News

MISSISSIPPI STATE – The Mississippi State University Extension Service has won a regional communication award for the television show Southern Gardening.

The two-minute episodes feature host Gary Bachman, an MSU Extension horticulturist at the Coastal Research and Extension Center in Biloxi. The show won a Blue Ribbon Communication Award from the Southern Region of the American Society for Horticultural Science.

The Blue Ribbon award program began in 1987 to recognize outstanding contributions to horticultural education in written, video, audio or electronic form.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Dr. Matt Ross, an associate professor of toxicology at Mississippi State University, has a passion for research that has led to his work involving pesticide and lipid metabolism in the Center for Environmental Health Sciences and the Department of Basic Sciences.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Placing first at the Southern Regional Horse Show might not seem like a great feat to some, but for former Bolivar County 4-H’er Jamie Mangum, it meant overcoming difficult obstacles.

Mangum is no ordinary 4-H’er. Though he was born with cerebral palsy, a disorder affecting the ability to control movement, he has never let his disability control him.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Hard economic times may prompt people to preserve food at home to cut meal costs, but Extension agents are betting the taste and quality of the products will hook them on the experience.

Brent Fountain, human nutrition specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, led a three-day workshop in January for 42 Extension agents from across the state. True to Extension’s 4-H educational philosophy, “Learn by doing,” the agents gained hands-on experience they will pass on to residents in their communities.

By Kaitlyn Byrne
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE – 4-H agent Traci Mongeon of Ackerman recently earned the title of Mrs. Mississippi International and will travel to Chicago in July to compete for the title of Mrs. International 2012.

Mongeon said she felt compelled to compete in the Mrs. Mississippi International pageant after learning that the Mrs. International pageant focuses on giving back to the community and helping others.

Shopping online can be extremely useful for busy consumers, but it often leaves small businesses out in the cold.

There are numerous options for the small business owner or entrepreneur when it comes to selling online, but determining the right fit for your growing business can be a challenge. Most tech-savvy folks say there is no perfect online payment system. Rather, it’s a choice between what software helps net the most sales minus the software that gives you the least amount of headache.

If you’re still looking for a fantastic indoor plant for the winter season, try cyclamen. It has a long blooming period and produces loads of colorful flowers to enjoy on dreary days.

Flowers can be found in a variety of shades of red, pink and white, but I think some of the most attractive are the soft pastels of pink and lavender.

The nodding flowers have swept-back petals that are held on straight stems above the foliage. Another highly attractive feature of cyclamen is that they have varying patterns of silver and gray on the cordate, or heart-shaped, leaves.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Mississippi high school juniors considering medical careers in their home state have the opportunity to take part in an intense summer program at Mississippi State University.

The five-week Rural Medical Scholars summer program at MSU aims to identify the state’s future primary care doctors and help them become members of the medical school class of 2021.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Young women interested in wildlife, fisheries and natural science careers can apply for the second annual discovery day to be held at Mississippi State University.

The Conservation Careers Discovery Day will begin at 4 p.m. March 30 and conclude at 6 p.m. March 31. Participants will learn outdoor skills such as GPS orienteering, canoeing, and plant and wildlife identification. This year, a camp-out and campfire chat with experienced professionals and scientists have been added.

RAYMOND – The 22nd annual national Greenhouse Tomato Short Course will be held March 6 and 7 at the Eagle Ridge Conference Center in Raymond, Miss.

The conference is open to current growers and those interested in starting a greenhouse tomato operation. Topics will include greenhouse system components, greenhouse design and engineering, alternative heating options, marketing, budgeting for growers, research updates, plant nutrition, alternative crops, water sanitation, physiological disorders, plant diagnostics, disease identification and control, and pest management.

Planning a wedding can be an intimidating experience, but technology can help the couple and their guests enjoy the day.

The Internet can be a good source of information about local photographers, caterers and florists, so investigate before signing on the dotted line. Check the reviews of other customers, and be sure to click on the Images tab to see if any photos of the person’s work are available in addition to the pictures on their website.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Research, teaching and diagnostic efforts focused on parasites, such as worms, fleas and ticks, are important for all of the clients served by Mississippi State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine.

Dr. Andrea Varela-Stokes is an assistant professor in basic sciences, teaching veterinary parasitology and helminthology and researching tick-borne diseases. She said there are many applications for parasitology in research and service.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Imagine an insect that can eat nearly anything, control microbes, live off of water alone in the adult stage, and be a good source of protein for animal feed. The black soldier fly is real, not science fiction, and it has researchers at Mississippi State University abuzz with excitement.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Untrained eyes see Mississippi State University’s extensive North and South Farm as typical farmland, but to researchers, these acres are their laboratories.

MSU has more than 2,200 acres of crop and pasture land adjacent to the Starkville campus. While commonly referred to as North and South Farms, these parcels of land are actually the R.R. Foil Research Center and the Leveck Animal Research Center, respectively.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – 4-H robotics projects spark interest in science and technology in youth in some of the state’s most rural communities.

Mariah Smith, an assistant professor with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, is coordinating the program for Mississippi 4-H. In addition to attending local meetings, the club members can take part in online chats to learn new skills and take on new challenges.

These are classic symptoms of gardening cabin fever. For the active gardener, it only gets worse when all those catalogs start arriving.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Many organizations and individuals are dedicated to protecting and restoring the environment, but some would be surprised to find that farmers are one group on the forefront of these efforts.

Erick Larson, grain crops agronomist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said farmers are some of the biggest conservationists around.

VERONA – Mississippi State University’s North Mississippi Research and Extension Center will host its annual Producer Advisory Council meeting Feb. 16 at the Magnolia Conference Center in Verona.

This annual event is an opportunity for growers, producers, ranchers and other agricultural clients to meet with MSU scientists and Extension Service specialists to share concerns, ask questions and provide feedback about research and Extension programs.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Several wildlife groups will assist in seven events across the state for future hunters on Feb. 11 in an effort to lay the foundation for safe and responsible hunting.

Mississippi State University’s Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture is partnering with the Mississippi Wildlife Federation, the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to offer free squirrel hunts for young people. The deadline for registering is Jan. 20.

The hunts will take place at these public wildlife areas:

Small, local shops can use free social media tools to create online gift registries.

I love small downtown businesses. There is just something special about wandering into local shops and looking at locally made pottery, jewelry and other knick-knacks, especially when I am shopping for myself. However, when it comes to wedding and baby gifts, online registries offered by larger companies are usually my “go-to” choice.