News

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

A few Pennies can make your winter landscape look like a million bucks.

I'm not talking about the proverbial penny saved or even the penny found lying on the sidewalk. The Penny I am talking about is not copper-colored but perhaps a rich orange, deep blue or one of more than 20 other colors.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Wheelchairs and crutches are not common sights at most horseback riding classes, and laughter is not always heard at physical therapy sessions, but all of these can be found at the Mississippi Horse Park.

The therapeutic riding program available at the horse park near Starkville offers children and adults with physical challenges a chance to develop skills atop a living, breathing animal.

By Patti Drapala
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The experience of bagging sweet potatoes and boxing jelly for food pantries this semester has taught Mississippi State University students who focus on food and health issues that helping others is a sweet gift, too.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- A working relationship that began 40 years ago has led to international recognition for a pair of Mississippi State University entomology graduates.

James H. Tumlinson and W. Joe Lewis are recipients of the 2008 Wolf Prize in Agriculture for their contributions to the field of chemical ecology. The Israel-based Wolf Foundation gives Wolf Prizes in the areas of medicine, agriculture and the arts. The Wolf award is considered agriculture’s equivalent of a Nobel Prize.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Shardendu Kumar Singh, a former Mississippi State University graduate student, was honored by the Association of Agricultural Scientists of Indian Origin as its 2008 Outstanding Graduate Student Award winner.

The association includes agricultural scientists, faculty, post-doctoral fellows and graduate students of Indian origin. The group provides development opportunities for new scientists and graduate students. Singh received his award at the association’s annual meeting in Houston in October.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- A Mississippi State University program recently was honored for its early childhood training workshops.

The MSU Extension Service Child Care Resource and Referral Network received the 2008 Swimmy Award during the Mississippi Early Childhood Association’s annual conference held in October in Jackson. The Swimmy Award is based on the children’s book “Swimmy” by Leo Lionni, an internationally known author and artist. The award is presented to organizations for their collaboration, teamwork and dedication to Mississippi’s youth. 

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

With few flowers blooming, our landscape's main interest at this time of year comes from differing textures.

I recently stumbled on a combination planting that featured natives in an awesome show of texture. Had I kept my eyes open, I would surely have seen Mother Nature, rather than a landscape architect, do it first. Nevertheless it struck me as a partnership worthy of writing about and photographing.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Titles like “You Want To Put What, Where?” and “We Don't Just Shoot 'Em Anymore” put a light-hearted spin on some complex science in an attempt to recruit students to a new class that offers a look at veterinary medicine.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- A shortage of research veterinarians has prompted a new degree program that allows a student to earn a veterinary degree and a doctoral degree at the same time.

Mississippi State University's College of Veterinary Medicine is responding to a growing demand for researchers needed to study environmental impacts on human and animal health.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

Winter is often cold and dreary, but the pyracantha, a member of the rose family, helps landscapes remain beautiful, interesting and a great source of food for cedar waxwings.

The pyracantha gets its name from the Greek word “pyr,” for fire, and “akanthos,” for thorn, hence the common name firethorn. This is very appropriate, as the pyracantha has sharp, painful thorns. I remember as a child reaching in to retrieve baseballs from the branches and coming out screaming.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- With banks in financial trouble and the stock market still dropping, farmers preparing to secure financing for next year's crops should expect an uphill battle.

David Schweikhardt, a professor of domestic policy and international trade issues in the Department of Agricultural, Food and Resource Economics at Michigan State University, said producers are paying off their production loans in the fall and will get new ones in the spring.

By Patti Drapala
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi farmers have no control over volatile fertilizer costs but they can use good soil fertility management to offset the effect on production expenses.

“We have to be efficient users of fertilizer, and that doesn't mean just this product's application rate,” said Larry Oldham, soil specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. “This concept includes the whole production system of seed, soil, water, climate, pests, labor and capital.”

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

You may have heard the term black gold in your lifetime. While it is most often associated with oil, gardeners worth their salt will associate the phrase with compost. Compost is that dark, crumbly, organic material that is often a prerequisite for the green thumb.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- More than 50 varieties of poinsettias will be on display, and some will be for sale at Mississippi State University’s annual horticulture holiday open house Dec. 5.

The open house and sale is from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday in the greenhouses behind Dorman Hall on campus at MSU. The event is free and open to the public.

Hundreds of people come each year to see the greenhouse display. Flower colors include pink, white, burgundy, marble and many shades of red. Students in MSU’s Horticulture Club will sell poinsettias they cultivated this year.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – John Coccaro and Juan Silva’s leadership and outstanding contributions to their fields earned them 2008 Outstanding Worker Awards at Mississippi State University.

Coccaro received the MSU Extension Service’s Outstanding Professional Award, and Silva received the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station Research Award. The awards were given at the joint annual conference for the Extension Service and MAFES.

By Patti Drapala
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The 2008 Christmas tree crop in Mississippi is shaping up to be a good one as growers finish their spraying, shaking and shearing in time for holiday shoppers.

“Christmas tree farming is labor intensive,” said Steve Dicke, forestry specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. “Because the trees are a high-value crop, the standard in producing them also is high.”

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Fall finds owners of new and renovated ponds filling them with water and preparing to stock sport fish to produce quality fishing opportunities.

Wes Neal, fisheries specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said the best time to stock fish is in the fall and spring. Many owners build ponds in the summer, allow rains or streams to fill them in the fall and then stock them.

By Patti Drapala
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- A Christmas tree adds joy and life to a home during the holidays, but thoughts of tree cleanup and disposal can dampen enthusiasm for a real one.

Consumers who do a little investigative work into recycling options can avoid these problems. Although Mississippi does not have a statewide recycling program for leftover trees, some communities do.

By Patti Drapala
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE – While Elvis Presley had a “Blue Christmas” in mind when he recorded his 1957 seasonal hit, today's environmentally conscious consumers think of “going green” for the holidays.

Eco-friendly and affordable decorations, gifts, wrapping paper, ribbons and greeting cards are available in stores. Brainstorming, budgeting and goal-setting can produce good ideas and make the process less stressful, said Bobbie Shaffett, family resource management specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Food bills are an often hidden but substantial holiday expense, and families should shop carefully and stick to budgets to keep spending from getting out of hand.

Bobbie Shaffett, family resource management specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said food costs rose 7 percent in 2008. Families typically spend an average of 12 percent to 15 percent of their budget on food.