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News From 2014

Coreopsis lanceolata is the state wildflower of Mississippi, and it grows frequently along the state's roadsides and in prairie areas. (Photo by MSU Extension Service/Gary Bachman)
May 26, 2014 - Filed Under: Lawn and Garden, Flower Gardens

You can hardly miss the yellow flowers of Coreopsis lanceolata along highways in the summer, so it’s easy to see why this is the state wildflower of Mississippi.

Several species of the plant fall under the common name of tickseed. Coreopsis lanceolata grows up to 2 feet tall along roadsides and in prairie-type sites. Its flowers are daisy-like with bright yellow petals and centers.

Flowering trees and shrubs, such as this weeping yaupon holly, provide nectar for bees, berries for birds, and shelter and nesting sites for a variety of other animals. (Photo courtesy of Marina Denny)
May 23, 2014 - Filed Under: Environment, Urban and Backyard Wildlife

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Twice a year, I get the urge to do something “wild” in my backyard. Now, granted, this is something I could do year-round in my neck of the woods, but the sounds of the birds and the bees twittering and buzzing away -- usually in the spring and fall -- really get me excited.

My foray into the wild side begins with identifying what my backyard already has to offer in the way of food, water, shelter and a place to raise young. My venture: to fill in the gaps.

May 23, 2014 - Filed Under: About Extension

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.

Researchers at Mississippi State University use a large cage over multiple rice plants to help them determine when rice stink bugs cause the most damage. (Photo courtesy of Jeff Gore)
May 23, 2014 - Filed Under: Insects-Crop Pests, Rice

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.

Tire tracks crisscross this Bolivar County, Mississippi, field. Heavy farm equipment can compress soil underground, making it difficult for plants to reach moisture and nutrients. (Photo by MSU Extension Service/Laura Giaccaglia)
May 23, 2014 - Filed Under: Soils

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.

Peanut plants are coming up in this Leflore County field on May 22, 2014. Warm, sunny days at the beginning of the growing season helped Mississippi producers get most of their crop planted by mid-May. (Photo by MSU Ag Communications/Kat Lawrence)
May 23, 2014 - Filed Under: Agricultural Economics, Peanuts

JACKSON -- Most peanut growers are on schedule despite the cool, wet weather that hit Mississippi at the beginning of May.

“We are in pretty good shape all over the state,” said Jason Sarver, peanut specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service and Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station. “The cool, wet spell we had set some folks back, but only by a week or so. Depending on this summer’s conditions, their harvest might be pushed a little later, but nothing extreme.”

May 20, 2014 - Filed Under: Animal Health, Community

Mississippi State, Miss. -- A Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine student has won an award for her communication skills.

Hillary May of West Virginia has been selected as the 2014 Bayer Excellence in Communication Award winner for MSU.

May 20, 2014 - Filed Under: Commercial Horticulture

BEAUMONT – Gardeners can learn techniques and tips for producing vegetables and fruits during the annual field day at the Mississippi State University Beaumont Horticulture Unit on July 12.

The Vegetable Field Day is open to professional growers and others interested in growing their own food.

Experts with the MSU Extension Service, Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station and Auburn University will discuss a variety of topics, from pest management for small producers to the best grape varieties for the South.

Mississippi State University Extension Service agents Reid Nevins, left, of Lowndes County and Ty Jones of Madison County are a few of the many innovative, young agents who are renewing Extension’s commitment to its motto: “Extending Knowledge. Changing Lives.” As Extension celebrates its 100th birthday, agents across the state continue to provide research-based information to help families, farmers and communities. (Photo by MSU Ag Communications/Keri Lewis)
May 20, 2014 - Filed Under: Agriculture, Technology, About Extension

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.

Winston County farmer Willie Lee Jr. discusses his losses from the April 28 tornado with Mississippi State University Extension Service disaster assessment team members Brandi Karisch (center) and Jane Parish, both of MSU's Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences. (Photo by MSU Ag Communications/Linda Breazeale)
May 20, 2014 - Filed Under: Agriculture, Disaster Response

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.”

From roadsides and ditches to the landscape, Queen Anne's Lace has delicate lace-like flower heads with a thousand or more tiny individual flowers that can produce many thousands of seeds. (Photo by MSU Extension Service/Gary Bachman)
May 19, 2014 - Filed Under: Lawn and Garden, Flower Gardens

A dizzying array of new plants for the home landscape and garden are promoted every year, and several got their starts along our roadsides and ditches.

Horticulturists often say that many of our landscape plants are only a step or two out of the ditch. One of my favorite ditch-loving varieties that bloom each spring is Queen Anne’s Lace. Some people consider them weeds, but I believe they have many worthy qualities.

Gastrointestinal diseases are major causes of death among wild and captive pandas. Mississippi State University researchers are working with the Memphis Zoo to learn about the digestive processes of pandas, such as this giant panda housed at the zoo. (File photo by MSU Ag Communications/Kat Lawrence)
May 19, 2014 - Filed Under: Wildlife

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi State University researchers were part of the team that learned that giant and red pandas have different digestive microbes, a finding with important implications for conservation efforts and captive animal rearing.

Gastrointestinal diseases are the major cause of mortality in wild and captive pandas, but little is known about their digestive process.

From left, Beth Poganski and Joby Czarnecki are research associates with the Mississippi State University Extension Service and specialize in natural resources conservation. (Submitted photo)
May 16, 2014 - Filed Under: Environment, Natural Resources, Water

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Gardening season is in full swing, and rain barrels are displayed for sale in local gardening stores. Rain barrels are systems that collect rainwater that would otherwise be lost into city sewers. The rainwater can be used to keep tomatoes, herbs and other treasured garden plants flourishing.

The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that 40 percent of total household water use during the summer is for lawn and garden watering. Rain barrels are easy ways to both conserve water and cut your water bill.

A week without rain in early May gave Mississippi producers a chance to catch up with spring planting. This cotton on Mississippi State University's R.R. Foil Plant Science Research Center was planted before the late-April rains. (Photo by MSU Ag Communications/Bonnie Coblentz)
May 16, 2014 - Filed Under: Agriculture, Crops

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Frequent rains kept farmers indoors through much of April, but clear weather in early May allowed them to play catch-up on row-crop planting.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported that planting of most of the state’s row crops is back on schedule after the wet early spring. Corn is the first crop planted in Mississippi and much of it was planted on schedule. As of May 11, USDA reported cotton is 45 percent planted, rice is 68 percent planted, grain sorghum is 42 percent planted and soybean is 55 percent planted.

Bricklee Miller, manager of the Mississippi Horse Park at Mississippi State University, receives the Better Barrel Racing Association's Producer of the Year trophy from Garrett Yerigan, left, and Destry Fleming at the barrel racing finals in Oklahoma City on April 26, 2014. (Submitted Photo)
May 15, 2014 - Filed Under: Equine

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Belt buckles and saddles are coveted in the barrel-racing world, and Mississippi is home to a prestigious trophy for the first time this year.

The Better Barrel Racing Association has named Bricklee Miller, manager of the Mississippi Horse Park at Mississippi State University, as the National Producer of the Year for 2013. The award recognizes Miller’s efforts to produce the Horse Poor Barrel Racing event in conjunction with the Better Barrel Racing Association Eastern Regional Tour Finale last October.

Mississippi State University senior Charles Parker recently won $10,000 during MSU's Office of Entrepreneurship and Technology Transfer Entrepreneurship Week for his fishing pole protectors, called Rod Sox. Parker is shown here at MSU's Chadwick Lake on May 13, 2014. (Photo by MSU Office of Public Affairs/Megan Bean)
May 14, 2014 - Filed Under: Environment, Fisheries

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi State University wildlife and fisheries major Charles Parker hooked the $10,000 first place prize during MSU's Office of Entrepreneurship and Technology Transfer Entrepreneurship Week for his fishing gear business.

Parker acquired Rod Sox, a fishing rod protector company, in May 2013 after deciding he wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps and work in the fishing tackle industry.

Julie "Missy" Hadaway
May 13, 2014 - Filed Under: Community

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- An academic advisor with the Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine has received two awards for excellence in student advising.

Julie “Missy” Hadaway, admissions and student affairs coordinator, has been awarded the 2014 Irvin Atly Jefcoat Excellence in Advising award at MSU. She was also selected for an Outstanding Advising Certificate of Merit in the primary advising role category by the National Academic Advising Association.

Virginia Mathews' lifelong love of horses launched her career with the animals. The Yazoo County entrepreneur is a member of Women for Agriculture. (Photo by MSU Ag Communications/Kat Lawrence)
May 13, 2014 - Filed Under: Women for Agriculture

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Virginia Mathews enjoys horses so much that she gladly took on a full-time job to allow her to keep them.

Mathews, known as Gigi to her friends and family, is a Yazoo County woman who owns Mathews Farms in Benton with her husband, Hugh Leigh Mathews III. She now cares for 11 horses and teaches riding lessons, but at one time she had as many as 76 mares.

“One time I added up all the time I spent working with the horses and figured I was making 2 cents an hour,” Mathews said. “I went to work full time with the U.S. Postal Service to support my habit.”

May 12, 2014 - Filed Under: Natural Resources

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Two Mississippi State University administrators are helping shape natural resources education and policy in a recently released national report.

Rubin Shmulsky, head of Sustainable Bioproducts, and Bruce Leopold, executive director of the Center for Resolving Human-Wildlife Conflicts were part of a team of 35 scientists who authored “Science, Education, and Outreach Roadmap for Natural Resources.”

Foamy bells have colorful, lobed foliage and small, bell-shaped flowers that gently sway on tall stems. The vein coloration of Tapestry intensifies in cooler spring and fall weather. (Photos by Gary Bachman)
May 12, 2014 - Filed Under: Lawn and Garden, Flower Gardens

Did you know bells work well in the landscape?

For years, one of my favorite landscape plants has been Heuchera, commonly called coral bells. I don’t think you can beat the landscape punch of texture and color these plants bring. Coral bells bloom, but I grow them strictly for the foliage.

I’m gaining appreciation for another “bell” in my garden called Heucherella, or foamy bells. These plants are hybrids, the result of crossing Heuchera and the closely related Tiarella (foam flower).

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