You are here

News From 2014

After processing, deer meat must be put into the freezer immediately for best flavor and highest quality. (Photo by MSU Ag Communications/Bonnie Coblentz)
September 24, 2014 - Filed Under: Environment, Wildlife, Food Safety, White-Tailed Deer

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- In Mississippi, more than 200,000 deer are harvested each year, providing families with a source of free-range meat. However, hunters must exercise care when processing deer to ensure good-tasting, high quality, safe meat products.

The foliage of Mahogany Splendor hibiscus is its main attraction, providing awesome color, height and excitement in the landscape. (Photo by MSU Extension Service/Gary Bachman)
September 22, 2014 - Filed Under: Lawn and Garden, Flower Gardens

After the heat we’ve had this summer, thank goodness fall officially arrives this week. Fall was always a favorite season for me growing up in Michigan because it meant cooler weather, going to the cider mill and, of course, the beautiful red and orange tree colors.

Living in Mississippi, I still like fall, but I miss the foliage colors. A few red maples scattered about will put on a fiery orange show some years, but it’s not the same as in the North. If you want fall foliage color in the South, here are a few of my favorite plants that should make you happy.

Soil samples undergo pH testing at the Mississippi State University Soil Testing Laboratory Sept. 8, 2014. Researchers at MSU's Delta Research and Extension Center in Stoneville are conducting a study to determine whether soil test correlations and calibration methods are still accurate for today's improved crop production systems. (Photo by MSU Ag Communications/Kevin Hudson)
September 22, 2014 - Filed Under: Agriculture, Crops

STONEVILLE -- The thousands of dollars farmers invest in equipment, seed and labor to produce row crops, such as soybeans, cotton and corn, is wasted if they do not have quality soil.

“Everything ties back to how well the soil is maintained,” said Bobby Golden, an agronomist and researcher with the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station at Stoneville. “If we didn’t have a strong, stable foundation, which is the soil, the crop yields we produce wouldn’t exist.”

September 19, 2014 - Filed Under: Wood Products

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Anticipating the return of manufacturing to the U.S., Mississippi State University’s Franklin Furniture Institute is hosting the Mississippi Reshoring Summit on Sept. 24.

Higher labor costs in China and technological advances that aid in U.S. production are partly responsible for increasing domestic manufacturing. The summit will help attendees answer the question for their industries, “Is it time to reshore?”

Kandiace Gray, a Mississippi State University graduate student from Fulton, prepares materials for workshop on growing mushrooms, mosses and ferns on July 8, 2014 at Dorman Hall on the Starkville campus. (Photo by MSU Ag Communications/Kevin Hudson)
September 19, 2014 - Filed Under: Community, Lawn and Garden

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- A Mississippi State University graduate student is using a centuries-old teaching method to plant the seeds of success in would-be gardeners.

Kandiace Gray of Fulton is working on her master’s degree in horticulture. She has created a hands-on workshop series designed to share the how-to side of the pretty pictures found on Pinterest gardening boards.

Kelvin Jackson, a conservationist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture/Natural Resources Conservation Service, plants a mix of rye, wheat, winter pea and crimson clover as a cover crop in Winston County on Sept. 12, 2014. No-till cover crop planting helps to retain soil moisture and reduce erosion. (Photo courtesy of USDA/NRCS Kavanaugh Breazeale)
September 19, 2014 - Filed Under: Environment, Wildlife

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Whether you are a small-scale gardener, a large agricultural producer or somewhere in between, you probably know that soil health is just as important to your success as water and sunshine.

Mississippi hay supplies are expected to be low going into winter. Factors that contributed to low production include a very cold winter, a wet spring and an abundance of armyworms. (Photo by MSU Ag Communications/Scott Corey)
September 19, 2014 - Filed Under: Forages

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- High demand for hay last winter, a wet spring and heavy insect pressure have all challenged the state’s pastureland, which means hay may be scarce this winter.

Rocky Lemus, forage specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said these factors pushed the state’s hay inventories 20 percent lower than the three-year average.

September 17, 2014 - Filed Under: Landscape Architecture

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi State University is bringing three influential designers to campus in October to give professional and hobby gardeners new ideas about landscape design.

The 59th Edward C. Martin Landscape Design Symposium will be held from 9 a.m. to noon Oct. 15 at the MSU Bost Extension Center Auditorium. Bob Brzuszek, Extension professor of landscape architecture, is the symposium program chair.

Speakers this year are Eric Groft, John Mayronne and Sadik Artunc.

Include insect repellent when packing bags, especially when traveling to tropical or Third World regions. (Photo by MSU Ag Communications/Linda Breazeale)
September 17, 2014 - Filed Under: Family, Insects-Human Pests

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Some travelers may be afraid of lions, tigers and bears, but the real health threats come from mosquitoes, ticks and fleas.

David Buys, health specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said people traveling outside the United States should consult doctors, local health departments, or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website for disease risks and recommendations.

September 15, 2014 - Filed Under: Forestry, Timber Harvest

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The newest technology and machinery used to advance the South’s timber industry will be demonstrated Sept. 19-20 at the Mid-South Forestry Equipment Show.

The event will run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. Held at the John W. Starr Memorial Forest off of Highway 25 south of Starkville, the show is sponsored by Mississippi State University’s College of Forest Resources, Hatton-Brown Publishers Inc., the Mississippi Loggers Association and the Mississippi Forestry Association.

The many warm colors of mums fit in almost any home color scheme. They have an immediate impact with their plentiful blooms. (Photo by MSU Extension Service/Gary Bachman)
September 15, 2014 - Filed Under: Lawn and Garden, Flower Gardens

Nature always gives us signals as seasons change. When summer starts to shift toward fall, the leaves begin to change colors. Another sure sign that fall is right around the corner is the arrival of colorful and beautiful fall mums in garden centers.

Now is the time to plan how and where to use these plants effectively around your home and landscape. A newer trend for growers is to mix colors in containers, so be ready for even more decisions.

Jennifer Seltzer, a research associate with the Mississippi Entomological Museum at Mississippi State University, talks to Jameson Clancy, sitting, Thomas Taylor and Simon Smith about a grasshopper they found during the BioBlitz Sept. 13, 2014, at the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science. The 13-hour event helped educate the public about local ecosystems. (Photo by MSU Ag Communications/Kat Lawrence)
September 15, 2014 - Filed Under: Environment, Natural Resources

JACKSON -- More than 130 students, teachers and community members combed the grounds of the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science in Jackson on Sept. 13 during the state’s first BioBlitz.

Scientists from the Mississippi State University Extension Service and the museum led participants through the facility’s trails during the 13-hour event to inventory insects, spiders, birds, aquatic animals, mammals, trees and mushrooms.

Michael Hingson escaped the World Trade Center on 9/11 by walking down 78 flights of stairs with his guide dog, Roselle. Hingson will talk about the human-animal bond that saved his life at the Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine on Sept. 18, 2014. (Submitted Photo)
September 12, 2014 - Filed Under: Animal Health, Pets

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Michael Hingson will soon visit Mississippi State University to explain how the human-animal bond saved his life during the terrorist attacks in New York on Sept. 11, 2001.

Hingson and his guide dog, Roselle, were among those working in the World Trade Center on 9/11. Through trust and teamwork, Hingson and Roselle escaped from the 78th floor of Tower One moments before it collapsed.

Properly disposing of trash and cleaning up litter keep the outdoors safe for wildlife, helps preserve water quality and makes communities more attractive. (Photo by Thinkstock)
September 12, 2014 - Filed Under: Environment, Waste Management, Wildlife, Pets

By James E. “Jim” Miller
Professor Emeritus, Department of Wildlife Fisheries and Aquaculture
Mississippi State University

People discard millions of tons of trash daily in recycling containers or garbage cans, but unfortunately, many people leave trash in other places, where it can harm wildlife and pets.

Whether it is carelessly tossed out of car windows or off the sides of boats, left on the ground from routine farming or construction activities, or casually dropped while walking down the street, litter is more than an unsightly nuisance.

Brittany Reyer of Reyer Farms in Lena grows seasonal produce, free-range chickens for egg production, and pasture-raised heritage-breed pigs and cattle. (Photo by MSU Ag Communications/Kevin Hudson)
September 12, 2014 - Filed Under: Farming

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Childhood visits to grandma’s farm, complete with a mean rooster, piglets on the loose and homemade apple pie, led one Mississippi State University graduate into full-time farm living.

Brittany Reyer of Reyer Farms in Lena grows seasonal produce, free-range chickens for egg production, and pasture-raised heritage breed pigs and cattle with her husband, Jody. When they were expecting their first child, they began investigating options that would allow Brittany to stay home full-time.

Jack Haynes, a biological science technician with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service, left, works with Mississippi State University graduate students Felix Ogunola of Nigeria and Dafne Oliveira of Brazil as they collect corn samples from an aflatoxin test plot on Sept. 12, 2014, at the Rodney Foil Plant Science Research Center near Starkville, Mississippi. (Photo by MSU Ag Communications/Linda Breazeale)
September 12, 2014 - Filed Under: Corn

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Ample rains helped dryland corn close the yield gap between irrigated and nonirrigated fields, leading to what should be a new state yield record.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture released a crop production report on Sept. 11 indicating strong yield expectations.

“This year’s state record yield is forecast at 180 bushels per acre, 4 bushels per acre higher than a year ago and 2 bushels per acre higher than last month’s estimate,” said Brian Williams, agricultural economist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service.

Fall Flower and Garden Fest logo
September 10, 2014 - Filed Under: Lawn and Garden, Flower Gardens, Vegetable Gardens

CRYSTAL SPRINGS -- Leisure gardeners and horticulture professionals are invited to attend the Southeast’s most popular gardening show Oct. 17 and 18 at the Mississippi State University Truck Crops Experiment Station.

The Dermacentor tick species is among those that infect dogs with a neurotoxin that can paralyze them if left untreated. (Photo by Thinkstock.)
September 10, 2014 - Filed Under: Insects-Human Pests, Insects-Pet Pests

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Dog owners may be surprised to find out that certain ticks can paralyze their beloved pets.

These tick species carry a nerurotoxin that affects the mobility of animals. If the animal is not treated, their limbs may become paralyzed.

John Guyton, Mississippi State University Extension entomology specialist, shares an insect collection with a school group on Sept. 27, 2013, during Bugfest at the Crosby Arboretum in Picayune. Participants in this year's two-day event can take part in insect collection and identification, tours of the pitcher plant bog, tree identification hikes, a beekeeping tutorial and more. (Photo by MSU Ag Communications/Susan Collins-Smith)
September 9, 2014 - Filed Under: Community, Urban and Backyard Wildlife, Insects

PICAYUNE -- Families and school groups can learn about some of Mississippi’s insects and their plant companions during the annual Bugfest Sept. 26 and 27 at the Mississippi State University Crosby Arboretum in Picayune.

September 9, 2014 - Filed Under: Soils, Soil Testing

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Row crop producers interested in quality soil should sample fields after harvest and apply recommended lime in the fall.

Larry Oldham, a soil fertility specialist and professor with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said lime is an important component of soil fertility management because it sets the environment in which plants live and grow.

Pages

Archive