News

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

My choice as the poster child for tough and beautiful plants is the small tropical plant Joseph's Coat, which livens up landscapes with its richly colored foliage.

From late spring until frost, Joseph's Coat performs admirably in the garden, making it a favorite of home horticulturists and commercial landscapers. In fertile well-drained soil, it is a problem-free plant.

By Eva Ann Dorris

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The chapters in the history of American agriculture reveal a phenomenal success story. However, some of the nation's top research scientists believe there is even more potential in the future.

The scientists, an appointed task force of the Experiment Station Committee on Organization and Policy, recently published a handbook titled "A Science Roadmap for Agriculture: Seven Challenges to Meeting our Nation's Agricultural Goals." The handbook is a result of brainstorming sessions among 24 scientists from throughout the nation.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The day 35-year-old Jeff Ruth lost his arm, he took a shortcut with a piece of farm machinery one too many times.

"It was just one of those stupid things," Ruth said of the accident that claimed his left arm to just below the elbow. "Instead of taking two seconds to step over there and turn off the PTO (power take off), I reached up there with my hand while it was still running."

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Garden and landscape enthusiasts will flock to the Fall Flower and Garden Fest at the Truck Crops Branch Experiment Station in Crystal Springs on Oct. 18 and 19 for the latest plant recommendations for Mississippi.

The 24th annual fall festival will take place from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Visitors can tour a three-acre garden with more than 40 vegetables, a raised-bed herb garden, 40 varieties of roses, and hundreds of annual and perennial flowers.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi wheat growers did not have much to brag about after the 2002 harvest, but price potential likely will influence planting decisions in the next few months.

Erick Larson, grain crops specialist with Mississippi State University's Extension Service, said the wheat harvest that growers completed in June averaged 40 bushels per acre, which was about 10 bushels below normal. Wet winter and spring conditions suppressed growth and reduced stands. Of the 225,000 wheat acres planted last fall, only about 180,000 could be harvested.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- What can be done to prevent food-related terrorist attacks? Participants in the Mississippi Food Security Symposium on Sept. 25 hope to find those answers.

The symposium will take place from 8:45 a.m. until 3 p.m. at the Mississippi Farm Bureau building on Ridgewood Road in Jackson.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The Southern Rural Development Center recently received a two-year, $430,000 grant to fund a project in support of community and tribal colleges in rural areas.

The grant came from the Ford Foundation in New York City. It is earmarked for "The Rural Community College Initiative: Building New Partnerships in Support of America's Rural Communities," administered by the SRDC.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

Chrysanthemum shopping time is close at hand, and while I would like you to buy the Belgian mums and others, you must have the old-fashioned Clara Curtis, also known as Country Girl.

This heirloom plant from Russia has a new name: Dendranthema zawadskii. It is still in production because it is an heirloom, but mainly because of its glorious fall display of large, rose-pink flowers with orange disks.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Homeowners can solve a lot of problems they encounter on their own, but one problem that requires a professional is a smell of gas.

Propane or liquid petroleum is commonly used in homes to fuel such things as heaters, gas logs, grills, water heaters and stoves. It is a very safe energy source, and can be an affordable way to bring these services into the home.

However, like many other household items, it also can be dangerous when used improperly or when equipment is faulty.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Without any improvement in rice prices this year, growers depend more on government support and are hoping the quality and quantity of the 2002 crop will make a big difference in their bottom lines.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Two Mississippi State University researchers created a worst-case scenario to see what impact Mississippi's declining apparel industry could have on the state.

Darren Hudson and Stan Spurlock used an input-output economic model called IMPLAN to play the "what-if" game. They looked at what the complete loss of the apparel industry would do to the country.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi State University researchers are looking for the best of both worlds as they evaluate the benefits and risks of two types of fescue when consumed by broodmares.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

Many people are looking at tired gardens in the late summer and fall, but Miss Ann is a friend near Terry, Miss., who will tell you it's time for Mississippians to enjoy four o'clocks for their beauty and their fragrance.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Recent fluctuations in the poultry export market don't affect the price farmers get for growing broilers under contract, but they are having an impact on the poultry companies' bottom lines.

Tim Chamblee, Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station associate professor of poultry science, said the poultry industry is holding its own this year, although exports of broiler meat were down 21 percent the first quarter of this year compared to 2001.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The fight to prevent West Nile Virus will likely be won on a personal level, with individual protection being the best defense against the disease.

James Jarratt, entomologist with Mississippi State University's Extension Service, said the West Nile Virus, a type of encephalitis, is being transmitted primarily by the Southern house mosquito, a Culex species found statewide.

By John Hawkins

VERONA -- North Mississippi residents with horticultural questions and the volunteers who help them will benefit from new software that keeps records on callers to a popular gardening hotline.

Master Gardeners at Mississippi State University's North Mississippi Research and Extension Center will use the program developed and donated by Miguel Guerreiro, a Tupelo Internet consultant.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

When I say you need some fiber, I'm not talking about bran flakes for breakfast. If you love tropical plants as much as I do, you have got to try the Japanese fiber banana in your landscape.

Even though it is a tropical, gardeners on the Tennessee border can grow this cold-hardy banana species. The plant is known botanically as Musa basjoo. The banana gets about 10 feet tall and adds great interest to the landscape.

By John Hawkins

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Flies with larvae that burrow into the skulls of their prey may seem like characters in a science-fiction movie, but the phorid fly is actually one of the newest tools being used to counter the spread of imported fire ant populations in the Southeast.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Discipline is one of the most important tools for parents' as they teach and guide children to become moral, independent adults.

Louise Davis, child and family development specialist with Mississippi State University's Extension Service, said discipline comes from the word "disciple," which means a follower, and does not necessarily involve punishment.

HATTIESBURG -- South Mississippi cattle producers are counting on (market) strength in numbers as well as the quality of their heifers to bring a more satisfying experience for buyers and sellers alike at an upcoming sale.

With the aid of Mississippi State University's Extension Service, a group of about 20 cattle producers are planning a bred and open heifer sale in the Jones County multipurpose arena, known as the Magnolia Center, at noon on Aug. 31.