Feature Story

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- In the hours immediately following Hurricane Katrina’s landfall, a team of Mississippi State University veterinarians specially trained to work with animals in disaster situations arrived at the state’s designated animal disaster relief shelter in Jackson.

While the Mississippi Animal Response Team’s immediate focus was to assist the Mississippi Board of Animal Health with assessing and managing the growing number of displaced animals, they also had other duties.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Less than a week after Mississippi State University hosted multihazard emergency training for colleges and universities, the state’s land-grant school experienced a real-life crisis with someone posing a potential threat.

At 10:15 Thursday morning, MSU issued a “Maroon Alert” to warn students, staff and faculty to shelter in place because of a campus threat. By 10:30 a.m., the suspect was in custody.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- As bleak as the outlook seemed for Mississippi’s forestry industry in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the state’s second largest agricultural commodity is slowly recovering.

BILOXI, Miss. -- Ten years after Hurricane Katrina left him with nothing but his three medium-sized refrigerator vessels, shrimper Steve Bosarge has overcome major tribulation to expand his business.

Years before the catastrophe, Bosarge diversified his business because of increased shrimping competition. In the 1990s, he began providing endangered species animal relocation and site clearance services for oil companies. He had no way of knowing that this side work would save his business. He continues that service today, along with his original career.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Authorities across Mississippi are reminding residents to vaccinate their pets and avoid all contact with wild animals as an investigation continues into the first confirmed case of rabies in a land animal since 1961.

The case was identified in Starkville last week in a feral, black and white kitten. While there is no ongoing health risk, people should notice warning signs and call their local animal control or sheriff’s office if they see a mammal that could be diseased.

PEARL, Miss. -- The Mississippi Board of Animal Health will not be alone in the battle to protect the state’s poultry industry from bird flu this winter.

“Now is the time to make sure our response plans are in place to minimize bird losses and economic damage when migratory birds return from infected nesting grounds,” said Dr. Jim Watson, state veterinarian with the Mississippi Board of Animal Health.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Cogongrass was introduced to Mississippi 100 years ago as a new forage crop, but it is now an invasive weed landowners and managers are trying to destroy.

John Byrd, weed scientist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said it was thought that this perennial grass had potential to benefit rural families.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Success in school depends more on the 16 hours spent outside the classroom than many parents may realize. Physical, emotional and social factors at home contribute significantly to academic success.

Students who eat breakfast perform and behave better in school, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Children under 11 need one or two daily servings of fruit and two to four daily servings of vegetables.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Mississippians may be eligible for financial assistance to help pay for health insurance.

The Mississippi State University Extension Service offers information on the Affordable Care Act on their website.

The enrollment period for the new Health Insurance Marketplace begins on Nov. 1. Early enrollment may be offered to individuals who have experienced certain life changes, such as birth of a child or loss of a job.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Groups of agricultural professionals from three countries visited Mississippi State University over the last month to take advantage of training opportunities offered through the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Mississippi State University is offering online high school courses for credit, giving a helping hand to students trying to get ahead or catch up on graduation requirements.

Health, economics, geometry, Mississippi studies, U.S. government, U.S. history, advanced world geography and two English classes are available through the MSU Center for Continuing Education. Costs are $150 for a half credit and $300 for a full credit.

BILOXI, Miss. -- Evidence showing the effects of climate change on coastal wetlands has been hard to come by, so a new study method developed by a team of Southeastern researchers is making waves in the environmental science community.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Almost 200 4-H members are planning to compete in the poultry project during the 2015 Mississippi State Fair in October.

Jessica Wells, a poultry science instructor with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said organizers are limiting each exhibitor to visual presentations and just one bird for showmanship.

STARKVILLE, Miss. – Chemical companies have added a new bee hazard icon on labels of certain insecticides to protect pollinators from chemicals hazardous to their health.

Blake Layton, an entomologist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said the icon and the accompanying pollinator protection box are required on labels of systemic insecticides that contain imidacloprid, dinotefuran or thiamethoxam or clothiandin.

CLARKSDALE, Miss. -- Delta growers and agricultural consultants can carve out a few hours from their busy schedules to learn some of the latest issues impacting corn, cotton, grain sorghum, peanuts, rice and soybeans.

Mississippi State University Extension Service specialists and county agents will host a “turnrow talk” on Aug. 25 in Coahoma County at Stovall Farms Shop, located at 4146 Stovall Road in Clarksdale. The free event will begin at 10 a.m. and conclude with lunch at noon.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Mississippi’s two land-grant universities welcomed representatives from sister universities and a national council July 31-Aug. 2 in Starkville.

CLEVELAND, Miss. -- Organizers of Mississippi’s 2015 Rice Tasting Luncheon are adding cooking competitions to the Sept. 18 event.

Each year, this well-known Delta luncheon provides more than 300 dishes prepared by rice-growing families and Delta restaurants. Health screening and nutrition booths with many exhibits and door prizes are also part of the event.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Freezing vegetables can be a tiresome and difficult task, but the end result is always worth the effort.

Natasha Haynes, an agent in Rankin County for the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said one important step is often forgotten when freezing vegetables. Before freezing, vegetables need to be blanched, which means scalding them in boiling water before cooling them down quickly.

PICAYUNE, Miss. -- The Crosby Arboretum in Picayune recently received a Five Star grant to help create habitat for an endangered plant community and educate the public about Gulf Coast ecosystems.

The $21,938 grant will help create a 900 square-foot Quaking Bog Educational Exhibit on land formerly used for agricultural and forestry production. The Crosby Arboretum, a unit of the MSU Extension Service, is the Southeast’s premiere native plant conservatory.

RAYMOND, Miss. -- Parents know car seats are essential for children’s safety, but the task of choosing and installing one can be overwhelming for even the most savvy moms and dads.

“There are many different types of car seats, and parents should do a little research before going to the store,” said Lydia Bethay, associate director of the Mississippi State University Extension Service Early Learning Network. “The most important thing is to get the right seat for your child and to use it properly every time you get in the car, even on short trips.”