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Feature Story from 2010

Timber was heavily damaged in Choctaw County. This photograph was taken near the Weir community on April 30. Photo by Scott Corey.
May 4, 2010 - Filed Under: Disaster Response, Timber Harvest

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Mississippi State University forestry specialists are advising landowners with timber damaged by the April 24 tornadoes to assess and remove injured trees promptly.

More than 62,000 acres of forestland in 10 Mississippi counties sustained damage from the tornadoes. A statewide assessment provided by the Mississippi Forestry Commission reports the value of timber damaged at more than $19 million.

Lamar Land, Ben Barker and Murritta Lane work as a team kneading dough to make bread at the annual "Fun with Food Camp." Land, Barker and Lane attended the camp in 2009 and had the opportunity to make many nutritious meals and learn more about the culinary arts. (Photo by Karen Templeton)
May 6, 2010 - Filed Under: Food, Nutrition

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Mississippi State University will cook up some fun with children this summer at the fourth annual Fun with Food camp for kids June 21-25.

MSU’s Department of Food Science, Nutrition and Health Promotion is offering the camp to children entering third through sixth grades as an opportunity for hands-on food experiences.

Peter Drackett, 11, of Long Beach scrapes the bark of a dead tree at the Noxubee Wildlife Refuge to find pine bark beetles. Drackett attended the Mississippi State University's annual Basic Insect and Plant Ecology in 2009. (Photo by Kat Lawrence)
May 6, 2010 - Filed Under: Wildlife Youth Education, Insects

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Mississippi State University’s Basic Insect and Plant Ecology camp will provide fun and learning for all ages June 13 – 17.

May 6, 2010 - Filed Under: Wildlife Youth Education

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Young people and adults have two opportunities this summer to try a variety of high-interest outdoor sports through wildlife, fisheries and aquaculture camps offered by Mississippi State University.

Nick Simmons of Saltillo is one of two evaluators using a new method of scoring hair shedding on this herd of Angus cattle on Mississippi State University's South Farm in April. (Photo by Kat Lawrence)
May 6, 2010 - Filed Under: Agriculture, Livestock, Beef

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Imagine the misery of wearing a winter coat outside in Mississippi as late as May, June or even July.

People would want to stay in the shade or in cool water. Eating a big meal would not be very appetizing. Cattle may feel the same way, especially if they are from the longhaired breeds of cattle including Angus, Charolais and Hereford.

Mae Gladys Dotson, right, shows Choctaw County Extension director Juli Hughes where she sought shelter when the April 24 tornado destroyed her home. (Photo by Scott Corey)
May 6, 2010 - Filed Under: Community, Disaster Response, About Extension

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- In times of need, people know help has arrived when they see the symbols of certain organizations — vests with the American Red Cross logo, National Guard uniforms, and the blue and yellow shirts of state and federal emergency responders.

May 6, 2010 - Filed Under: 4-H, Youth Livestock, Dairy

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Mississippi youth and adult volunteer leaders who have 4-H dairy projects or want to start one should plan to attend the 2010 Mississippi 4-H Bulldog Dairy Cow Camp June 17-19 at Mississippi State University. 

Registration is $85 per camper and due by June 4. The fee covers housing, meals and other expenses. Campers can purchase T-shirts for an additional $10.

The camp will have a junior track for youth ages 8-13 and a senior track for youth ages 14-18. Most activities will take place on campus and in the surrounding community.

Dr. Stuart Shoemaker maneuvers equipment inside the mobile MRI unit for horses at MSU's College of Veterinary Medicine. Shoemaker and Dr. Bob Schneider, background, are co-owners of MREquine. MSU equine surgeon Dr. Sarah Sampson, left, and equine surgery resident Dr. Cathleen Mochal along with other staff members also took part in this recent procedure at MSU. (Photo by Tom Thompson)
May 13, 2010 - Filed Under: Animal Health

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Veterinarians at Mississippi State University now have access to a magnetic resonance imaging unit that can help pinpoint the source of lameness in horses.

MSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine has entered into an agreement with MREquine, an Idaho company that has developed the first-of-its-kind mobile veterinary imaging coach for horses. The 1.5 tesla MRI unit can image body parts up to 18 centimeters in diameter, which includes a horse’s feet, fetlock, cannon bone, carpus (knee) and hock. The majority of horse lameness issues are in these areas.

May 13, 2010 - Filed Under: Urban and Community Forestry

MISSISSIPPI STATE – People interested in learning about the basics of tree planting and care have the opportunity to do so at workshops being held across the state in May and June.

The Urban Forest Workshops are sponsored by the Mississippi Urban Forestry Council and are free to the public. MUFC and Mississippi State University Extension Service personnel will lead the sessions and educate attendees about planting, pruning, selecting trees, preparing for a storm and replacing trees. The workshops will be held in various locations:

May 13, 2010 - Filed Under: Agriculture, Farming, Food

BILOXI – Mississippi will host a national meeting in June aimed at increasing the economic value and consumer appeal of agricultural commodities.

The 12th annual National Value-Added Conference will take place June 27-29 at the Beau Rivage Resort and Casino in Biloxi. Hosts for the event include Mississippi State University’s Extension Service; the Department of Food Science, Nutrition, and Health Promotion; and the Department of Agricultural Economics.

MSU freshman Jay Grishby of Jackson puts the finishing touches on his haute couture cocktail dress that was featured in a recent campus fashion exhibit.
May 13, 2010 - Filed Under: Community

By Patti Drapala
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Mississippi State University’s apparel, textiles and merchandising majors found a fitting way to end the spring semester by staging their first-ever fashion exhibit on campus.

Fashion Focus, a student organization, held the event to demonstrate the ability of MSU fashion majors to master design, business and technical skills needed for successful careers in the industry.

May 13, 2010 - Filed Under: Community

MISSISSIPPI STATE – The fashion world is beginning to take notice of Mississippi State University’s apparel, textiles and merchandising students.

Many MSU students have interned with cutting-edge design houses and popular fashion magazines or performed well against peers from all over the United States in prestigious design competitions. Others have someone closer to thank for spurring their interest in fashion.

May 14, 2010 - Filed Under: Community, Disaster Response

BILOXI – Oil spewing from BP’s destroyed Deepwater Horizon rig had not reached the Mississippi coastline by mid-May, but Mississippi State University experts were already working to help with the problem.

An estimated 5,000 barrels of crude oil have been spewing daily from the BP well that exploded April 20. Crude oil is a volatile mixture of compounds that are flammable, sticky, foul-smelling, persistent in the environment, poisonous and cancer-causing.

May 20, 2010 - Filed Under: Technology

MISSISSIPPI STATE - Today’s K-12 students are surrounded by communications technology both in and out of the classroom; and technology literacy is essential as students learn to assess information, collaborate, innovate and solve problems.

In meeting this need, educators face the challenges of both teaching technology skills and measuring students’ technology literacy levels.

May 20, 2010 - Filed Under: Food

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Mississippi State University will hold two camps this summer to teach teens about the science behind the foods they eat.

MSU’s Department of Food Science, Nutrition and Health Promotion is sponsoring two Culinology for Teens camps for incoming ninth- through 12th-grade students. Both camps will blend culinary arts and food science.

May 20, 2010 - Filed Under: Fisheries, Catfish

STONEVILLE -- Owners of retired catfish ponds and current catfish pond owners looking to reduce their pond acreage can benefit from a June 16 workshop that explores ways to develop former aquaculture ponds into natural resource enterprises.

Ten Southern states have passed laws to define prescribed fire burning as a legal activity with ecological and social benefits that does not constitute a public or private nuisance. (Photo by MSU Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture/Wes Burger)
May 20, 2010 - Filed Under: Environment, Forestry, Natural Resources

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Natural and manmade fires are important forest management tools, and problems can develop when fire is eliminated.

Stephen Dicke
May 27, 2010 - Filed Under: Forestry

MISSISSIPPI STATE — A forest management specialist at Mississippi State University has been named Extension Forester of the Year by the Forest Landowners Association.

Stephen Dicke, Extension professor in MSU’s College of Forest Resources, will receive the honor at the organization’s annual meeting in Stevenson, Wash.

May 27, 2010 - Filed Under: Turfgrass and Lawn Management

MISSISSIPPI STATE – A high-performance bermudagrass developed at Mississippi State University may soon appear on golf courses and sports fields in the Far East because of a licensing agreement between the university and a prominent company in Japan.

The agreement allows Zoysian, Inc. Japan Branch to sell and market Choice, a bermudagrass developed by MSU researchers Wayne Philley and Jeff Krans of the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station.

The alligator gar is one of the largest freshwater fish in North America. It gets its name from the alligator-like appearance of teeth along its elongated snout. (Photo by Alyssa Card)
May 27, 2010 - Filed Under: Fisheries

MISSISSIPPI STATE – A fish longer than 7 feet, heavier than 200 pounds and able to survive outside the water for up to two hours sounds like a fictional animal. This fish is the alligator gar, however, and researchers at Mississippi State University are working to protect it.

The population of the alligator gar is in decline, primarily due to loss of spawning habitat and over-fishing by anglers. Scientists and graduate students in MSU’s College of Forest Resources are hoping to reverse this trend.

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