News

BILOXI – Coastal producers and growers shared their concerns and needs at a Mississippi State University listening session Feb. 28 in Biloxi.

The fifth annual Producer Advisory Council meeting was held at MSU’s Coastal Research and Extension Center. Eleven commodity groups attended the meeting. They represented commercial ornamental horticulture, home horticulture, fruits, vegetables, livestock, horses, cotton, corn, soybeans, peanuts, forestry, seafood and aquaculture, and bee keepers.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Many Mississippians wonder whether the mild winter will increase the insect pest populations in their gardens and fields this year. However, spring weather could be the more significant factor, said Mississippi State University experts.

MSU Extension Service entomologist Angus Catchot said he is asked about the impact of the winter weather on insect populations everywhere he goes.

By Kaitlyn Byrne
MSU Ag. Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi State University is part of an effort to connect restaurants with Mississippi producers to get fresh local produce to consumers.

MSU’s Extension Service is promoting Eat Healthy Mississippi, a campaign sponsored by the Mississippi Hospitality and Restaurant Association. The program unites restaurant chefs seeking local foods for their menus and growers who can supply fresh fruits and vegetables. In turn, restaurant patrons will have access to healthier foods.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Sylvia Byrd and two nutrition students in Mississippi State University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences will be honored at a statewide awards function March 8.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Cool Planet Biofuels recently announced it has used Freedom giant miscanthus to create gasoline, a breakthrough in the biofuels industry.

POPLARVILLE – Mississippi fruit producers have a new specialist to consult about crop problems and advise them on best practices.

Mississippi State University’s Extension Service has hired Eric Stafne as the assistant Extension professor of fruit crops. He is located at MSU’s Coastal Research and Extension Center in Poplarville.

As springtime arrives across Mississippi, azaleas are starting to put on their colorful show. While these walls of pink and clusters of red and spots of white are well-known and anticipated, a spring-blooming shrub that does not get as much attention is the Indian hawthorn.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Registration is now open to school groups for the Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine’s annual open house, to be held April 13 and 14.

The open house will take place both days between 8:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. at the Wise Center, located on the south side of campus off Spring Street in Starkville. The April 13th program is for pre-registered school groups, and the April 14th program is open to anyone in the community. School groups can register for this free event by contacting Brandi Van Ormer at (662) 325-0465.

STARKVILLE -- A March 21 summit at Mississippi State University will feature the latest news in furniture manufacturing and government regulations.

Speakers at the conference include Jerry Epperson, managing director of Mann, Armistead, and Epperson Ltd.; Bruce Cochrane, owner of Lincolnton Furniture; and Wyatt Bassett, president of Vaughan-Bassett Furniture.

Topics will include recent changes in China and their effect on domestic furniture production, opportunities for a resurgence of manufacturing in America, and regulations impacting furniture production.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – The General Food Safety Training and Acidified Canned Foods Training for farmers’ market vendors will be held March 13 in Pontotoc, March 15 in Gulfport and March 20 in Brookhaven.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – A Louisiana native has joined Mississippi State University’s Extension Service as a beef specialist.

Brandi Bourg grew up in south Louisiana and was involved in the Junior Simmental Association and state livestock program. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Louisiana State University, where she was a member of the Livestock Judging Team, active in the Block and Bridle Club and a student worker at the beef unit. She earned her master’s and doctorate degrees from Texas A&M University and has experience in research and teaching.

The temperatures are warming up, and the daffodils are blooming. My 2012 gardening adventure is under way. I am confident that my neighbors think I am excavating my backyard in hopes of finding buried treasure. Little do they realize that the buried treasure is none other than tree roots and stumps. Trying to tame the wildness that is my backyard requires tenacity, hard work and access to good information.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Warm weather in January and early February is causing honey bees to be active before they have enough food to eat, and the state’s beekeepers need to monitor colonies for starvation, a Mississippi State University expert said.

By Kaitlyn Byrne
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE – With spring break around the corner, affordable vacation plans are on many people’s minds.

Bobbie Shaffett, family resource management specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said early planning is the key to budgeting for a vacation. She suggested that would-be vacationers calculate the expected cost of transportation, lodging, meals and entertainment, then compare that figure to the amount the budget will actually allow.

VERONA – Advocates for agriculture met at the North Mississippi Research and Extension Center in Verona on Feb. 16 to identify priorities for research and Extension Service education programs at Mississippi State University.

Scientists from the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, specialists with the MSU Extension Service and almost 250 members of the North Mississippi Producer Advisory Council spent the day discussing current research and educational needs, as well as the challenges growers face on their farms.

Like every gardener in Mississippi, I get spring fever this time of year. Seed catalogs are piling up higher every day. When visiting garden centers, I’m tempted by the racks of vegetable transplants available. I’ve even seen tomatoes on a warmer weekend. What’s a gardener to do?

To help hold us over until spring really arrives, African daisies and Senetti pericallis are perfect additions for landscape color. Both like the cooler early spring temperatures and can be used exactly like the mums we used last fall.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Broadband Internet usage in Mississippi is catching up to the national average more quickly than recent national studies report, according to a statewide survey conducted by the Southern Rural Development Center at Mississippi State University.

Information on this Internet and broadband use survey is available at http://srdc.msstate.edu/ebeat/reports.html.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Women involved in the operations of agricultural businesses and their business partners are invited to attend an upcoming statewide conference at Mississippi State University.

Mississippi Women for Agriculture will meet March 9 and 10 to receive updates on current issues facing agriculture and reinforce information shared at previous workshops. The workshop is open to all women with an interest in farming, including those who have taken part in previous seminars.

STONEVILLE -- A Mississippi State University associate research professor was recently named the 2012 Rice Researcher of the Year.

Tim Walker, an agronomist at the Delta Research and Extension Center in Stoneville, received the honor at the 15th Annual National Conservation Systems Cotton and Rice Conference in Tunica.

“We are fortunate to have Dr. Walker at the Delta Research and Extension Center,” said Steve Martin, professor and head of the center. “His work supports the many farms that grow rice in the Delta region.”

MISSISSIPPI STATE – About 200 4-H youth program volunteers with the Mississippi State University Extension Service will gather in Starkville for two days of leadership training in late February.

The annual 4-H Volunteer Leaders Conference will be held Feb. 24 and 25 at the Bost Extension Center at MSU. This volunteer development event, supported by Monsanto and National 4-H Council, will bring 4-H leaders together to network and learn about innovative programs that can bring fresh perspectives and activities to 4-H programs across Mississippi.