Contact Information
State Specialists at Mississippi State University:
Dean Jousan, PhD
Extension 4-H Livestock Specialist
Box 9815
Mississippi State, MS 39762
Voice: 662-325-2424
Fax: 662-325-8873
Email: djousan@ads.msstate.edu
Area Extension Livestock Agents:
Kipp Brown
Carroll County Extension Service
P.O. Box 59
Carrollton, MS 38917
Voice: (662)-237-6926
Fax: (662)-237-6959
Email: kippb@ext.msstate.edu
Cliff Covington
Claiborne County Extension Service
P.O. Box 529
Port Gibson, MS 39150
Voice: (601)-437-5011
Fax: (601)-437-4430
Email: cliffc@ext.msstate.edu
Roy Higdon
Clarke County Extension Service
P.O. Box 109
Quitman, MS 39355
Voice: (601)-776-3951
Fax: (601)-776-1023
Email: royh@ext.msstate.edu
Mike Howell
Northeast District Extension Office
P.O. Box 1690
Verona, MS 38879
Voice: (662)-566-2201
Fax: (662)-566-2257
Email: mhowell@ext.msstate.edu
Mike Keene
Forrest County Extension Service
952 Sullivan Drive
Hattiesburg, MS 39401
Voice: (601)-545-6083
Fax: (601)-545-6173
Email: mikek@ext.msstate.edu
Mark Mowdy
Franklin County Extension Service
P.O. Box 368
Meadville, MS 39653
Voice: (601)-384-2349
Fax: (601)-384-4390
Email: markm@ext.msstate.edu
Lance Newman
Northwest District Extension Office
101 Veterans Dr.
Oxford, MS 38655
Voice: (662)-234-4451
Fax: (662)-236-5704
Email: lancen@ext.msstate.edu
Houston Therrell
Rankin County Extension Service
601 Marquette Road
Brandon, MS 39042
Voice: (601)-825-1461
Fax: (601)-824-7227
Email: houstont@ext.msstate.edu
Publications
News
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Each February marks the occasion for producers to share their research and programming needs with Mississippi State University agricultural specialists in person.
To comply with COVID-19 social distancing guidelines, the opportunity will be extended virtually this year.
The romantic idea of owning and riding horses often does not match the costly and time-consuming reality of maintaining them, a discrepancy being addressed in workshops aimed at making horse ownership more rewarding.
Clay Cavinder, horse specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, offers a one-day workshop and a six-week program to address the tremendous amount of information that a horse owner must absorb.
Horsemanship clinics, camps and competitions are uniting young horse enthusiasts with mature, experienced riders across the state as interest booms in the sometimes athletic and always fun equine activities.
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Just summarizing the drastic increase in activities held at the Mississippi Horse Park over its 19-year history does not do justice to the uniqueness of this facility and the challenges it has faced.
The Mississippi Horse Park, which grew from 23 events in 1999 to 100 in 2017, is a Mississippi State University facility operated in partnership with the city of Starkville and Oktibbeha County. It generates all the funds needed to support its operations.
Bricklee Miller, horse park director, said the facility recently received its first grant from the Mississippi Development Authority to advance its activities.
ELLISVILLE, Miss. -- Mississippi State University representatives met with agricultural clients in Ellisville recently to discuss research and education needs for 2018. More than 115 individuals attended this year's event.
Success Stories
Vardaman producer named Farmer of the Year
When Joe Edmondson surveys his farming operation at Topashaw Farms, he thinks about his more than 40 full-time employees and the hundreds of seasonal workers who work the acres.
He joined the US Marine Corps to serve and protect the country, and, as a Marine in Iraq, Lance McElhenney felt 10 feet tall and bulletproof.
In this "What's New in Extension," Extension agents implement better safety standards, train to deliver Mental Health First Aid, and receive national recognition. Also, new irrigation and specialists join the Extension family.
Mississippi 4-H youth horse instructor Tom McBeath takes great pride in having taught two generations of students, and he is now recognized as one of the best in the country at what he does.