Healthy Soils and Water

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Publications

Publication Number: P3660
Publication Number: P3146

News

Dried up pond
December 6, 2023 - Filed Under: Agriculture, Healthy Soils and Water, Water
STARKVILLE, Miss. — State Climatologist and Mississippi State University Professor of Meteorology Mike Brown said he’s never wished for a tropical storm in the Magnolia State—until this year when the drought, in recent months and weeks, became so severe he thought rain from a tropical system might be beneficial enough to outweigh storm risks.
 
Green plants grow in rows surrounded by brown grass stems.
September 8, 2023 - Filed Under: Corn, Healthy Soils and Water

Despite several recognized benefits of growing winter cover crops, this conservation system has limited acceptance, something Mississippi State University researchers are trying to change by identifying and better managing risks.

Among the significant benefits of planting a green crop on farmland otherwise exposed to winter elements are improved soil health, water quality and erosion control. But cover crops grow into the optimal spring planting times for summer crops. This complicates their use and can reduce productivity of the summer crop.

For the last several years, MSU research has addressed various aspects of this issue, primarily focusing on cover crop management and cover crop species.

September 14, 2022 - Filed Under: Soils, Mississippi Land Resource Areas, Healthy Soils and Water, Healthy Water Practices

COMO, Miss. -- The Mississippi State University Extension Service will cohost a collaborative field day in Panola County Sept. 29 to share information about cover crops and reduced-till farming, soil and water health, and pasture soil and water management.

The Mississippi Land Stewardship field day runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and begins at Buckeye Farms at 3251 Tom Floyd Road in Como. Attendees will then travel to two different fields, one row crop and one pasture. The field day will conclude at Home Place Pastures. A complimentary lunch is included for participants.

Creek with trees on the left providing shade and a steep bank on the right.
August 17, 2022 - Filed Under: Healthy Soils and Water, Natural Resources, Pond and Lake Management, Pond and Lake Water Quality, Pond and Lake Topics, Pond and Lake Management Resources

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- The presence of a water source on private land can make a property much more desirable for several reasons. Whether it’s a lake, pond, stream or river, a water source provides opportunities for recreation, development, agricultural production, and wildlife and fisheries habitat.

A key aspect of maintaining the value of the water resource is ensuring that it is protected and used wisely.

June 30, 2022 - Filed Under: Soils, Healthy Soils and Water, Healthy Water Practices, Water

SHAW, Miss. -- Mississippi State University scientists will cohost a collaborative field day in the Mississippi Delta on July 13 to share information about cover crops, soil and water health, and irrigation automation and efficiency. 

The Soil and Water Stewardship in Row-Crop Systems field day runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and begins at Mosco Farm at the southwest of 813 US-61 in Shaw. Attendees will travel to Clements Farm and finish the event at the West F.A.R.M. Pavilion. A complimentary catfish lunch is included for registered participants.

Success Stories

A man standing in a harvested field.
Agricultural Economics, Crops, Corn, Cotton, Soybeans, Farming, Forages, Livestock, Soils, Mississippi Land Resource Areas, Healthy Soils and Water, Healthy Water Practices, Water
Volume 9 Number 2

Sledge Taylor is no stranger to cover crops —he first planted vetch on 100 acres of his Panola County farmland in 1979—but he has ramped up his cover crop usage and added other sustainable agricultural practices over the past 15 years.

A man stands in a wooden shed holding parts to a soil sensor system.
Agriculture, Crops, Irrigation, Remote Sensing Technology, Soils, Soil Health, Soil Testing, Healthy Soils and Water, Healthy Water Practices, Water
Volume 8 Number 2

Brian Andrus irrigated exactly zero times on his Sunflower County farm in 2021. He didn’t even turn on his well.

 

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