Feature Story

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- The Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine invites visitors of all ages to attend its 30th annual Open House on April 10 and 11.

The college will open its doors from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. for the event at the Wise Center, located on the south side of campus off Spring Street. The April 10 program is for preregistered school groups, while the entire community is welcome to attend on April 11. To register a school group, please call Katie Timmerman at 662-325-0465.

PICAYUNE, Miss. -- Beauty and biodiversity can coexist in the landscape, and it is not that hard to accomplish.

Rick Darke, a horticulturist, published author, lecturer and photographer, discussed balancing beauty and function in the home landscape with an emphasis on conservation during the Mississippi State University Crosby Arboretum’s Lecture Series March 28.

Darke offered ideas for transforming the home garden into a sanctuary for wildlife while also offering privacy and enjoyable spaces for the family.

VERONA, Miss. -- Six recent fruit tree grafting workshops across the state were in such high demand that the Mississippi State University Extension Service is already planning another series of training sessions for fruit growers.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- A Mississippi State University Extension Service health specialist’s expertise in the battle against chronic disease has put him in the national spotlight.

STARKVILLE, MISS. -- The Mississippi State University Horticulture Club invites garden enthusiasts to join them at their spring plant sale.

The event will be from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. April 10 and from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 11 at the MSU Veterans Memorial Rose Garden. The garden is located at the Highway 182 entrance to the R. Rodney Foil Plant Science Research Facility.

Herbs, vegetables, bedding, plants, perennials, succulents, blueberries and landscape plants are among the items that will be sold by the horticulture club members.

NEWTON, Miss. -- More than 50 junior high and high school students gathered inside a freshly dug pit at the Mississippi State University Coastal Plain Branch Experiment Station as part of an educational competition to teach them the roles that soil plays in farming and construction.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Efforts to prevent people from committing “crape murder” are reducing the number of unsightly, knobby-knuckled branch ends but may leave people wondering how to correctly shape crape myrtles.

Gary Bachman, a horticulturist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service and Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, said many crape myrtles are pruned back to the same spot every year. This causes the cut ends to swell into a fist-like shape. Bachman works from the MSU Coastal Research and Extension Center in Biloxi.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Beef cattle producers should make plans to spend the day on campus for the Mississippi State University Beef Unit Field Day.

The field day will be from 9 a.m. until noon on May 2. Lunch will be served at the conclusion of the field day. The Beef Unit is located at the H.H. Leveck Animal Research Center, often called South Farm.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Frozen catfish fillets have joined Edam cheese, ice cream, muscadine juice, peanuts, beef and more in the lineup of local products for sale in the Mississippi State University Cheese Store.

Starting March 30, shoppers can buy 4-pound boxes of frozen, U.S. farm-raised catfish in the cheese outlet, also known as the MAFES Sales Store, operated by the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station. Catfish will be sold in the popular 2- to 3-ounce fillets at a price in line with the current market.

BILOXI, Miss. -- Mississippi State University experts met with agricultural producers and industry professionals recently to exchange ideas about educational programming and research for 2015.

About 100 participants attended the annual Coastal Research and Extension Center Commodity Advisory Council meeting to discuss priorities with MSU Extension Service and Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station specialists, researchers and agents.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Farmers markets offer at least two features that keep customers happy and coming back for more: fresh, local products and real-life social interaction.

Jesse McDonald and his wife, Anne, can be seen almost every Saturday morning during the summer at the Starkville Community Market in downtown Starkville. He said the produce just tastes better than what he can get in traditional grocery stores.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- A Mississippi State University youth initiative is joining an elite group of programs that focuses on emergency and disaster preparedness in communities across the nation.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Students who want to make a difference in the world should consider careers in agriculture.

“Careers in agriculture are as diverse as the farming profession they support,” said George Hopper, dean of the Mississippi State University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. “College degrees are the keys to success in this industry that feeds and clothes the world.”

Hopper said preparing students for real-world challenges is a priority for faculty in the nine departments of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- With planting time approaching quickly, Mississippi gardeners are in the middle of their “planning season.”

Spring garden expos are underway with three major events remaining in Jackson, Starkville and New Albany.

Gary Bachman, a horticulturist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said March and April are good months for Mississippians to plan their 2015 gardens.

RAYMOND, Miss. -- Eleven 4-H members from around the state spent part of spring break sharpening their photography skills while learning about Mississippi history.

“We had interest from some of our 4-H’ers who compete in the photo track to do some in-depth training, so we decided to open it up to all 4-H members in the state,” said Kat Lawrence, a photographer with the Mississippi State University Extension Service.

FLOWOOD, Miss. -- March is National Poison Prevention Month, and March 15-21 is National Animal Poison Prevention Week.

The Animal Emergency and Referral Center, an affiliate service of the Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine, is reminding pet owners to take extra precautions to protect their pets.

Most owners take precautions to keep their pets safe. Leashes, fences, microchips and vaccinations are all routine purchases for responsible pet owners. But for many pets, the average home hides many dangers that sometimes are not obvious.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Registration is open for one spring and three summer camps for young people interested in conservation, natural sciences and wildlife.

The Mississippi State University Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture, MSU Extension Service and MSU College of Forest Resources are hosting these camps.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- When is knowing about a family history of colorectal cancer a good thing?

Clark Roman of Starkville said knowing his family’s increased incidence of colon cancer prompted him to have regular screenings. The result was early diagnosis and a relatively easy treatment. Almost five years after surgery, he is an advocate for people getting screened according to their doctors’ recommendations.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Pi Day comes around every March 14 to help emphasize the importance of math, but the Mississippi State University Extension Service works year-round to give young people the strong educational foundation that will carry them through life.

Mariah Morgan, a professor in the MSU Extension Center for Technology Outreach, recently teamed up with the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority as part of its educational enrichment program.

TUPELO, Miss. -- Mississippi State University freshmen and 4-H alumnae Alivia Roberts and Laken Lyons, both of Lee County, recently earned recognition for essays promoting community service in memory of Martin Luther King Jr.

Roberts received the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. scholarship, and Lyons received the Modern Beautician Club scholarship. The 2014-2015 scholarships were presented by the King Committee and the Modern Beautician Club of Tupelo.