A man, smiling, wearing a hard hat and neon shirt with L&S Logging printed on it.

Folks expect the Outstanding Logger of the Year to have a stellar safety record, a powerful love of the land, and a passionate, resilient work ethic. What they may not expect is a logger who cares about the look of the job. 

A woman with a straw hat and round-framed glasses holding a bunch of flowers and smiling.

A broken-down car on a Sunday afternoon in 1983 led two attorneys to purchase forestland in Hancock County. Forty years and about 500 acres later, La Terre Farms in Kiln has wide-ranging industries that include a holiday greenery business and cut flowers grown for florists across the Gulf Coast and New Orleans.

Three women standing in front of a MyPlate banner.

Dining with Diabetes covers healthy eating, physical activity, disease monitoring, medication compliance, and risk reduction, and the course empowers participants by giving them access to nutrition knowledge and resources for food preparation. Classes include research-based education, cooking demonstrations, and healthy recipe tasting. These tools can help people make positive changes by planning menus, counting carbohydrates, controlling portions, and reading labels.

Two women standing in front of a flag, smiling.

Being a municipal clerk isn’t easy. In Mississippi, these city officers are appointed by local aldermen and the city mayor, who hire and fire these financial recordkeepers at will. When voters elect different leaders, those officials can appoint new municipal clerks, who may know only a little about what the job entails.

A young woman wearing a burnt orange and white striped shirt and smiling.

Just a few years ago, Chantel Stringfellow was a leader in Kemper County 4-H, and, now, she’s readying her leadership skills for entrepreneurship as she completes her studies for her Master of Business Administration at Mississippi State University. Stringfellow credits 4-H with helping her develop the skills she needs for success.

Sunset over a brick downtown filled with people milling about.

National Rice Month doesn’t just offer rice producers an opportunity to celebrate—it gives them the chance to enjoy the cooked and served finished products, too! There was something for everyone in Merigold on the third Thursday of September at the annual rice celebration in Bolivar County: Rice Fest.

A teen girl smiling, wearing sunglasses and holding a rowing oar.

Rainey Dunsford says she was shy when she joined Jackson County 4-H in 2022, but those closest to her would say one year has made a big difference.

A woman stands in front of library book shelves beside a tall, green 4-H display.

A Smithsonian Institution exhibit about rural communities continues its journey in public libraries across Mississippi.

A woman smiling and holding a planter full of lettuce.

Susie Harmon laughs when she relates her granddaughter’s observation of her favorite pastime.

A woman and man seated in a side-by-side with a cattle field stretching behind them.

Cruising into Madison County, you see a cultivated urban landscape full of brick edifices and manicured lawns spring up around you. Your cell phone announces your turnoff, and you comply, turning onto an older road that soon turns to gravel.

A man wearing a suit stands beside a desk with a banner listing “Welcome to the Tunica Health & Wellness Hub.”

You don’t have to have diabetes to benefit from the principles of the Dining with Diabetes (DWD) program.

A woman kayaking on the water.

When her husband moved to Columbus in 2006 to research Civil War history for his next book, Melissa Beck was happy to move, too, and explore, learn, and connect with her new neighbors in Lowndes County. An avid kayaker, Beck loves being on the water, enjoying nature and racing.

A woman and man smiling, standing outside, and holding a portrait of a woman with white hair.

Extension was a key part of Bobbie Seal’s life—over the years in her native Neshoba County, she was a client, volunteer, and employee of the Mississippi State University Extension Service.

A blonde man wearing a T-shirt with Shuden Farms listed on it standing in front of a bookshelf, smiling.

Stafford Shurden’s weather station is ideal for monitoring conditions on his row crop farm, but he uses it even more during hunting season than growing season.

Downtown lights shining along the sidewalk.

The Excellence in Tourism Leadership Program is training volunteers, employees, and board members involved in Mississippi’s tourism sector and related organizations as they build networks with fellow tourism professionals.

Two women standing in front of a column, smiling.

Problem-solving. Communication. Teamwork.

Civic education can teach all these skills—and they’re required for effective government.

A young man wearing a cowboy hat, paisley collared shirt, and a belt buckle on jeans, holding a guitar and smiling.

If you hear a guitar being strummed at a Mississippi 4-H event, there’s a good chance Jones County 4-H’er Cody McFetridge is the young man playing it. An aspiring musician, McFetridge has been an active 4-H’er since 2017 when he started participating in Wayne County 4-H.

A man wearing a cowboy hat and pink polo looking out over a field and a man in a maroon shirt and sunglasses behind him.

Gaddis & McLaurin might sound more like the name of a law firm than a general store, but the name is synonymous with all manner of dry goods in the Hinds County community of Bolton and has been since the 1870s.

Numerous 4-H medals with maroon ribbons on a table.

Building bridges. Programming robots. Presenting research.

Hundreds of Mississippi 4-H’ers looked for new solutions and ways to improve at the 2023 4-H Junior STEAM Day.

A woman, wearing a red T-shirt listing Rosemary’s Daycare on it, smiles while sitting on a bench with many small children sitting beside her, also smiling.

The StoryWalk and colorful word art now installed in downtown Belzoni are giving Rosemary Williams a new opportunity for the children she cares for at Rosemary’s Daycare and Learning Center.

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Extension Matters Issues

About Extension Matters Magazine

Extension Matters magazine is the premier publication of the Mississippi State University Extension Service, telling our clients’ own stories of success through Extension education.

“We are excited to have our clients tell their stories, and we are thankful for the opportunity to interact with Mississippians through our local offices in all 82 counties across the state,” says Dr. Gary B. Jackson, director of Extension.

Extension Matters profiles people just like you, men and women who want to expand their knowledge base and learn about the latest innovations. Families, farmers, business owners, and government leaders are benefitting from the educational opportunities Extension agents and specialists are bringing to people and communities just like yours. Extension Matters shares our clients’ successes to show how you, too, can succeed through Extension.