News

I have been really impressed so far this winter with the performance of a new pansy called Plentifall.

The unique spreading and trailing growth habit of Plentifall pansies make them outstanding landscape plants. They are well-branched and vigorous growers. They can fill a landscape bed and provide pockets of color from fall all the way to late spring.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Operators of small- to medium-sized farms wanting to learn more about a technique to extend the growing season are invited to attend the High Tunnel Field Day offered by Mississippi State University.

The field day begins at 9 a.m. March 10 and concludes at 4:30 p.m. at MSU’s Truck Crops Experiment Station in Crystal Springs. Registration for the trade show and field day is $15 before March 1 and $25 after that date. Lunch will be provided.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Greenhouse tomato growers and those interested in learning how to grow this crop are invited to the 21st annual 2011 Greenhouse Tomato Short Course offered March 8-9 in Raymond.

Speakers at the two-day event will present seminars on a variety of topics relevant to the production of greenhouse tomatoes. The event will be held at the Eagle Ridge Conference Center in Raymond.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- A Mississippi State University plant physiologist was honored for significantly contributing to the understanding of cotton physiology, growth and development.

K. Raja Reddy, professor in MSU’s Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, received the 2010 Outstanding Research Award in Cotton Physiology at the 2011 Beltwide Cotton Physiology Conference in Atlanta in January. The award is sponsored by the Arysta Life Science Corporation.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Winter may still be here, but spring will be ushered in early this year at a garden event at Mississippi State University.

The Starkville Area Arts Council will team up with MSU to present the third annual “Everything Garden Expo” March 5-6 at the Mississippi Horse Park in Starkville.

A lot of great foliage color develops in the cool temperatures of winter months. Japanese cleyera foliage develops a rich burgundy patina that complements its red petioles, and boxwood foliage becomes an orangey bronze. But my favorite colorful, red-tinged winter foliage has to be nandina.

By Cheree Franco
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- On a January morning in Soperton, Ga., southeastern farmers mingled with investors and biomass experts to discuss Freedom Giant Miscathus--a towering grass that may be America’s most promising clean energy solution.

Freedom was developed at Mississippi State University and is licensed exclusively to Repreve Renewables, a joint venture between sod entrepreneur Phillip Jennings and publicly traded textile company UNIFI Manufacturing, Inc.

By Kaitlyn Byrne
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Every January, gyms across America are filled with ambitious people striving to keep New Year’s resolutions, but far too often, the resolutions are set aside and forgotten within a couple of months or even weeks.

Brent Fountain, nutrition specialist with Mississippi State University’s Extension Service, said the key to sticking with New Year’s resolutions is to set realistic goals.

It has been two years since U.S. Airways Flight 1549 made an emergency landing in the Hudson River when a flock of Canada geese struck the engines just minutes after the plane took off.

Bird and airplane collisions cannot be completely avoided because the two share the same flying space. But scientists at Mississippi State University are looking to the ground, specifically to the mowed landscape surrounding runways and terminals, for ways to reduce wildlife hazards and possibly provide biofuel sources.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Food assistance programs are designed to keep children fed who otherwise would be hungry, but a recent Southern Rural Development Center study found they often contribute to obesity in cities with a high cost of living.

The study was conducted by Elizabeth Rigby of The George Washington University and Rachel Tolbert Kimbro of Rice University. It was commissioned by the SRDC, housed at Mississippi State University, and it is part of the Food Assistance and Nutrition Information Series.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Catfish research at Mississippi State University is no surprise given that Mississippi leads the nation in catfish production, but the potential applications of that research through the College of Veterinary Medicine’s fish hatchery are another story.

As the state’s land-grant university, MSU conducts research that benefits this valuable aquaculture industry and consumers. While some of that research can take place in farm ponds, other studies require fish with known health histories.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Youth through age 15 have the opportunity to learn how to squirrel hunt during a special event Feb. 5 at the Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge.

Extension Service personnel in Mississippi State University’s Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture Department are offering the hunting opportunity to a limited number of youth. To participate, the young person must be younger than 16 and come with a parent or guardian who will take part in the hunt.

Many landscapes look drab and dreary in January, and extremely cold temperatures across the state have presented gardeners with an even bigger challenge than usual this winter.

But I had an uplifting experience last week when I attended the Gulf States Horticultural Expo in Mobile. I came away having seen the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel and remembering that the warm days of spring will soon be upon us.

VERONA – Fruit and vegetable producers and people with an interest in this business should mark their calendars for a Feb. 11 Mississippi State University Extension Service conference and trade show.

The Northeast Mississippi Fruit and Vegetable Producers Association Educational Conference and Trade Show will be held at the Lee County Agri-Center in Verona. The conference will begin with an 8 a.m. registration and wrap up at 5 p.m. The registration fee is $10 and includes handouts and lunch.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Mississippi high school juniors considering medical careers in their home state have the opportunity to take part in an intense and revealing 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 prepare for medical school admission.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- A popular statewide 4-H project has kicked off its new year with a capacity crowd at Mississippi State University.

Youth and volunteers involved in 4-H Robotics Clubs, located in more than a third of Mississippi’s counties, came to MSU on Jan. 15 to begin their projects. They will continue activities throughout January and monthly until the robotics contest at 4-H Club Congress and Project Achievement Days in June.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Mississippi State University Extension Service specialist Rita W. Green is participating in a key U.S. Department of Agriculture policymaking board.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack appointed Green, MSU family resource management area agent based in Grenada County, to the National Agricultural Research Extension, Education and Economics Advisory Board. This group is the only USDA advisory board that reports directly to Congress. Green will represent consumer interests as well as serve on the specialty crop and the relevancy and adequacy committees.

By Karen Templeton
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Stephen and Dava Imes will always remember their cat Mac as being one of a kind, and they are ensuring his legacy lives on through a Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine scholarship.

Mac was a Maine coon cat, a breed known for its large size, long coat and intelligence. Stephen Imes of Columbus first saw Mac nine years ago in South Carolina and knew right away that Mac was something special.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – The Mississippi State University Extension Service is bringing communities together to address obesity in the Mississippi Delta.

Get Healthy, Trim Down Delta is a program supported by the Delta Health Alliance through financial support from the Office of Rural Health Policy, a branch of the Health Resources and Services Administration. Four counties inside the Delta were selected to participate in the program.

Shopping at the local garden center for potting mix for container plants can be confusing. A bag that simply says “garden soil” can have anything in it. While this may work for in-ground plants, plants in containers require a totally different kind of mix.

Bagged mixes for container plants are often called potting or container mixes. These mixes actually contain no soil at all. They are sold under a variety of trade names and are similar in their basic recipe.