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January 29, 2024 - Filed Under: Agriculture, Commercial Horticulture, Local Flavor, Specialty Crop Production, Cut Flowers and Houseplants, Floral Design

BILOXI, Miss. -- Floral enthusiasts and business owners can learn from a professional floral designer during an upcoming design demonstration and workshop hosted by the Mississippi State University Extension Service. Rachel Bond, a Pass Christian floral designer, will showcase her floral design style using diverse plant materials and traditional stylings.

January 29, 2024 - Filed Under: Agriculture, Commercial Horticulture, Apiculture: Honey Bee Health, Poultry, Forestry, Marine Resources

BILOXI, Miss. -- Many cattle producers in Mississippi like Bobby Jones do not have access to a dedicated large-animal veterinarian.

This was one of the many needs voiced during the 2024 Producer Advisory Council meeting on Jan. 25 at the Mississippi State University Coastal Research and Extension Center in Biloxi. The annual meeting serves as a forum for agricultural producers to discuss their needs with university administrators, researchers, specialists and Extension agents.

A woman kneels beside a small horse that she is hugging.
January 29, 2024 - Filed Under: Equine

Although much of civilization is intertwined with the use of horses, these animals are much more than beasts of burden, and research today continues to look at the bond between horses and humans.

People in an auditorium watching a person give a presentation.
January 22, 2024 - Filed Under: Agriculture, Agricultural Economics

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Producers should anticipate tighter profit margins in 2024 as agricultural commodity prices decrease and financing costs climb. However, experts expect the industry to be buoyed by its economic strength, which has grown 6% since 2021.

Ducks in a marsh
January 22, 2024 - Filed Under: Wildlife

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- “Where are all the ducks?” It’s a question James Callicutt fields with more frequency and urgency from hunters and birders in Mississippi by the year.

Callicutt, a Mississippi State University Extension Service instructor specializing in waterfowl and wetlands ecology, said aerial waterfowl survey data show duck abundance in the southeastern U.S. is well below average.

January 19, 2024 - Filed Under: Agriculture, Commercial Fruit and Nuts, Fruit

RAYMOND, Miss. -- Mississippi blueberry producers have two opportunities during February to learn more about production of the state’s largest fruit crop. The Mississippi State University Extension Service is hosting an in-person workshop and a virtual workshop.

A map shows plant hardiness zones in Mississippi.
January 18, 2024 - Filed Under: Planting, Lawn and Garden, Flower Gardens

Gardeners careful to select plants that thrive in their area have an updated U.S. Department of Agriculture Plant Hardiness Zone Map to use.
Released in late 2023, the zone map features an updated chart that was previously drawn in 2012. Much of Mississippi is now in zone 8b. This zone has average low winter temperatures of 15–20 degrees.

January 17, 2024 - Filed Under: Community, Family, Lawn and Garden, Landscape Architecture, Smart Landscapes, Natural Resources

PICAYUNE, Miss. -- Fans of The History Channel’s “Forged in Fire” can see season-six champion Seth Borries demonstrating his skills in person during Forge Day at The Crosby Arboretum. Forge Day will be held Jan. 27 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Picayune. This family-friendly event highlights the historic and modern uses of the forge.

January 12, 2024 - Filed Under: Healthy Soils and Water, Water

Mississippi growers and those across the Midwest and mid-South still have time to take advantage of two opportunities to improve soil health and water quality while protecting profitability on their farms.

January 11, 2024 - Filed Under: Research and Extension Centers, Agriculture

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Agricultural specialists and scientists at Mississippi State University are hosting three meetings to hear growers’ needs in research and educational programming.

The MSU Extension Service and Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station will host the Producer Advisory Council meetings at three of their Research and Extension Centers across the state.

January 9, 2024 - Filed Under: Family, Children and Parenting, Mississippi LIFT Resource and Referral Network

RAYMOND, Miss. -- Individuals interested in working with young children and families in Warren County are encouraged to apply for job openings with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. Mississippi Child Care Resource and Referral at MSU Extension is seeking a program associate and an office associate.

A three-panel photo illustration showing soybeans in the first panel, a chicken in the middle one and trees in the right panel.
December 19, 2023 - Filed Under: Agriculture, Crops, Corn, Cotton, Soybeans

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Mississippi agriculture’s value of production fell 10.3% in 2023, but still posted its second highest result on record at $8.8 billion.

Though the value of poultry production fell more than 22% from nearly $4 billion in 2022, the agricultural commodity still dwarfs all others in the state with an estimated value of $3.1 billion this year. The state’s forestry industry took its usual place as the state’s third most valuable agricultural product at $1.5 billion, an increase of nearly 10% from $1.4 billion in 2022.

Four chicks are pictured together.
December 19, 2023 - Filed Under: Agricultural Economics, Poultry

Mississippi’s poultry took an estimated 23% loss in value in 2023; though production was strong, a failure to meet the previous year’s record high prices was responsible for the hit. Poultry generated an estimated $3.1 billion to Mississippi agriculture in 2023, down from the $3.9 billion generated in 2022.

Felled trees are grasped by logging equipment in mid-air.
December 19, 2023 - Filed Under: Natural Resources, Forestry, Forest Economics, Taxation, Timber Prices, Timber Harvest

RAYMOND, Miss. -- Mississippi’s 2023 timber harvest is expected to set a record for the 21st century. “We are on pace to exceed 36 million tons of timber harvested, which would be the highest level we have experienced this century, surpassing the previous high set in 2005 prior to the Great Recession,” said Eric McConnell, an associate professor of forest business at Mississippi State University. The increased harvest helped Mississippi’s forestry industry remain in third place among the state’s agricultural commodities, with an estimated production value of $1.5 billion. That is a 9.6% increase from 2022.

December 13, 2023 - Filed Under: Agriculture, Agricultural Economics, Crops

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Agricultural specialists with Mississippi State University will share updates and forecasts for 2024 on the state’s largest industry during a conference in January.

December 11, 2023 - Filed Under: Food and Health, AIM for CHangE, Rural Health

JACKSON, Miss. -- For five years, AIM for CHangE has turned federal dollars into park updates, playgrounds, food pantries, ride-sharing programs and community produce gardens for underserved areas in Mississippi.

December 11, 2023 - Filed Under: Agriculture, Commercial Horticulture, Commercial Fruit and Nuts, Greenhouse Tomatoes

RAYMOND, Miss. -- Current and prospective greenhouse vegetable growers can learn about the specialized production method during Mississippi State University’s 2024 Greenhouse Vegetable Short Course on Feb. 27-28. The course will be held at the North Mississippi Research and Extension Center’s Magnolia Building in Verona from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. It is open to greenhouse vegetable producers throughout the Southeast.

December 8, 2023 - Filed Under: Family, Children and Parenting, Healthy Homes Initiative, Creating Healthy Indoor Childcare Environments

RAYMOND, Miss. -- Healthy lifestyles and healthy homes may seem like two separate concepts, but both components are important for overall well-being. David Buys, health specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, encourages people to consider giving their homes a checkup in the new year.

MyIPM for Vegetables logo
December 7, 2023 - Filed Under: Agriculture, Crops, Commercial Horticulture, Other Vegetables, Tomato Pepper and Eggplant, Watermelon Cantaloupe and Cucumber, Pumpkins, Vegetable Diseases

RAYMOND, Miss. -- Commercial vegetable growers have a new mobile-based resource to help them manage pests and diseases in their crops. The MyIPM for Vegetables app is the latest in the MyIPM app series. MyIPM for Vegetables currently offers resources for tomatoes and cucurbits, which includes cucumbers, pumpkins, squash and watermelons.

Dried up pond
December 6, 2023 - Filed Under: Agriculture, Healthy Soils and Water, Water
STARKVILLE, Miss. — State Climatologist and Mississippi State University Professor of Meteorology Mike Brown said he’s never wished for a tropical storm in the Magnolia State—until this year when the drought, in recent months and weeks, became so severe he thought rain from a tropical system might be beneficial enough to outweigh storm risks.
 

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