -- gardening.

“I’ve been digging in the dirt since I was 7 years old,” said Beard, who lives in Vicksburg. “I’ve always loved plants -- flowers, shrubs, trees. When my kids were grown, I decided it was my turn to do something for myself.”

Instead of keeping the beauty of her garden to herself, Beard decided to share it with others. At age 52, she began what is now The Flower Center Nursery in her own backyard.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- The Mississippi State University Extension Service invites state row crop producers to a seed technology short course to be held Aug. 2-3 at MSU.

Seed Tech 2016: From Bin to Bag will cover techniques in seed cleaning, separating and sorting. There will also be equipment demonstrations and workshops focusing on testing, labeling, intellectual property, legal issues and litigation.

The workshop will offer professional development credit. Commercial applicator recertification courses will be available for seed treatment or demonstration research.

By Michaela Parker
MSU Extension Service

STARKVILLE. Miss. -- The iconic design of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Nutrition Facts label will stay the same, but the content of the label will soon be updated to reflect new scientific information.

The FDA announced on May 20 the final changes to the Nutrition Facts label for packaged foods. The label will keep many of the same nutritional facts it has displayed for more than 20 years, but several new features will give it more up-to-date, research-based data.

By Vanessa Beeson
Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Nearly half of all rice produced in the U.S. is exported, so Mississippi farmers need rice variety options to ensure strong foreign demand for their harvests.

In 2015, Mississippi growers harvested nearly 150,000 acres of rice across more than 250 farms. The crop had a production value of $132 million.

BILOXI, Miss. -- Food safety professionals who work for facilities that manufacture, process or store food for human consumption can earn certification mandated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Food Safety Modernization Act during an upcoming workshop.

Experts with the Mississippi State University Extension Service and Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station will offer Preventive Controls for Human Food on July 12-14. The course was developed by the Food Safety Preventive Controls Alliance.

GREENWOOD, Miss. -- Farmers can learn about free-range poultry farming, high-tunnel vegetable and flower crops, and integrated disease and pest control during the Alliance for Sustainable Agricultural Production field day June 17.

The on-farm field day will be at Levee Run Farms, located at 802 Grenada Blvd. Extended in Greenwood.

Experts with the Mississippi State University Extension Service and Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station will help farmers understand how to prevent, identify, monitor and manage insects, diseases and weeds.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- When Brittany Storey of Terry, Mississippi, was searching for a major, she felt a little like Goldilocks -- she couldn’t find the career path that felt “just right.”

Although she loved animals and wanted a career in biology, she did not see herself as a veterinarian. She spoke with different department heads, but she could not picture herself in a career in agriculture or human medicine, either.

QUITMAN -- Bringing rural Mississippi communities into the digital age is the objective of a newly established Mississippi State University Extension Service program.

The MSU Extension Intelligent Community Institute, or MSUE-ICI, is a joint project between the Extension Center for Technology Outreach, Extension Center for Government and Community Development, and its parent worldwide organization, the Intelligent Community Forum.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Boating in the summertime can seem like the perfect way to escape the heat, but it is important for everyone enjoying outdoor activities to be aware of sun safety.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated half of young adult Americans get sunburned every year. The CDC estimates that extreme heat kills an average of 658 Americans annually, which is more than the total number killed by tornadoes, lightning, hurricanes and floods combined.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- For those in early childhood education, achieving accreditation by the National Association for the Education of Young Children is the mark of excellence in their field.

In Mississippi, few have earned this distinguished honor, but the School of Human Science’s Child Development and Family Studies Center at Mississippi State University is among the elite.

Director Melissa Tenhet learned on May 17 that the center’s efforts in recent years to achieve accreditation have been successful.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Researchers recently gathered at the Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine to share information about a common bacteria most people associate with ear and sinus infections.

Pneumococcal disease is also responsible for more serious infections, such as pneumonia and sepsis. Because of its prevalence and severity, MSU scientists are focused on finding preventions and treatments.