News

Memorial Day is when many Americans take a step back to remember those who died in service to our country. Technology can bring us closer to those brave souls who died on the shores of Normandy or those laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery, even if time and distance separate us.

Don’t let lengthy to-do lists or holiday activities such as family picnics and long weekend getaways cause you to forget the reason we observe Memorial Day.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Conservation-minded Mississippi farmers have enrolled 126,470 acres in the Research and Education to Advance Conservation and Habitat program, a Mississippi State University effort to impact land management.

Robbie Kroger, an assistant professor of aquatic sciences in the MSU Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture, leads the REACH initiative, which as of April includes 41 farmers. Participation in the program impacts management practices on their acreage.

STONEVILLE – Soybean growers and consultants will benefit from an upcoming tour that teaches control measures for a springtime weed that plagues fields every year.

Mississippi State University’s Delta Research and Extension Center will host a yellow nutsedge discussion from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. May 31 in the B.F. Smith Auditorium. Following a brief seminar, participants will travel a short distance to a trial area that has been established to demonstrate various tactics for controlling this weed, both before and after soybean plants have emerged.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Healthy eating does not mean home chefs must abandon favorite dishes, but they can trim sugar, salt and fat and boost fiber to create lighter versions of beloved recipes.

Many Southern comfort foods include rich, high-calorie ingredients that can be exchanged for lower calorie options, said Natasha Haynes, a family and consumer sciences agent with the Mississippi State University Extension Service.

Baking chicken instead of frying it is just one way to lighten up a traditional dish.

Although many Mississippi gardeners are wondering if it will ever quit raining and let their landscapes dry out a bit, now is actually a good time to think ahead to the inevitable hot and dry weather of summer.

Dry conditions create problems for our home gardens and landscapes, and gardeners water their lawns and landscape beds a lot more than usual during these times.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Poor weather has created so many rain delays that most of the nation’s row crop planting is behind schedule, and Mississippi is even farther behind than other states.

“We’re a month behind,” said Ernie Flint, an area agronomist who has been with the Mississippi State University Extension Service for 22 years. “I’ve never seen anything that compares with this spring. I’ve seen the Delta planted late but never the whole state.”

Before he came to MSU in 1991, Flint spent 18 years as a crop consultant, so he spoke from a long perspective in agriculture.

STONEVILLE – Mississippi State University named two researchers to Extension Service appointments at the Delta Research and Extension Center, effective May 1.

Entomologist Jeff Gore and rice agronomist Tim Walker will divide their work between the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station and the Extension Service. MAFES, the research arm of MSU’s agriculture division, is funded separately from Extension, MSU’s service branch.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – The Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine will host the sixth annual Merial Rabies Symposium on World Rabies Day, Sept. 28, 2013.

The symposium, sponsored by animal health company Merial, brings together noted public health speakers, veterinarians and veterinary students to discuss this major public health issue.

JACKSON -- Social media is often thought of only as a way to keep up with friends and family, but electronic communication is an essential part of today’s farming operations.

Angus Catchot, Extension professor and entomology specialist with Mississippi State University’s Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Entomology and Plant Pathology, said the number of farmers and consultants who use social media and other online platforms might surprise many people.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – A career interest developed in Mississippi State University’s School of Human Sciences led one student to Nigeria, where she spent a week teaching agriculture.

Alyssa Barrett, a senior agricultural science major from Wiggins, spent spring break in the West African nation teaching Nigerians how to plant and use moringa trees. Her team used Extension Service techniques to share practical information designed to improve lives.

Many gardeners try to give their landscape the feel of an informal cottage garden. This garden concept has a loose, flowing feel, kind of like you just let plants grow wherever they happen to pop up in the landscape.

I had a professor way back in college who had a unique cottage garden planting method: He would walk through the landscape and just toss plants over his shoulder. We planted them where they landed. And you know what? His gardens looked awfully good.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Mississippi’s catfish farmers continue to address production challenges as the industry works to reclaim markets lost to imported fish.

Jeremy Robbins, vice president of The Catfish Institute based in Jackson, said farmers have struggled in recent years with high feed prices, their No. 1 expense, while dealing with increased competition from imports.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Cattle producers wanting to improve their herds’ genetics recently turned to Mississippi State University for an advanced, hands-on reproduction workshop.

“If producers want to make rapid progress in herd genetics, the economic benefits of artificial insemination are there,” said Jane Parish, beef specialist with the MSU Extension Service. “Producers can have access to a top-quality bull in another part of the country or one that has been injured or died after its semen has been collected.”

By Karen Templeton
MSU College of Veterinary Medicine

COLUMBUS – Regular eye exams are an integral part of animal health maintenance, so the Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine is providing free eye screening to service animals throughout the month of May.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Planting the right trees in the best locations is a good investment that can also pay dividends in energy savings for home and business owners.

Bob Brzuszek, associate professor in Mississippi State University’s Department of Landscape Architecture, said planting trees that block the summer sun on the south and west sides of buildings and roofs can substantially reduce air-conditioning costs.

One of the best things about life today is the way technology allows people to stay connected across long distances.

Recently, a friend was unable to travel to a grandfather’s funeral. Along with other friends and family, we huddled around an iPhone and watched the funeral live using an app called FaceTime. We did it up right with flowers, food and stories galore. It was a unique way to bring family together to celebrate the life of a loved one.

JACKSON -- As the number of female leaders in agriculture increases, a program dedicated to their success prepares to expand.

Annie’s Project teaches women in agriculture-related fields problem solving, record keeping and decision-making skills. Facilitated by Mississippi State University’s Extension Service, organizers plan to train educators across the state to deliver the program. Extension educators in the 25 Mississippi counties with the highest number of female landowners and principal operators will learn to teach the workshops.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – When kids react to the natural world, Leslie Burger wants them to say “Oh, wow!” instead of “Oh, gross!”

“I want people to understand what is happening around them and to appreciate it,” said Burger, an Extension instructor at Mississippi State University’s Forest and Wildlife Research Center. “When they hear a bird singing in a tree, do they stop and listen? Do they try to find it? Do they run over a snake in the road because they think all snakes are evil, or do they swerve to give it life?

JACKSON – Getting routine health care for family pets is just as important as having a fully-stocked emergency kit and a home evacuation plan when preparing for disasters.

If we ever move into the warmer – even hotter – summer season, I’m looking forward to the prolific flowering of calibrachoa. These plants are commonly known as “million bells,” which is a good description because it seems these plants have a million flowers.

Many selections of million bells are sold under different series names, and they seem to come in every color of the rainbow. One of the best qualities of these plants is that they are self-cleaning, so deadheading in not required.