From the Field Blog Posts

We are excited to shine a spotlight on the Mississippi Forestry Association! They just concluded their annual meeting in Biloxi. Hurricane Nate almost interrupted, but the event was pulled off without a hitch!

On one of my first visits to Mississippi, I bought a postcard featuring the iconic “Ski Mississippi” image of someone decked out in winter wear in the middle of a field of white that was obviously not snow.

You see the Ferris wheel lit up, you smell the funnel cakes and you hear barn animal sounds….That’s right! It’s the Mississippi State Fair! Many 4-H’ers from across the state travel to Jackson for a chance to compete in the show ring. We wanted to share some of our favorite pictures from this past weekend!

When October comes around, you not only see the usual fall decorations but also the color pink! From athletes to electrical power linemen, people don the color pink to raise awareness of breast cancer—a disease that is diagnosed in one out of eight women.

Our Extension photographer Kevin Hudson went out to sea to snag some great photos of the Master Naturalist training last weekend. We wanted to share a couple with you! On hand was our new Extension marine fisheries specialist Marcus Drymon. 

We like to think of local Extension offices as community hubs! These are places where you know you can learn from respected experts in a comfortable atmosphere. County Extension offices are also places where you can flex your creative muscle and get crafty! Extension agents across the state offer chances for you to make something fun with your own two hands. Most likely, you will leave with a new handmade project and new friends!
 

Every month “The Food Factor” crew assembles to film the next month’s episodes. This week we were in Clinton to talk about rice, a Mediterranean twist on macaroni and cheese, and our plans to add new, fun flavors to our family favorites.

Our host, Extension agent Natasha Haynes, makes it look easy, but she memorizes all of her lines – no teleprompter here! She’s also a good sport, because you never know what kind of crazy ideas the videographers will generate.

Sweet potatoes have been gaining in popularity over the last several decades. No longer are they reserved just for the holiday table, but you can enjoy them year-round as side dishes, desserts, soups and more. Even fast food restaurants have started including sweet potatoes in their menus!

And for good reason. Not only are sweet potatoes tasty, but they are good for you!

All sorts of crops are being harvested this time of year! This past week on social media, we saw a lot of pictures and video of the corn harvest in particular. Why is corn so important to Mississippi? One word: Ka-ching! In 2016, the state’s corn had a $436 million value of production. 

In fact, corn is one of the most versatile crops. It can be used in food products, animal feed, industrial products and more! 

We've all been there. All of a sudden one of the plants in your landscape starts to die for no apparent reason. Or maybe a worm appears out of nowhere on a quest to eat all foliage in sight. Maybe you want to try your hand growing a garden but don't know where to start. Wouldn't it be great if there was a superhero gardening team that could swoop in and answer all of your questions? Well, there is! Extension's Master Gardener program is full of volunteers who are equipped with horticultural information based on university research and recommendations. 

Many people dream of having a hobby farm or homestead with a few animals, and goats, lambs and sheep are some of the most popular to start with because they are smaller and easier to handle than cattle. Plus, you need less space! But all animals need proper care, no matter their size.

We hear all the time that people don’t know where their food comes from. In our work, we often get a front-row seat for the entire scope of food production, from planting to harvest.

Our photographer, Kevin Hudson, travels the state capturing images of people involved in agriculture, natural resources, and more. He shared a few recent photos from a shoot in Noxubee County where he documented the catfish harvesting process.