News

MISSISSIPPI STATE – The Mississippi State University Extension Service is helping offer free squirrel hunts throughout Mississippi on Feb. 8 to teach youth about small game hunting and conservation.

VERONA – Mississippi State University’s North Mississippi Research and Extension Center will host its annual Producer Advisory Council meeting Feb. 20 at the Magnolia Conference Center in Verona.

Agricultural clients will meet to discuss needs for education and research with representatives from MSU’s Extension Service and the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station.

JACKSON – In the months after Christmas, the pitter-patter of puppy paws leads to a lot of puddles and frayed sneakers.

But with proper care and training, the new puppy can become a devoted companion for many years.

QUITMAN – When January rolls around, Clarke County 4-H’ers start lining up at Christy King’s door to participate in the livestock show for 4-H members with special needs.

“It’s so popular I have a waiting list,” said King, who is an agent with the Mississippi State University Extension Service in Clarke County.

The event pairs members of the Clarke County 4-H Livestock Club with local youth who have special needs. The show began 16 years ago but ended in 2003 when the original participants became adults.

PICAYUNE – Members of the public can observe and try metalworking at the Jan. 25 Forge Day at the Mississippi State University Crosby Arboretum in Picayune.

Members of the Gulf Coast Blacksmith Association and other area craftsmen will demonstrate techniques and provide tips for those interested in metalworking. Some craftsmen will offer knife sharpening.

Organizers expect between 15 and 20 metalworkers to exhibit their skills this year, double the usual number. Adults and children may participate at select booths.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine invites visitors of all ages to attend its annual 29th annual Open House on April 4 and 5.

The college will open its doors from 9:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. for the free annual event at the Wise Center in Starkville. The April 4 program is for pre-registered school groups only. The April 5 program is open anyone in the community.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Mississippi high school juniors considering medical careers in their home state have the opportunity to take part in an intense and enlightening summer program at Mississippi State University.

The five-week Rural Medical Scholars summer program at MSU aims at identifying the state’s future primary care doctors and help them become members of the medical school class of 2023. Applications for the June 1 through July 7 program must be submitted by March 24.

VERONA – Practical and convenient advice awaits north Mississippi fruit and vegetable growers at an upcoming meeting.

Two days of seminars and activities are planned for the North Mississippi Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association Conference and Trade Show Feb. 6-7 in the Magnolia Building at the Lee County Agri-Center, located at 5395 Highway 145 in Verona.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Alligator trapping, birding ventures and Louisiana’s laws are just a few of the topics to be addressed at the Coastal Eco/Agritourism Workshop in Lake Charles on February 11.

Coastal residents interested in earning income from nature-based tourism are invited to attend the one-day workshop at the Louisiana State University AgCenter’s Lake Charles Office, located at 7101 Gulf Hwy. The event begins at 8:30 a.m. and concludes at 3:30 p.m. It is sponsored by Louisiana Sea Grant, LSU AgCenter and Mississippi State University.

CLEVELAND – Irrigation, grain storage and agricultural policies are topics set for discussion at the 41st annual Delta Ag Expo.

Bolivar County Extension agent Craig Hankins is chairman for the 2014 event, which will be from 8:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. Jan. 23 and from 8:30 a.m. until noon Jan. 24 in Cleveland.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The Mississippi State University School of Human Sciences will host local community leaders at an informational meeting to gauge interest in its Japan Outreach Initiative.

The meeting will be from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. on Jan. 17 in room 210 of the Lloyd-Ricks-Watson Building on MSU’s Starkville campus.

PITTSBORO – What will be the next innovative sweet potato product found on grocery shelves across the county? Perhaps something invented by students at Mississippi State University.

Gary Jackson, director of the MSU Extension Service, launched the Sweet Potato Innovation Challenge at the Sweet Potato Council’s annual meeting Jan. 10 in Calhoun County.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Learning something new or increasing existing skills may seem difficult to fit into a busy schedule, but online courses available through the Mississippi State University Extension Service make continuing education convenient.

MSU’s Center for Continuing Education offers more than 300 online courses in a variety of subject areas, such as accounting and finance, college readiness, design and composition, personal development, business, computer applications, law and legal, health care and medical, and writing and publishing.

Bouquets, corsages and floral arrangements are linked firmly with church weddings, but landscape plants can promote a romantic atmosphere at outdoor nuptials, too.

There are several landscape and garden plants with romantic symbolism that last through the year. Consider gomphrena, a great choice for cut flower arrangements because when dried, it keeps its flower color. Not only is it a visual representation of an unfading love, it’s also pretty in the landscape for months.

STONEVILLE -- Producers interested in the latest research-based irrigation information are invited to attend one of four workshops hosted by the Mississippi State University Extension Service.

Extension irrigation specialist Jason Krutz, who also works with the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, will discuss the PHAUCET, or Pipe Hole and Universal Crown Evaluation Tool, program; surge valves; moisture meters and other irrigation tools on these dates:

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Planning a wedding can be overwhelming, but some couples are using apps to help reduce stress and improve organization.

Engaged couples can find dozens of free wedding-planning apps, said Mariah Smith, assistant professor in the Extension Center for Technology Outreach. Brides and grooms can use these apps for tasks such as organizing guest lists, wedding registries and to-do lists.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Websites and social media are providing couples with creative ideas for reception foods and themes reflecting their personalities and love for friends and family.

Sylvia Byrd, professor of food science, nutrition and health promotion at Mississippi State University, said fewer receptions offer only the cake, nuts, mints and punch that were popular in the 1950s and ’60s or the heavy appetizers of the 1970s and ’80s.

JACKSON – An elaborate ceremony punctuated with a white dress and gift registry is no longer reserved for couples marrying for the first time.

“With about 40 percent of couples remarrying, our society has become more accustomed to second marriages,” said Carla Stanford, a Mississippi State University Extension Service agent in Pontotoc County. “In the past, if either member of the couple had been married before, there was not a lot of pomp and circumstance surrounding the marriage. But today, people may go all out.”

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Debt may be the last thing on couples’ minds as they plan their weddings, but bringing it into a marriage can cause some very unromantic stress.

According to the Mississippi Economic Policy Center, the average credit card debt in Mississippi is $6,000 per borrower. Add to that an average student loan debt of $24,000 per college graduate, and it’s easy to see how many couples headed to the altar drag a lot of debt into the new relationships.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – With some time and effort, savvy brides and grooms can save money by planning a backyard wedding or reception with a do-it-yourself landscape.

Several Mississippi State University Extension Service landscape experts offered ideas for simple and cost-effective ways to create a unique wedding setting, no matter how many weeks or months away the special day may be.