Extension Matters: Volume 9 Number 1

  • A man and woman standing in front of steps, smiling.

    Giving Them Wings

  • A standing Black man points to a paper on a desk that a seated white man with a pen also points to.

    Night Course

  • A woman, smiling, standing in front of the ocean

    Extension in Action

  • Two men wearing hard hats standing in front of an orange logging truck.

    Precautions Ensure Productivity

  • A Black woman wearing a white turtleneck sweater smiling and leaning on a pillar.

    4-H: Where Are They Now?

  • Two men and one woman standing in front of a green tractor

    A Step Closer to the Plate

  • Two boys, wearing suits and fedoras, smiling.

    4-H Day at the 2022 Mississippi State Fair

  • Two adults, smiling, working with three small children.

    What’s New in Extension

  • A group of five people, each holding awards, smiling.

    Doing the “Heart” Work

  • A man, woman, and child standing outside, smiling in front of a building.

    Where You Are

  • A boy standing beside a sport shooting range smiling.

    Making Friends, Gaining Confidence

  • A smiling man wearing a cowboy hat and Hawaiian shirt.

    Social Media Connection

  • A woman, smiling, wearing a blue polo and sitting on a wooden fence.

    Development Direction

A man and woman standing in front of steps, smiling.

When Kathryn Reed saw that young people in her community needed more opportunities to participate in activities to help them grow spiritually and personally, she took action.

“We have a lot of activities for adults in our community, but there was nothing for our pre-teens and teenagers,” explains Kathryn. “We are losing them when they get to that age.”

A standing Black man points to a paper on a desk that a seated white man with a pen also points to.

Corey Proctor describes New Augusta as a small town with a big heart.

He would know as well as anyone. He has called the seat of Perry County home for most of his adult life and was elected to serve on its board of aldermen in 2021.

A woman, smiling, standing in front of the ocean

The Application Guide was created by a writing team of Extension and engagement professionals across the country, and Dr. Renee Collini was the lead author.

Two men wearing hard hats standing in front of an orange logging truck.

In an industry where every piece of equipment can seriously hurt the operators and crew, one Mississippi logging company has not recorded an accident during more than 40 years of operation, from Brandon to Gulfport.

A Black woman wearing a white turtleneck sweater smiling and leaning on a pillar.

Jilkiah Bryant is a Noxubee County native and current student at the University of Mississippi studying public health and health sciences. As a recipient of the Truman Scholarship, which she describes as the greatest honor of her life, Bryant plans to take her education to the next level with graduate school to pursue a career as a public health professional.

Two men and one woman standing in front of a green tractor

With 3,000 acres of corn, soybeans, and cotton, row crops are the most abundantly grown commodity on Philip Good’s land, but he has made strides during nearly 45 years of farming to diversify his inventory.

Two boys, wearing suits and fedoras, smiling.

At 4-H Day on October 15, 2022, part of the 163rd Mississippi State Fair, Mississippi 4-H’ers of all ages enjoyed many different activities, from grilling to singing, modeling to public speaking, livestock showing to STEM activities. 

Two adults, smiling, working with three small children.

The Mississippi State University Extension Service recently relaunched its Nurturing Homes Initiative. The program’s mission is to improve the quality of the early educational experiences provided in family childcare homes through mentoring, improving the learning environment, and delivering research-based information.

A group of five people, each holding awards, smiling.

Ray Henderson’s love for the outdoors began in his youth with learning by doing in 4-H Forestry. He won the State 4-H Congress competition, went to nationals, and placed fifth. After he aged out of the youth development program, he pursued a career with the U.S. Forest Service, and he volunteered in the 1990s as a coach for a few 4-H Forestry teams in Wayne and Greene Counties.

A man, woman, and child standing outside, smiling in front of a building.

He had always been very good at math and science in school, and when Caleb Zumbro earned the chance to study chemical engineering at Mississippi State University, the young man from Franklin County was excited to move away from Mississippi’s Pine Hills.

A boy standing beside a sport shooting range smiling.

Once a quiet, shy teenager with a love for hunting and the outdoors, Jaxon Cook decided to join 4-H to meet other young people with shared interests, and the experience improved his confidence.

A smiling man wearing a cowboy hat and Hawaiian shirt.

From 2010, when Dr. Gary Bachman was named host of Southern Gardening by the Mississippi State University Extension Service, until January 2023, the popular horticulture-advice news column and video series has bloomed!

A woman, smiling, wearing a blue polo and sitting on a wooden fence.

Crosby Arboretum is a living memorial to L. O. Crosby, a philanthropist, forester, and civic leader who loved nature. In the early 1980s, his family turned his former strawberry farm into a place that could instill a love of nature in others.

 

 

 

A Black man with glasses wearing a blue and yellow striped tie, a blue dress jacket, and khakis, standing on a deck in front of a tree.

Message from the Director

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Dr. Steve Martin

Dear friends,

The seasons are changing, but our focus remains on serving the people of the great state of Mississippi.

This issue of Extension Matters shows Extension instruction and services, both in person and online, answering residents’ needs in agriculture, conservation, and youth development. We are sharing tools with elected officials and business owners to help them do their jobs better. We are training community leaders and local families to teach young people and support their physical and mental health.

In Extension, we are serious about extending knowledge to change Mississippians’ lives for the better. The clients featured here highlight some of our organization’s greatest accomplishments, and we’re proud to be part of making these people’s lives even better.

Sincerely,
Steve Martin
Interim Director, MSU Extension Service