News

MISSISSIPPI STATE – The Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station recently honored several faculty and staff members for their research, publications and commitment to excellence.

Dan Reynolds, a MAFES researcher and professor in MSU’s Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, received the 2012 Excellence in Research award for his work on herbicide application and weed control for crops grown in Louisiana and Mississippi.

PICAYUNE – Two thousand swamp gum seedlings are taking root in the Crosby Arboretum’s Gum Pond exhibit after an Earth Day celebration and planting party.

New South Access and Environmental Solutions donated the trees, and 24 employees and their family members volunteered to plant them into the arboretum’s Gum Pond educational exhibit on April 28.

The tree planting will help the arboretum to meet its mission of conservation and education, said Bob Brzuszek, associate professor of landscape architecture at Mississippi State University.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine honored its first graduating class in the four-year veterinary medical technology degree program with a special pinning ceremony April 27.

Dr. Allison Gardner, clinical instructor in CVM’s veterinary medical technology program, said veterinary technologists make important contributions in the field of animal care.

One spring-blooming shrub that garners almost as much attention as the azalea is the gardenia. The fragrance of the gardenia flower is beyond description, as it is both heady and strong.

The gardenias for our landscapes are known botanically as Gardenia jasminoides. They were brought to the Southeastern United States in the late 1700s from their native range in Japan and China. Some home gardeners refer to these plants as Cape jasmine.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Soybeans are usually an early-planted crop, but an unseasonably warm March gave some growers a chance to get in the fields a little ahead of the typical April 1 start date.

Trent Irby, Mississippi State University Extension Service state soybean specialist, said the crop was on track at the end of April.

“Many parts of the state got planted about two weeks earlier than normal,” Irby said. “Several places remained too wet to plant until mid-April, but overall, we’re slightly ahead of schedule.”

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Youth interested in outdoor fun and hands-on learning experiences can register for two different summer camps focused on natural resources.

High school students curious about careers in natural resources are invited to attend Mississippi State University’s Natural Resources Summer Camp June 10 to 14. Any high school student entering ninth grade in 2012 or older may attend. This includes 2012 graduating seniors.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi State University is planning four workshops throughout the state to help participants learn how to better manage their land for white-tailed deer.

The workshops are in two-day sets, and participants can register for one or both days. Workshops will be held June 1 in Vicksburg at Hinds Community College and June 2 at the Mahanna Wildlife Management Area Office in Valley Park. The workshops on the MSU campus will be July 13 and 14 at the College of Forest Resources’ Thompson Hall.

Mother’s Day is just around the corner, and children both young and old are beginning the search for the gift that tells her she is the best mom ever.

Most people do not buy technology-based gifts for their mothers. Instead, they buy more sentimental items, such as flowers or perfume. However, as technology becomes more and more prevalent in our day-to-day lives, there is room to mesh the sentimentality of the day with technology.

By Rebekah Ray
MSU Delta Research and Extension Center

STONEVILLE -- Scientists at Mississippi State University’s Delta Research and Extension Center are researching new ways to reduce aflatoxin in infected corn.

Corn is one of the state’s leading row crops, but it is susceptible to aflatoxin, a fungus that can reduce profits and hurt marketability.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Cary W. “Bill” Herndon, a long-time leader in Mississippi State University’s Division of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine, has been named the new associate vice president in the division.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi State University has named Sam K. Chang as the new head of the Department of Food Science, Nutrition and Health Promotion.

Chang has been a professor in the Department of Cereal and Food Sciences at North Dakota State University since 1997. Before joining NDSU in 1984, he served as a research fellow at the University of Arizona and associate professor and head at the Chinese Culture University in Taiwan.

A lot of new gardeners who enjoy roses want to jump right into growing hybrid tea or floribunda roses, but these can be tricky for beginning gardeners. I think the easiest way for the gardening novice -- or the master gardener -- to enjoy roses is to plant Knockout roses.

Knockout roses are very disease-resistant, shrub-type roses. They produce flower clusters nonstop and in huge numbers. Colors range from red to pink and yellow, and flowers can be 3 1/2 inches in diameter.

By Dr. Rebekah Ray
Delta Research and Extension Center

STONEVILLE -- Dry conditions have allowed Mississippi rice producers to plant earlier this year than in previous years.

Nathan Buehring, rice specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said an absence of heavy spring rains put the state’s producers well ahead of schedule. About 80 to 85 percent of the state’s rice was planted by mid-April.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- A Mississippi State University researcher’s lifelong fascination with plants inspired him to collect thousands of specimens from all over the globe.

Then, Victor Maddox, a scientist in the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, created his own Garden of Eden on 9 acres near Maben.

“I decided to arrange my collection thematically and plant the areas in front of the house with Old World plants from Africa, Asia, Australia and Europe. The backyard has plants from the New World -- North and South America,” Maddox said.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi volunteer leaders are essential in fulfilling the national 4-H motto: “To make the best better.”

Harvey Gordon, 4-H volunteer development specialist with Mississippi State University’s Extension Service, said National Volunteer Week, which recognizes all volunteers, marked a perfect time to recognize the leaders who contribute their time and energy to today’s youth. Established in 1974, this year’s volunteer week was observed April 15-21.

Writing a resume can be a daunting proposition for job seekers, and today’s technologies require most people to have both a traditional resume and one ready to be uploaded to an online database.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Goats remain a niche segment of the state’s livestock production, but they have a strong fan base.

“Meat goats make up most of the goat herd in Mississippi and in the nation,” said Kipp Brown, area 4-H livestock agent and meat goat specialist with Mississippi State University Extension Service.

Bill Ryals and his son raise meat and dairy goats at the Rocking R Dairy in Tylertown.

NATCHEZ -- Area gardeners can fill their landscapes with flowers, plants and one-of-a kind art from the first-ever Gardener’s Expo.

More than 30 vendors from across the South will sell gardening-related items. Mississippi State University Extension Service professionals will be on hand to offer expert advice and answer questions. The expo will be held at the community center at 215 Franklin Street in Natchez.