Volume 3 Number 1

Q&A with former 4-H'er Jerry Tony Clark II

Clark is an experienced entertainer, artistic director, producer, actor, and dancer who now lives in North Hollywood, California. He has been featured in several films, including Pitch Perfect 2 and The Maze Runner, among others.

Cleaning Up Our Coast

About 2,400 community volunteers came together October 22 for the Mississippi Coastal Cleanup to tidy their beaches and coastal waterways.

Extension program helps childcare employees

When the mailer arrived at Barbara Henson’s Nursery and Pre-K to invite the staff to participate in the Healthy Homes Initiative, director Beverly Henson admits she felt a twinge of surprise—and skepticism.

Macon producer sees success with Extension collaboration

Ask Paul Good how he has succeeded in agriculture for more than 70 years, and he gives two pieces of advice: pay attention to even the smallest details when scouting crops, and take advantage of all available educational opportunities.

Completely Cotton

For the fourth year in a row, Mississippi cotton farmers brought in more than 1,000 pounds per acre. Altogether, the Magnolia State had 420,000 acres—41 percent more than in 2015—and ranks third in the nation in cotton acreage, behind only Texas and Georgia.

4-H volunteer invests in community kids

When Rose Coffey-Graham first began teaching children, she was just 7 years old and pressed into service by local families who needed someone to watch their kids while they picked cotton. Her teaching materials?

“I had a big tree to sit under and some cardboard, and I acted as if I was the adult,” she remembers.

Flora brothers bring small-town values to big industry

Jason and Jeremy Flora have been logging so long, they may have sawdust in their veins.

Sisters use 4-H skills to produce film festival

“To successfully pull off something like that takes a lot of time and effort,” says Jan Walton, 4-H agent with the Mississippi State University Extension Service in Grenada County, where both girls were members at the time. “They were so busy with school, 4-H, and their other extracurricular activities that their mom, Nanette, didn’t want to put that extra pressure on them. But she later warmed up to the idea, and here we are.”

Extension food pantry serves rural community 

On Tuesdays and Thursdays before lunch, Robert Jamison is usually exercising with people who have been his neighbors in Lambert for 30 years. The Quitman County Veterans Service Officer also volunteers for a food pantry there that serves about 800 local families every other month. The county does not have a grocery store, but the pantry, since it opened in 2014, has helped people in need.

Eupora producer earns national award

Billy Tabb got a reality check in 2003 when he told his father he wanted to farm.

“My dad is a lifelong farmer, so I was hoping he would help me get started. He told me to go to the FSA office and get a loan,” Tabb recalls. “When I got there, the lender gave me a stack of papers as thick as the Bible and wished me good luck.”

Small town builds big online presence

The Woodville Board of Aldermen was ready. It was 2014, and the officials concluded that the city needed a website to offer residents and tourists up-to-date information about city services, community events, and tourist attractions. City Clerk Cathy McCurley was appointed to create and maintain the new website for the southwest Mississippi town. The only problem? She knew nothing about building websites.