Feature Story

COWART, Miss. -- Mississippi farmers can safely get rid of unusable agricultural chemicals and old tires during a free disposal event on Feb. 24 in Tallahatchie County.

Event organizers will accept insecticides, herbicides, fungicides and other pesticide products at the Cowart Gin Yard and Tallahatchie Farmers Supply located at 3990 Tippo Road between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m.

No rinsates, household waste pesticides or products in bulk containers will be accepted.

With extremely warm weather in the fall and so far this winter, many of our flowering landscape plants are really confused. I’ve seen fantastic spring displays of color in December and January.

This weather pattern creates a few problems, none of which we can solve as gardeners. We can’t control the weather, like the cold snap that came through the first week of February. When flowers begin to open too early, a quick dip into the low 30s or upper 20s will quickly turn them into mush.

ROLLING FORK, Miss. -- Landowners and hunting clubs eager to earn extra income while improving land management for wildlife are invited to attend a Natural Resource Enterprises Business Workshop.

The March 1 event will be at the Community Center in Rolling Fork.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Spring is still several weeks away, but now is a good time to prevent unsightly weeds from invading home lawns when the weather warms up.

A common weed control method during late winter and early spring is the use of herbicides. Preemergence herbicides are sprays or granular formulas -- many of which also include fertilizer -- that can be used to kill weeds before they start to grow. Postemergence herbicides are best for use on weeds not controlled by the preemergence treatment.

GREENVILLE, Miss. -- Mississippi River flooding in January set all-time records, but dropping water levels may mean the river will have enough capacity to accept typical spring rains without triggering atypical flooding.

Peter Nimrod, chief engineer with the Mississippi Levee Board in Greenville, said the Greenville January gauge reading of 56.2 feet set a record. The normal depth for that month is about 30 feet.

RAYMOND, Miss. -- Zika virus is now among the list of mosquito-borne viruses Mississippians should guard against, but standard defenses can help prevent spread of the disease.

A suspected link between the infection and certain birth defects, including microcephaly, prompted the World Health Organization to declare a public health emergency of international concern on Feb. 1. Babies with microcephaly are born with smaller-than-usual heads due to interrupted brain development.

RAYMOND, Miss. -- Individuals interested in greenhouse tomato production can learn how to successfully grow and market the crop during the Greenhouse Tomato Short Course March 1 and 2 in Raymond.

Experienced growers and experts with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, the University of Tennessee Extension Service and Auburn University will present seminars on all aspects of production during the 26th annual workshop.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Beef cattle producers are not seeing the record high prices from a year ago, but strong export numbers are providing reasons to hope 2016 will be profitable.

“Per capita consumption is predicted to be higher in 2016, beef production is expected to be up, and, most importantly, exports are projected to be significantly better than in 2015,” said Brian Williams, agricultural economist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- A new technique developed by a Mississippi State University veterinarian may improve the long-term management of obstructive hydrocephalus, or water on the brain, in small animals by reducing the rate of surgical complications.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Homeowners may be wary of wasting water by allowing faucets to drip as a precaution during freezing weather, but they must weigh the cost of higher water bills against the much larger expense of repairing burst pipes.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Knowing when to treat for insect pests in crops is vital to keeping yields high and controlling the costs of agricultural production.

Every year, the Mississippi State University Extension Service updates and publishes its “Insect Control Guide for Agronomic Crops.” The guide includes recommendations for nine crops, including the major row crops, as well as sweet potatoes and pastures.

Angus Catchot, MSU Extension Service entomologist, said all the recommendations in the insect control guide are based on research and tested in the field.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- The Mississippi State University Extension Service invites grape growers in the state to a pruning workshop to be held Feb. 3 in Beaumont.

The event will cover the basics of vine anatomy and pruning techniques for bunch grapes and muscadines. After the presentations, in-field demonstrations will show participants correct pruning techniques. Novice and seasoned growers are invited to attend.

By Brittany Jacks
MSU Extension Service

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Creating a healthy balance between work and life is essential to being more productive and focused.

David Buys, health specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service and researcher with the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, said one of the most important boundaries to have when balancing work and life is accountability with friends and family.

 STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Two Mississippi State University Extension Service health educators recently took positions on state health boards.

David Buys, Extension health specialist and a researcher with the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, accepted an appointment to the board of the Mississippi Public Health Association.

Ann Sansing, Extension community health coordinator and a senior Extension associate in the Department of Food Science, Nutrition and Health Promotion, was elected to the board of the Mississippi Rural Health Association.

POPLARVILLE, Miss. -- South Mississippi homeowners in small communities and rural areas without public water supplies can learn how to better manage, operate and protect their private wells during a program in Pearl River County.

The Water Quality and Private Wells workshop, Feb. 23 from 6 to 9 p.m., will help Mississippi well owners understand groundwater basics, learn best practices for well care and know where to look for assistance.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- An already popular management tool for beef cattle producers is available to a wider audience in 2016.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Chemicals are effective tools for managing weeds and unwanted brush in a landscape, but overlooking their potency or staying power frequently causes unwanted plant casualties.

RAYMOND, Miss. -- Landowners can learn about the use of prescribed fire to manage their property during a Feb. 19 workshop near Raymond.

The Mississippi State University Extension Service, the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station and the Mississippi Prescribed Fire Council are partnering to offer the event to introduce landowners to the benefits of prescribed burning and how to safely do it.

RAYMOND, Miss. -- The Central Mississippi Research and Extension Center will host its annual Producer Advisory Council meeting Feb. 16 in Raymond.

Representatives of the Mississippi State University Extension Service and Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station will hear feedback on and direction for their educational programs and research projects.

Agricultural producers served by the center’s 20 southwest county Extension offices and research stations are invited to attend the program from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the McKenzie Arena.

Since cold weather has finally arrived, the summer color plants are deciding enough is enough. My go-to, cool-season trio of Matrix pansies, Sorbet violas and Telstar dianthuses are glad because they’re tired of sharing the landscape stage with the summer hangers-on.

But before we know it, the siren call of spring will be heard, and the cool-season color will start to wear out its welcome. It will only take a couple of warm days before the spring color plants will start showing up in garden stores, whispering in our ears to buy and take them home.