News

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The Mississippi State University Extension Service is offering white-tailed deer management workshops to give landowners and managers hands-on education on improving deer herds and hunting opportunities.

By Beth Poganski
MSU Extension Service

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi might not have been ranked the healthiest or the wealthiest state in 2013, but if there were a ranking for water resources, Mississippi would be near the top of the list.

Several factors place Mississippi in the very fortunate situation of having what much of the world does not: water.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The Mississippi State University Extension Service is tuning up its sewing machines as the requests for sewing classes stack up.

“Everything old is new again,” said Sylvia Clark, family and consumer sciences Extension associate. “There is a renewed interest in sewing, in making clothes and items for the home that reflect a personal sense of style and save money.”

Most schools in Mississippi, like those in many other states, no longer offer sewing classes.

JACKSON – Commercial fruit and vegetable growers can learn to produce strawberries for local markets during a one-time short course offered May 13 and 14 in Choctaw.

Experts from the Mississippi State University Extension Service, the Research and Extension Division of the University of Arkansas, and the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce will present information about crop production and marketing.

Strawberry expert Barclay Poling of North Carolina State University and strawberry grower Mel Ellis of Mayhew Tomato Farm in Columbus are featured speakers.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station recently honored several members of the Mississippi State University faculty, staff and student body for outstanding research, service and facility maintenance.

Fei Yu, a MAFES scientists and assistant professor in the MSU Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, received the 2014 Excellence in Research Award sponsored by Mississippi Land Bank. Yu also received the MAFES Grantsmanship Award for amassing more than $4.5 million in grants.

I’m ready for warm weather. I’ve had it with the cold winter that seemed much longer than it actually was. Bring on the summer garden.

In my opinion, there are a couple of plants that seem to just scream “SUMMER.” Zinnia is one of them.

One zinnia that is forgotten in some gardens is the family of Zinnia elegans, the cutting zinnia. Benary’s Giant zinnia is a must-have for any home gardener who wants long-lasting cut flowers all summer.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Eliminating ramshorn snails is a proven method of controlling a major catfish parasite, but producers must be constantly vigilant to keep a small problem from exploding into big trouble.

Digenetic trematodes, which are spread by ramshorn snails, can cause costly problems in Mississippi catfish ponds, including slow fish growth, susceptibility to diseases and fingerling death. This parasite is showing signs of reemerging as a significant problem, and it has spread from the Delta to east Mississippi ponds.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Markets for Mississippi’s sawtimber and pulpwood are bouncing back from the economic recession, but the industry is not improving across the board.

“Slowly but surely, markets for sawtimber are beginning to grow again after the sharp declines seen after the collapse of the U.S. housing market and the ensuing recession,” said James Henderson, associate Extension professor of forestry at Mississippi State University. “But the closing of the International Paper mill in Courtland, Ala. will have an impact on north Mississippi’s pulpwood markets.”

MEADVILLE – Genette Hunt and Sarah Harvill live their dream every day.

The two own and operate Sage Farms in Franklin County, a 140-acre cutting-edge beef cattle operation.

“Owning farmland is something we both always wanted to do,” said Hunt, who has owned cattle with longtime friend Harvill since 1987. “When I was a child, 6 or 7 years old at the most, I’d go with my mother around our farm, and I’d ask her how many cows we had and how much land we had. I’ve always been interested in it.”

WEST POINT -- Representatives of the 4-H Foundation of Mississippi touted a 63-acre multipurpose youth complex as a great example of community partnerships during a ribbon-cutting ceremony in West Point Thursday (April 10).

MACON -- East Mississippi catfish producers are invited to an April 30 workshop that will help them address a new challenge to their profit margins.

The Mississippi State University Extension Service is offering a short meeting on trematode infection in catfish. All industry professionals are encouraged to attend the Wednesday session from 1:30-2:30 p.m. at the Noxubee County Civic Center in Macon. Registration begins at 1 p.m.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – September and the opening of dove season are several months away, but planting food plots in spring allows plants to reach maturity before the dove hunting season begins.

Whether you’re planting dove plots for personal or business use, they need proper preparation.

“Doves really depend on a lot of foods that are in agricultural fields and in open meadow fields,” said Jeanne Jones, wildlife ecologist at Mississippi State University. “They are weak scratchers, so they need a certain amount of bare ground.”

BROOKLYN – Students at Forrest County Agricultural High School now have the resources of Mississippi State University at their fingertips.

The school entered a partnership with the MSU Extension Service this year that allows students, faculty and staff to attend Extension educational trainings through an interactive video system. Extension and school representatives and local and state officials marked the occasion with a ribbon cutting on April 8 at the high school.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi State University scientists have created a new software program to help foresters and landowners manage hardwood timber.

Emily Schultz and Tom Matney, forestry professors in the MSU Forest and Wildlife Research Center, developed the software and user’s guide based on 33 years of research.

The free software provides expected yields and future growth values for the red oak-sweetgum forest mixture that is widely distributed across Mississippi river bottoms.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Jerry Don Keith has been gardening for years, but he had the best garden he’s ever grown after he attended the Master Gardener training last spring.

“I knew I had a lot to learn, but I had no idea that the Master Gardeners would cover so much,” Keith said. “It’s not just about vegetable gardening, but trees, weeds, grass and soil. It’s learning what to do in gardens and yards. Sometimes the little things we learn are the most important.”

This winter we have seen some mighty cold weather in our gardens and landscapes. As a result, we’ll see damage to some landscape plants and we’ll lose others. And with some plants, there will be surprises.

For example, I left an unprotected amaryllis in my garden that experienced a low temperature of 15 degrees -- not once, but twice. This weekend I found the amaryllis pushing new leaves. I was able to separate and pot five bulblets that were also growing.

JACKSON – The mild spring weather brings people and pets out to play. But encounters with other dogs, wildlife and moving vehicles often hurt dogs that spend time outdoors.

Supervision is the best way to help Fido avoid trouble, said Dr. Christine Calder, a veterinary resident with a focus in behavior at the Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Memories of last year’s bumper crops have Mississippi farmers eager for fields to dry out so they can plant the 2014 crop.

Market potential remains the first consideration when making crop choices.

“Prices are driving growers’ planting decisions,” said Brian Williams, an agricultural economist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. “Mississippi corn is trading about $2.50 per bushel lower than a year ago, while Mississippi soybean prices are slightly higher than a year ago.”

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The Mississippi Forestry Foundation is investing in the lives of students at Mississippi State University.

The foundation, a nonprofit division of the Mississippi Forestry Association, created two endowed scholarships in the College of Forest Resources through the “Infinite Impact: The Mississippi State University Campaign.”

The foundation’s membership previously supported one of the most coveted scholarships in the college, an annual $2,500 award. The most recent gifts are in addition to that annual scholarship.

In the South, springtime means turkey hunting, bass fishing and preparing wildlife food plots.

Food plots are the most affordable way for hunters to provide high-quality forages for the deer, turkey and other wildlife on the property.

A productive, warm-season food plot can generate up to 4,000 pounds of high-quality forage per acre -- that’s a lot of bang for the buck.