Feature Story from 2011

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Food assistance programs are designed to keep children fed who otherwise would be hungry, but a recent Southern Rural Development Center study found they often contribute to obesity in cities with a high cost of living.

The study was conducted by Elizabeth Rigby of The George Washington University and Rachel Tolbert Kimbro of Rice University. It was commissioned by the SRDC, housed at Mississippi State University, and it is part of the Food Assistance and Nutrition Information Series.

It has been two years since U.S. Airways Flight 1549 made an emergency landing in the Hudson River when a flock of Canada geese struck the engines just minutes after the plane took off.

Bird and airplane collisions cannot be completely avoided because the two share the same flying space. But scientists at Mississippi State University are looking to the ground, specifically to the mowed landscape surrounding runways and terminals, for ways to reduce wildlife hazards and possibly provide biofuel sources.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- A Mississippi State University plant physiologist was honored for significantly contributing to the understanding of cotton physiology, growth and development.

K. Raja Reddy, professor in MSU’s Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, received the 2010 Outstanding Research Award in Cotton Physiology at the 2011 Beltwide Cotton Physiology Conference in Atlanta in January. The award is sponsored by the Arysta Life Science Corporation.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Winter may still be here, but spring will be ushered in early this year at a garden event at Mississippi State University.

The Starkville Area Arts Council will team up with MSU to present the third annual “Everything Garden Expo” March 5-6 at the Mississippi Horse Park in Starkville.

By Kaitlyn Byrne
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Every January, gyms across America are filled with ambitious people striving to keep New Year’s resolutions, but far too often, the resolutions are set aside and forgotten within a couple of months or even weeks.

Brent Fountain, nutrition specialist with Mississippi State University’s Extension Service, said the key to sticking with New Year’s resolutions is to set realistic goals.

By Cheree Franco
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- On a January morning in Soperton, Ga., southeastern farmers mingled with investors and biomass experts to discuss Freedom Giant Miscathus--a towering grass that may be America’s most promising clean energy solution.

Freedom was developed at Mississippi State University and is licensed exclusively to Repreve Renewables, a joint venture between sod entrepreneur Phillip Jennings and publicly traded textile company UNIFI Manufacturing, Inc.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Greenhouse tomato growers and those interested in learning how to grow this crop are invited to the 21st annual 2011 Greenhouse Tomato Short Course offered March 8-9 in Raymond.

Speakers at the two-day event will present seminars on a variety of topics relevant to the production of greenhouse tomatoes. The event will be held at the Eagle Ridge Conference Center in Raymond.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Operators of small- to medium-sized farms wanting to learn more about a technique to extend the growing season are invited to attend the High Tunnel Field Day offered by Mississippi State University.

The field day begins at 9 a.m. March 10 and concludes at 4:30 p.m. at MSU’s Truck Crops Experiment Station in Crystal Springs. Registration for the trade show and field day is $15 before March 1 and $25 after that date. Lunch will be provided.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Mississippi farmers are a few years into the fight against glyphosate-resistant weeds, a problem that is the focus of a March 10 field day in Stoneville.

Producers will take a close look at ways to manage herbicide resistance in the Glyphosate-Resistant Ryegrass Field Day at Mississippi State University’s Delta Research and Extension Center in Stoneville. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. at the Capps Center, and the field day concludes with lunch. The program will move indoors if there is bad weather.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Five new facilities that can transform wood into fuel will soon be built in Mississippi.

The facilities will further increase timber’s already-important role in the state’s economy. Mississippi’s forests cover nearly 20 million acres and generate more than $1 billion worth of timber each year. The forestry and forest products sectors, which include logging, furniture construction, solid wood products, and pulp and paper, contribute more than $19 billion to the state’s economy annually.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Agriculture specialists will address management of pests in vegetables, fruit and landscapes during a day-long workshop on Feb. 22 in Raymond.

The annual pest management workshop will take place at Mississippi State University’s Central Mississippi Research and Extension Center auditorium. Registration is $10 and begins at 8 a.m. Sessions will conclude by 4:30 p.m.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Volunteers in four Delta counties are tackling the area’s obesity problem in unique ways.

The Delta has the highest obesity rate in the state, and volunteers in Carroll, Holmes, Leflore and Sunflower Counties are participating in the Get Healthy, Trim Down Delta project to help solve the problem.

The program is directed by the Mississippi State University Extension Service and funded by the Delta Health Alliance, through financial support from the Office of Rural Health Policy, a branch of the Health Resources and Services Administration.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Buyers braved the elements to support young livestock exhibitors and several charity organizations at the Dixie National Sale of Junior Champions on Feb. 10.

Snow, ice and bitter cold temperatures often occur the day of this annual event. Fortunately, those conditions are less common than the generous donors, who come every February to the event on the Thursday after the junior livestock shows conclude.

By Cheree Franco
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- It seems “something old” is really something new in bridal wear trends.

“This year’s wedding season is all about vintage and upcycled dresses,” said Phyllis Bell Miller, associate professor of human sciences at Mississippi State University.

Wearing vintage or remaking a preowned dress can be an affordable and earth-friendly option, but it comes with particular challenges.

By Karen Templeton
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE – When Auburn University officials needed help investigating an attack on part of their school’s history, they turned to Mississippi State University.

According to an Auburn University statement, school officials learned that a Jan. 27 caller to The Paul Finebaum Show, a nationally syndicated radio show based in Birmingham, claimed he had applied an herbicide to the soil around 130-year-old live oaks at Toomer’s Corner on campus.

By Cheree Franco
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Mississippi State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine will be featured in an episode of a new Animal Planet series set to air Feb. 26 at 7 p.m. CST.

By the time the film crew visited CVM last June, they had been on the road a month, traveling the country in search of unique felines and the people who adore them. The four-person crew came to CVM to learn more about domestic cats and how they differ from their wild counterparts for an episode of a new show titled Must Love Cats.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – When Paula Threadgill became leader of Family and Consumer Sciences for the Mississippi State University Extension Service, she decided to tackle the state’s obesity problem.

Threadgill was named state leader of the Extension Service arm of Family and Consumer Sciences, or FCS, on Jan. 1. She had been filling the role on an interim basis since April 2010. She is also an Extension professor.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – A March 8-9 summit will provide those in the furniture manufacturing business with the tools needed to succeed.

Furniture and bedding sales rose nearly three percent from 2009 to 2010, and manufacturing has expanded for the past 18 consecutive months. It is becoming increasingly important for industry members to learn how to keep up with the rapid growth and demand.

The summit begins with a reception at 6 p.m. March 8 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Starkville. Registration will be at 8:30 a.m. on March 9 Mississippi State University’s Franklin Center.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The third annual Union County Home and Garden Show will be held at the Union County fairgrounds on March 25 and March 26.

The event will run Friday from noon to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. No registration is required, and most events are free to the public. The show had 1,200 participants last year—up from 500 in 2009—and organizers expect an even bigger crowd this year.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Mississippi State University’s agricultural economics department head was recently honored for his significant contributions to his field.

Steve Turner received the 2011 Southern Agricultural Economics Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award at the organization’s annual meeting in Corpus Christi, Texas.

Turner was chosen for the award because he has contributed to Southern agricultural economics for the past 25 years through teaching, research and public service.