Feature Story

GRENADA, Miss. -- The Grenada Early Learning Advantage Center recently received the Star Award from the Grenada Chamber of Commerce for its invaluable contributions to the children, families and future of the community.

Dolly Marascalco, past president of the Grenada Chamber of Commerce, presented the award to Early Years Network Director Louise Davis and consultant Deborah Bailey at the Grenada site on Feb. 23.

The center opened in November 2012 and has grown to serve approximately 80-100 families per month.

JACKSON, Miss. -- Students, teachers and community members can learn more about the ecosystems in their area during two separate events.

The Mississippi State University Extension Service will join the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science and the National Park Service in hosting the state’s second annual BioBlitz workshops.

The 2015 BioBlitz events will kick off April 11 in Jackson at the museum. The second workshop will be April 18 in Tupelo near the Natchez Trace Parkway Visitor’s Center.

PICAYUNE – Home gardeners and nature lovers can learn how to create a beautiful and functional landscape during the Mississippi State University Crosby Arboretum Lecture Series March 28.

Rick Darke, a horticulturist, published author, lecturer and photographer, will discuss how to strike the ultimate balance between beauty and function in the home landscape with an emphasis on conservation.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Two Mississippi State University graduate students in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences received accolades from a regional weed science organization.

Garrett Montgomery and Andrew Denton were honored at the Southern Weed Science Society of America’s annual meeting in Savannah, Georgia, in January.

Montgomery won the outstanding master’s student award, and Denton placed second in the master’s poster contest.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- People around the world can learn what land-grant university researchers and Extension professionals have accomplished through a new online resource.

Mississippi State University and its partner institutions in the national Association of Public and Land-grant Universities launched a new website to highlight research and Extension impacts on March 2.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- A Mississippi State University graduate student in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences is the first-time recipient of a national weed science award.

Drake Copeland placed first in the master of science category of the inaugural student poster contest at the recent Weed Science Society of America annual meeting. He won for his poster on the evaluation of pre-emergence herbicides and insecticidal seed treatments on thrips infestation in cotton.

POPLARVILLE, Miss. -- Mississippi State University beef cattle and forage research will be featured during a field day in Pearl River County March 28.

Beef cattle producers are encouraged to attend the event hosted by the White Sand Branch Unit of the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Six locations across the state will host “Mississippi Shred Day” events on March 6 and 7 to help consumers avoid identity theft by shredding personal papers.

Rita Green, family financial management state specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said people need to protect personal information, especially when it is time to get rid of certain papers.

“Shredding documents is the best way to prevent personal information from being used by identity thieves,” Green said.

PURVIS, Miss. -- A project intended as a one-time demonstration earned a southern Mississippi gardening group an international award for excellence.

The Pine Belt Master Gardeners placed second in the 2015 International Master Gardener Search for Excellence Program for their volunteer efforts in constructing, donating and teaching people to use salad tables. They competed in the special needs audience category.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Teenagers with an interest in animals and veterinary medicine are invited to apply for a camp offered by the Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine.

The MSU Veterinary Camp will provide this hands-on experience on the Mississippi State campus in Starkville. Campers will participate in interactive labs and learn about veterinary medicine from MSU instructors and students. Young people considering careers in veterinary medicine, scientific research or animal-related fields are encouraged to apply.

RAYMOND, Miss. -- The kitchen pantry is a prime target for pests looking for an easy meal, but a little spring-cleaning can stop them in their tracks.

“It’s a good idea for cooks to empty the pantry at least once a year and check items that have gotten pushed to the back of the cabinet,” said Natasha Haynes, Mississippi State University Extension Service agent and host of “The Food Factor.” “Throw out any expired food or food that has been open for several months.”

Haynes recommended storing any opened food items in airtight glass or plastic containers.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Spring is a busy time for bees and beekeepers, as longer days and warmer weather bring the first flowers into bloom.

Jeff Harris, Mississippi State University Extension bee specialist and Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station researcher, said bees are growing rapidly during the months of February and March.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Winter storms make pretty landscapes, but many homeowners wonder what impact the ice and snow will have on plants that already started preparing for spring.

PARCHMAN, Miss. -- A chicken flock at the state’s largest correctional facility is uniting the Mississippi State University Extension Service, Mississippi Department of Health and Mississippi Department of Corrections.

Jeffrey Brown, state medical entomologist with the Mississippi Department of Health, visited the Mississippi State Penitentiary, also known as Parchman Farm, to address a growing fly and mosquito problem. He observed the flight patterns of the flies and determined they were originating from the facility’s egg-producing poultry houses.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Deep into the winter months, the sunny days of summer seem so far away, but growing a garden doesn’t have to be a warm-weather-only activity in Mississippi.

David Nagel, vegetable and home garden specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said the state’s climate allows some plants to be grown throughout the winter.

“Now is the time to start monitoring soil temperatures and watching weather forecasts,” he said.

RAYMOND, Miss. -- Central Mississippi agriculture producers and industry professionals met with Mississippi State University experts Feb. 17 to provide guidance for 2015 educational programming and research.

More than 120 participants attended the annual Central Mississippi Producer Advisory Council meeting in Raymond to discuss priorities and ideas with the MSU Extension Service and Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station specialists, researchers and agents.

STONEVILLE, Miss. -- The benefits for conserving water for farmers are the reduction of costs and the retaining of a higher yield, and Mississippi State University is promoting tools to help them achieve that goal.

Jason Krutz, an irrigation expert at the MSU Delta Research and Extension Center, said certain irrigation decisions can benefit the agricultural economy.

Starkville, Miss. -- Beginning March 24, Mississippi State University experts will offer a course designed to help potential business owners plan for success.

The nine-week Kauffman FastTrac NewVenture program will be held Tuesday evenings from 5:30-8:30 p.m. at the university’s Franklin Furniture Institute.

The FastTrac NewVenture course, designed to support aspiring entrepreneurs in the early stages of business development, is open to anyone interested in any type of business.

VERONA, Miss. -- Agricultural producers from 27 counties and 16 commodity groups in north Mississippi met with Mississippi State University representatives Feb. 19 to discuss research and outreach needs.

STONEVILLE, Miss. -- Corn, cotton and soybean producers have to strike a balance between risk prevention and wise spending to achieve good profits each year.

Insects that feed on recently planted crops can substantially reduce yields, but planting seeds pretreated with insecticides is one method of controlling these early-season pest problems.