News From 2000

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Normally, hay growers do not get nervous about a drought until July, but this is not likely to be a normal year.

The last soaking rain is a vague memory for most growers and by mid-May, conditions were more like July.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

Every state has wildflowers they boast about, and Mississippi can certainly hold its head high in this category as well. Flowers like the coreopsis and spigelia, or Indian Pinks, have been awesome. The Stokes' Aster is one of my favorite wildflowers budding up now and showing color in many gardens.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- When Mississippians need information, the Extension Service is ready with a variety of tools to get the facts into their hands.

When personal knowledge falls short, they can turn to the Mississippi State University Extension Service. Extension is the arm of the state's land-grant institution responsible for taking the knowledge of the university to the people of the state. It does this through agents in each county, short courses, field days, demonstrations, workshops and Internet resources.

By Rebekah Ray

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Seaweed may be an anomaly in North Mississippi, but animal researchers at the Prairie Research Unit in Monroe County are using this marine algae to improve production of the state's beef cattle.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Late freezes and a predicted light pecan crop are dampening prospects for Mississippi's fruit and nut growers, but growers haven't given up on the year.

Freddie Rasberry, horticulture specialist with Mississippi State University's Extension Service, said last year had the potential of being the state's best pecan year since the 1994 ice storm caused extensive damage to Delta orchards. Because pecans ordinarily are alternate bearing fruit, bumper crops are often followed the next year by much smaller harvests.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Handing over a portion of profits may seem like bad business, but Mississippi farmers use checkoff programs to promote success in the future.

Checkoff programs are a form of self-tax that require producers by law to set aside a certain portion from each unit sold. This money is collected by the governing board and distributed for industry research and promotion.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

It seems the gardening world has gone crazy with arbors, trellises, towers, fences and more. Everyone is looking for perfect or unusual vines to drape or climb these structures. One of the best choices is the crossvine.

It is also called quartervine and is known botanically as Bignonia capreolata. It is hardy throughout the state. Bignonia comes from the name of King Louis IV's librarian.

By Suzanne Berry

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Milk. It does a body good, especially a dairy calf's body.

Recently completed research at the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station's Coastal Plain Branch in Newton has shown that immunity levels of newborn dairy calves that were tube-fed colostrum at birth were higher than those that nursed their mothers.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Grass, something Mississippi's climate is well-suited for growing, has become a serious cash crop to turf producers taking advantage of booming population centers.

By Rebekah Ray

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Historically plagued by Mother Nature and the whims of consumer demand, today's agricultural producers have more opportunities to receive advice on managing their risks and producing a profitable crop.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Better eggs mean better broilers, a fact that prompted one Mississippi State University researcher to look at what a hen must eat to lay these good eggs.

Mississippi's $1.5 billion poultry industry is the state's largest agricultural commodity. When even a small improvement is made in this business, the result is seen in millions of dollars.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

It can be considered a thornless rose for the shade. It could be thought of as a rose with virtually no disease or insect problems, or as a rose that blooms all season and never needs deadheading. While there is no such rose, the plant I refer to is the rose-form, or double, impatiens.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- What blueberries lack in size they make up for in their economic impact in Mississippi's economy.

Jerry Hutto, a blueberry grower in Waynesboro, said he believes there is more money in blueberries per acre than in any other crop. He estimated that there are 2,000 acres of commercial blueberries in Mississippi.

"In a good year, growers may average 7,000 to 8,000 pounds per acre. This year, we may produce 3,000 to 5,000 because of the late freeze," Hutto said. "Two good years in a five-year period will more than offset the bad years."

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

A Mississippi native has garnered top honors for the spring of 2000. When plants pour in from places like Australia, China and Japan, it is refreshing to announce one of the most beautiful shrubs in the United States, the oakleaf hydrangea, as a Mississippi Medallion winner.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi dairy and beef producers will benefit from efforts of Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station researchers attempting to synchronize ovulation in heifers to improve reproductive performance and increase profitability.

Methods are in place to synchronize estrous, or heat, but not to control ovulation, or release of the egg. Ovulation typically occurs 24 to 48 hours after a cow comes into heat.

By Suzanne Berry

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The overpopulation of domestic cats gone wild can cause health problems for humans and their pets, but with help from Mississippi State University's veterinary students, Tunica area residents can rest a little easier.

Non-sterilized domestic cats that have been abandoned by their owners produce wild offspring that likely never will have human contact. These wild offspring are referred to as feral cats.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi rice acreage is following national trends and dropping as prices for the crop being planted do not look better than they did last year.

Some farmers got into the fields to begin planting the second week of April, but rain postponed most state rice planting until the third week. Joe Street, rice specialist with Mississippi State University's Extension Service and rice researcher with the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, said the crop was about 25 percent planted by Good Friday.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

If you want your landscape or patio to look like French Martinique, the jewel of the Caribbean, you should try growing this year's Mississippi Medallion award-winning yellow shrimp plant.

The yellow shrimp plant, Pachystachys lutea, is the first tropical plant to receive the Mississippi Medallion award. These plants will bloom all summer and are so easy to grow you will be amazed. You may start hearing the tropical sounds of steel drums in the distance.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- "Walk up," "stand," "lie down" and "that'll do." Simple phrases spoken softly by one person and the working dog herds a group of animals like an expert.

In fact, sometimes the dog is the expert, but often the real brain at work is the experienced handler communicating directions to a canine companion.

Leroy Boyd, professor of animal and dairy science at Mississippi State University, has trained border collies since 1978 and helped trained handlers as well.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- In many Mississippi homes, pets are more than animals; they're part of the family.

About 47 percent of Mississippi's households own pets, according to a 1997 survey by Mississippi State University's Social Science Research Center. The survey, sponsored by the Mississippi Veterinary Medical Association, found that 39 percent of the homes had dogs and 22 percent owned cats.

While these loving creatures provide companionship and enjoyment for their owners, the owners have a responsibility to provide essential care for the pet's health and happiness.