Feature Story from 2011

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mary Beck has been selected as the new head of the Department of Poultry Science at Mississippi State University.

Beck has served as a professor at Clemson University’s College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences since 2007. While there, she has held various leadership positions including chair of the Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences. Prior to her position at Clemson, Beck worked as a professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Planning ahead for Halloween can help keep the bandages on the mummy costume instead of an injured child.

Ted Gordon, Mississippi State University Extension safety specialist at the North Mississippi Research and Extension Center in Verona, advised both parents and homeowners to prepare for Halloween festivities with a few simple tips.

JACKSON – A free, all-day event at the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum on Lakeland Drive on Oct. 29 will celebrate more than 100 years of youth development programming for the state’s 4-H members.

HOUSTON -- When Chickasaw County Extension director Scott Cagle brought Mississippi Homemaker Volunteers to Starkville, they were amazed by the services and artwork they saw at the T.K. Martin Center at Mississippi State University.

On the drive home, the group decided their community needed to learn about the center, which connects people with disabilities with assistive technologies.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Mind-boggling population numbers make the introduced hairy crazy ant a big, hairy problem in Mississippi.

The ant, known scientifically as Nylanderia pubens, was first detected in Mississippi in 2009, but the earliest U.S. record is from Florida in 1953. It was not reported as a serious nuisance in Florida until 1990. It was detected in Houston, Texas, in 2002, where populations quickly spread to at least 18 counties.

The ant is thought to have come from Argentina or Brazil originally and is now found in Hancock and Jackson counties in Mississippi.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – The staff at the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station Sales Store, located on Mississippi State University’s campus, is encouraging patrons to place orders now for the holidays and to take advantage of products that make great additions to the tailgate.

The store’s famous cheese and other products sell quickly during the holiday season.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Mississippi’s talented cooks who want to turn their passion into a business can improve their chances of success with tips from the experts.

Anna Hood, Extension professor in Mississippi State University’s Department of Food Science, Nutrition and Health Promotion, has coordinated the Food as a Business conference since 1996.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Best-selling garden book author Bobby J. Ward will be speaking at Mississippi State University on Nov. 4.

Ward will speak at Tully Auditorium in Thompson Hall on MSU’s campus in Starkville from 10 until 11 a.m. The event is free and open to the public.

Ward will present information about contemporary plant collectors around the world and the unique finds they have contributed to the horticulture trade.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – With the heat of the summer a memory and the chilly days of winter arriving soon, autumn is a perfect time to prepare homes with cost- and energy-saving strategies.

“Do your fall cleaning and home improvements while the weather is good,” said Bobbie Shaffett, family resource management specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. “Clean the gutters, blow leaves off the roof and weatherize your home.”

MISSISSIPPI STATE – A Bolivar County rice-farming family spent a week with television producers showing viewers what it takes to get a rice dish from the farm to the table.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Quality horses and beef cattle will be available for bidding at the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station’s 29th annual production sale on Nov 17.

MAFES will market 34 lots of horses and 36 lots of cattle at the Mississippi Horse Park, located on Poorhouse Road south of Starkville. Interactive video bidding during the cattle sale will take place at the Mississippi State University Extension office in Hattiesburg and the Central Mississippi Research and Extension Center in Raymond.

PICAYUNE – The art, history and music of the past will be celebrated at the ninth annual Piney Woods Festival at Mississippi State University’s Crosby Arboretum in Picayune.

The Nov. 18-19 festival is an opportunity for attendees to have fun while learning about the early days of the Piney Woods region.

“The arboretum provides the perfect setting for learning about arts and heritage crafts,” said Patricia Drackett, the arboretum’s director. “We want to preserve those arts by providing an engaging and interactive event.”

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Before heading to the woods this fall, hunters should investigate the legal seasons, education and license requirements governing hunting in Mississippi.

The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks offers convenient, year-round opportunities to help sportsmen of all ages meet the hunter education requirement. The options are a full-day class, an on-line class with a face-to-face component, or a weeklong youth summer camp at Mississippi State University.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Taste panels seeking consumer opinions about pork products will be held Nov. 9 and 10 from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Mississippi State University.

Graduate students in the Department of Food Science, Nutrition and Health Promotion will conduct the taste test on Italian pork sausage on Wednesday and pork burger on Thursday at the James E. Garrison Sensory Evaluation Laboratory in the Herzer Building.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – A biomass and bioenergy short course for local government officials, businesses, landowners, foresters and loggers will be held on Dec. 8.

Experts from Mississippi State University’s Extension Service and the Mississippi Technology Alliance will share information about creating biofuels, bioenergy ventures and the economics of biomass plantations.

By Karen Templeton
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Decorating for the holidays can provide an opportunity for Mississippians to get outdoors and be inspired by their own backyards.

Richard Harkess, plant and soil sciences professor with the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, said fresh greenery throughout the state can be used for decorating. Taking advantage of it saves money and can add a unique look to any home’s holiday décor.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Stepfamilies face unique challenges during the holidays, but with a little effort and a lot of patience, families can create memories instead of mayhem.

Joe Wilmoth, an assistant professor in Mississippi State University’s School of Human Sciences, said people come into the holiday season with high hopes. These are compounded by the unrealistic expectations stepfamilies often have for their relationships.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Long known for its cheeses, Mississippi State University now has a fully cooked, boneless ham available in time to reduce cooking stress and adorn holiday tables.

Made in Mississippi and packaged at a processing facility in Magee, the 5-pound V Ham is sold in the MAFES Sales Store, which is a unit of the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station. The store is housed in the Herzer Food Science Building on the MSU campus and is best known for MSU-produced cheeses and ice cream.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Local products have great appeal as holiday gifts because of their uniqueness, and finding new ideas and new sources has never been easier than with the online tool Mississippi MarketMaker.

MarketMaker is a free online service that exists to connect “willing markets and quality sources of food from farm and fisheries to fork in Mississippi.”