News

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- After Hurricane Ivan made his mark on the state, officials are adding price gouging and illegitimate charities to the list of things they must deal with.

Bobbie Shaffett, Extension associate professor of human sciences at Mississippi State University, said Mississippians are a generous people, but there are always a few people who see a disaster as an opportunity to scam others.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi's poultry and egg industries are proving they are strong, viable contributors to the state's economy despite a national decline in exports during 2004.

While some industries may be scaling back or outsourcing, Mississippi's No. 1 agricultural industry is on track for an increase in its farm-gate value for 2004. The 2003 poultry value for Mississippi was $1.6 billion.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- A limited income can make people feel they have a limited chance to succeed in life, but a program in Mississippi has spent the last 35 years showing that does not have to be true.

The Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program, known as EFNEP, is offered by the Mississippi State University Extension Service in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Its goal is to assist limited-resource families in improving their nutrition, health and economic status. This year it celebrated 35 years of work in Mississippi.

By Tricia Hopper

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Libby Walden of Jackson is an avid football fan who cheers her team through each battle on the turf, but she never dreamed that food from tailgating festivities could hit harder than an offensive lineman.

"There have been countless times when I've left dishes sitting out in the hot sun for hours. Just because food has been left out more than two hours doesn't mean it will be easy to throw away," Walden said. "Some food seems too good to just chunk in the trash."

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Declining populations of quail led Mississippi State University researchers to a grant to study the effectiveness of programs that restore habitat for this traditionally popular game bird.

Wildlife researchers hope to turn around the Northern bobwhite quail's population decline by recreating elements of historic land conditions. The potential exists for quail hunting to once again become an economically significant sport.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

If you think bigger is better, you'll be excited to hear about the varieties of pansies and violas arriving at garden centers any day now. The super-sized pansy is especially impressive.

Two years ago it was the Colossus, then last year the Majestic Giants II. This year the monolithic award goes to XXL, which obviously stands for Extra Extra Large.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Experience with farm equipment can increase a person's safety, but the safest farmers are the ones who survive accidents and know what can happen in a split second.

"It takes a long time to tell my story, but the actual accident probably took less than 25 seconds. One little miscalculation can be life threatening. You can die so quickly," said accident survivor Kinney Carlton of Adams County.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi rice growers are anticipating a fifth consecutive year of record or near-record yields.

Nathan Buehring, rice specialist with Mississippi State University's Extension Service, said the state crop has cleared most of the major hurdles, and harvest is progressing well so far. The threat of hurricanes or localized storms is the biggest challenge remaining for the crop as it finishes in September, National Rice Month.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi summers often seem endless, but now is the time to prepare home lawns and plants for the inevitable winter months.

Wayne Wells, turfgrass specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, offered the following suggestions to ensure lawns survive the winter months and thrive in the spring.

"Even though we're still in the dog days of summer, it won't be long before we start feeling that crispness in the morning when we get up, and fall will be here," Wells said.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Fall applications of lime make the most sense for state producers, but experts suggest a soil test before applying it.

Larry Oldham, soil specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said controlling soil acidity is the most important aspect of soil fertility management. Adding lime changes the pH of the soil.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

This time of year, you should have a tiger making a terrific statement in your garden. The tiger I am referring to is one of the hottest cannas anywhere: the Bengal Tiger.

Bengal Tiger canna, also sold under the name Pretoria, is not new, but the interest in this variety probably surpasses what it saw at its debut.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Garden and landscape enthusiasts will flock to the Fall Flower and Garden Fest at the Truck Crops Branch Experiment Station in Crystal Springs on Oct. 15 and 16 for the latest plant recommendations.

The 26th annual fall fest will take place from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. both days. Visitors can tour the three-acre vegetable, flower and herb gardens. Additional plots include ethnic, butterfly, hummingbird and shade gardens, the Mississippi Medallion Winners Garden and the All-America Selection Winners Garden.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi's corn crop should post yields at or near last year's state record of 135 bushels per acre despite problems caused by June rains.

Early season estimates this year predicted Mississippi growers would plant 450,000 acres of corn, down 18 percent from 2003. But Mississippi State University Extension Service grain crops agronomist Erick Larson said a good planting season and higher prices caused the actual acreage to increase to 470,000.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Take 4 inches of muck in a corral and mix in lots of humidity, a light drizzle and 50 unhappy cows. Add two scientists, two cowboys with their horses, a cow dog and a couple of pieces of high-tech equipment.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Serious gardeners or those who just like to look at pretty plants and flowers will enjoy the Sept. 25 North Mississippi Garden Expo at the North Mississippi Research and Extension Center in Verona.

The expo is free and open to the public. Tours and other activities begin at 9 a.m. and continue until 1 p.m.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi's premier agricultural television program is now showing during new time slots on Mississippi Public Broadcasting.

Farmweek, the weekly, 30-minute agriculture news program of the Mississippi State University Extension Service, is broadcast on Fridays at 6 a.m. and repeated on Sundays at 5:30 p.m. The 27-year-old show has experienced several time changes in recent years, but the content remains focused on Mississippi agriculture and concerns of lawn and garden care.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

Just when we are getting comfortable with a few new plants, an excellent and versatile plant called Graptophyllum comes along and demands we learn its name.

Botanically speaking, it is known as Graptophyllum pictum and is in the family of Acanthaceae. This means the Graptophyllum is related to the Mexican petunia and Shrimp Plant, but don't go looking for any similarities. It originates in the South Pacific.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Sometimes good research just backs up what farmers already suspected.

Nine years of research at Mississippi State University's Delta Research and Extension Center in Stoneville revealed that using the tillage practice known as subsoiling in combination with irrigation does not improve cotton yields enough to cover the expense of these practices.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The cruel irony of the beautiful fall-like weather Mississippians have enjoyed in August is that it's hurting the state's cotton crop.

Cotton needs warm weather, measured as at least 2,150 accumulated heat units, to mature. Tom Barber, Mississippi State University Extension Service cotton specialist, said cotton typically accumulates 20 heat units a day in August. By mid-August this year at Stoneville, cotton had not accumulated 20 heat units in any one day, with most days coming in at six to 11 units.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Humans are the obvious victims of natural and manmade disasters, but animals are the primary concern for veterinary specialists.

Veterinarians are needed to respond to floods, hurricanes, fires, transportation accidents and other disasters that often involve animals. Veterinarians also are trained in issues such as food safety, diseases that can pass between humans and animals, and environmental health concerns such as waste and carcass disposal that also affect public health.