Feature Story

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- A woodpecker may not make a good football mascot, but Mississippi State University researchers think this bird’s shock-absorbing beak may help them design a better football helmet.

Lakiesha Williams, assistant professor of agriculture and biological engineering in the university’s Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, led the study of the woodpecker’s beak. Researchers found that the shock a woodpecker absorbs while pecking is typically 10 times greater than anything a football player is likely to experience.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- A July 17 workshop in Hattiesburg will help landowners recognize the income-generating potential of using their land in natural resource enterprises.

The Mississippi Forestry Commission, the U.S. Forest Service and the MSU Extension Service are offering the Natural Resources Enterprise Advanced Workshop. The event will be held at the Forrest County Extension Office on July 17 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

STONEVILLE -- Researchers will provide farmers and consultants with insight into crop studies and listen to ideas for future projects during the June 17 field day at the Mississippi State University Delta Research and Extension Center.

Corn, cotton, peanuts and soybeans will be the focus of this event, which begins with registration at 10 a.m. at the Charles W. Capps Building and is followed by a sponsored lunch at noon. Farmers registered for the field day will be eligible for door prices during the meal. Vendors will have displays and be available to answer questions.

GOODMAN -- Farmers and gardeners can learn how to control insects, weeds and diseases at the Alliance for Sustainable Agricultural Production Demonstration Farm field day on June 20.

Blake Layton, an entomologist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, will explain how to identify, monitor and control insect pests.

Alan Henn, an Extension plant pathologist and research professor with the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, will tell how to identify and manage weeds and diseases.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi State University and 11 other land-grant universities recently joined a national effort to improve water quality in one of the nation’s most significant watersheds.

The Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico Watershed Task Force partnered with nongovernmental agencies for the first time when it invited university scientists and Extension specialists to share their research findings and ideas for reducing water pollution.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- When Mississippi State University senior Will Gentry went to Africa in 2013 for a short visit to expand his academic horizons, he ended up staying longer and working to conserve popular big-game animals.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – When Raja Reddy came to Mississippi State University from India 25 years ago, he saw opportunities for his family and for his research. As an agricultural scientist, he understands the concept of reaping what he sows.

But he did not expect his career to take him back to India to give those same opportunities to other curious students.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- A Mississippi State University graduate student recently took part in an elite group meeting with policymakers in Washington, D.C.

Jesse Morrison, a doctoral student and research associate in the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, was one of 16 graduate students and scientists from around the country who participated in Future Leaders in Science, a program designed to raise awareness and support in Congress for science and research funding.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi State University has a new source for health-related programs.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Terence Norwood understands that “Making the Best Better” starts with individuals who are determined to make a difference.

That’s why he worked to radically change the voting process at the 4-H State Club Congress, an annual event that brings the state’s top 4-H’ers to the Mississippi State University campus for three days of workshops, competitions, performances and elections.

RIDGELAND -- Two Mississippi State University apparel, textiles, and merchandising students recently took home honors from the 2014 Project Rezway fashion show in Ridgeland.

Laura Richardson, a sophomore from Madison, won best in show and first place in the high fashion category. Jesse Newton, a sophomore from Eupora, won first place in evening couture.

The annual fashion show focuses on the use of recycled materials. Richardson and Newton based their designs on materials donated by their sponsor for the event, Southwire Company.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- A Mississippi State University food science professor has been named a fellow in an international professional organization.

KOSCIUSKO -- Because it happens out of sight, soil compaction is a problem that can be hard to recognize and even harder to fix, but it takes a financial toll when ignored.

Compacted soil has a dense layer somewhere below the surface where individual soil particles are pressed together more tightly than normal. In many cases, roots are unable to penetrate the compacted layer of soil, limiting plants’ access to moisture and nutrients.

STONEVILLE – Jennifer Corbin is one of a kind.

A Mississippi State University research associate at the Delta Research and Extension Center, Corbin is the only female rice researcher at the Stoneville center and the most senior on her project.

In fact, she’s the station’s only female research associate in field crops.

Ag research isn’t even a field she ever imagined she would choose for her career.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The eyes of the barrel-racing nation will turn to the Mississippi Horse Park in Starkville on Oct. 17.

The Mississippi State University facility will host a qualifying event for The American, a major national rodeo. Parts of the qualifier will be broadcast nationally on RFD-TV and live-streamed over the Internet. This competition is on the first of a three-day event that also will include the Better Barrel Racing Eastern Regional Finals and Horse Poor Barrel Races.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Fields that appear lush and green from the highway may be deceiving: Plant roots could be struggling to grow and find resources because of underground soil compaction.

Compacted soil has usually been compressed when equipment travels over it, forming a dense layer somewhere below the surface. The depth of this layer and its thickness depend on a variety of factors, including soil texture, moisture, organic matter and past use.

STONEVILLE -- Mississippi rice producers may need to intensify their treatment of the most important late-season pest in rice based on new recommendations from researchers at the Delta Research and Extension Center.

Jeff Gore is a Mississippi State University Extension Service entomologist at the Stoneville station who conducts research with the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station. He said past recommendations for rice stink bug treatment were based on a time frame rather than a growth stage.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi State University faculty member Rita W. Green will serve another year on a key policymaking board for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

LOUISVILLE -- Disaster assessment teams with the Mississippi State University Extension Service are providing “boots on the ground” as agricultural landowners begin the process of recovering from the April 28 storms.

“These trained teams can assess immediate and long-term needs,” said Elmo Collum, a disaster response coordinator with the MSU Extension Service. “They may discover issues that need to be addressed immediately, such as an injured animal, or they may see things that will take weeks of effort, such as fence repair.”

JACKSON – For Extension agents, education is more than the exchange of information. It’s personal. It is a connection to their students and a sense of responsibility for the outcomes.

It’s been that way since 1914, when the Cooperative Extension Service was established by the Smith-Lever Act. In the past 100 years, the organization, now known in the state as the Mississippi State University Extension Service, has delivered research-based information to Mississippians that helped them raise crops, livestock and families.