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News From 2008

Mississippi Peanut Growers Association officers were elected at the organization's annual meeting. Elected for 2008 were, left to right, front row, Mike Steede, secretary, George County; Lonnie Fortner, vice president, Claiborne County; Clayton Lawrence, president, George County; back row, Joc Carpenter, Claiborne County; Van Hensarling, treasurer, Perry County; and Joe Morgan, Forrest County.
January 24, 2008 - Filed Under: Peanuts

HATTIESBURG -- More than 80 growers from all areas of the state gathered in Hattiesburg Jan. 22 for the second annual Mississippi Peanut Growers Association meeting and short course.

The number of producers attending the 2008 meeting doubled from 2007, said association president Clayton Lawrence of George County.

“The newness of this industry in Mississippi means there is a lot we still have to learn,” he said. “This meeting is an opportunity for our growers to learn from some of the best peanut researchers in the industry.”

This combination planting of dill and Black Knight buddleia has it all: wonderful fragrance and incredible nectar for butterflies and hummingbirds. The dill also provides a larval food source for the swallowtail butterfly.
January 17, 2008 - Filed Under: Lawn and Garden

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

More and more homeowners are sticking herbs or vegetables in their flower borders so they can snip a few leaves or flowers for culinary purposes. With that in mind, I've got another plant for everyone to consider.

Cormorants and pelicans need about 100 yards of open water to take off and land. Jim Steeby, Extension aquaculture specialist with Mississippi State University, shows strings such as these placed across a pond about 60 yards apart that limit the open water available to the birds.
January 17, 2008 - Filed Under: Catfish

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi catfish producers want consumers to eat lots of their product, but when those consumers are predatory birds, it's time to get out and patrol the ponds.

Double-crested cormorants are large, black migratory seabirds that somewhat resemble ducks. They can be up to a yard long with a wingspan of more than 4 feet. They seem to have an endless appetite for fish, especially young pond-raised catfish.

January 15, 2008 - Filed Under: 4-H

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Volunteers make the many opportunities of 4-H available to the youth of Mississippi, and an upcoming conference is helping keep them ready for the job.

4-H volunteer adult leaders from across the state will gather Feb. 29 through March 2 at the Bost Extension Center at Mississippi State University for the state’s annual 4-H Volunteer Leaders’ Conference. This year’s theme is “4-H Volunteer POW WOW.” The deadline for registration is Feb. 1.

Jeff Gore
January 14, 2008 - Filed Under: Cotton, Insects-Crop Pests

By Robert H. Wells
Delta Research and Extension Center

STONEVILLE -- A Mississippi State University researcher is working to reduce a growing expense for Mississippi cotton farmers -- managing tarnished plant bugs.

“Some Delta cotton producers made as many as 15 insecticide applications for plant bugs in 2007,” said Jeff Gore, Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station research entomologist at MSU's Delta Research and Extension Center.

Big Red Judy, pictured here with Rose Stem Lace, is a large coleus with leaves that are a rich, vibrant red. The stems of Rose Stem Lace are this same color, making the two plants partner well in containers and landscapes.
January 10, 2008 - Filed Under: Flower Gardens

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

As you contemplate what plants to try when winter has finally run its course, let me recommend using a lot of colorful foliage. There are amazing choices available today in both leaf color and texture.

In our Mississippi State University trials last year, two coleuses attracted quite a bit of attention. Both were planted in full sun, but they would do equally well in filtered light.

January 10, 2008 - Filed Under: Catfish

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Catfish sales soared years ago when producers began to consistently deliver delicious fillets to consumers, but they continue to fight the off-flavor problem.

With today's tight markets and strong international competition, it is especially important for farmers to deliver a high-quality product to the marketplace as efficiently as possible.

Terry Hanson, an agricultural economist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said off-flavor is a very serious problem for the farm-raised catfish industry.

January 10, 2008 - Filed Under: Animal Health

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Mississippi State University’s Animal Health Center continued its tradition of exceeding its previous accreditation score when the American Animal Hospital Association conducted its review in 2007.

TEAM logo
January 10, 2008 - Filed Under: 4-H

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The Mississippi State University Extension Service’s 4-H therapeutic riding program is taking applications for riders and volunteers.

The spring session will run each Tuesday from March 25 through April 29, and classes are conducted at the Mississippi Horse Park. Rider applications and volunteer information forms can be found at the MSUcares.com Web site. Volunteer training is March 18.

4-H Clover
January 10, 2008 - Filed Under: 4-H

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Four qualified 4-Hers will have a unique opportunity to see state government in action as they briefly work at the state capitol in March.

The Mississippi State University Extension Service 4-H program and the Center for Governmental Training and Technology are recruiting youth to serve in the Legislative Page Internship Program March 17-21. The youth will serve as pages in either the Mississippi Senate or House of Representatives for one week during the 2008 legislative session.

This garden offers an almost endless supply of ideas for 2008 plant options. Beginning with the plants closest to the camera, enjoy the combinations of Diamond Frost euphorbia, Evergold sedge, Intensia Neon Pink phlox, Victoria Blue salvia and Red Abyssinian banana.
January 3, 2008 - Filed Under: Lawn and Garden

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

As we enter the New Year, most of us have planted everything we are going to plant until spring, making this a time for reflecting on how things went the past growing season and to plan for next year's flower border.

Last summer, we were filming our Southern Gardening TV news segment at a site with beautiful bedding plants. If I made a poster of the photo I took and put a title on the picture, it would be something like “Adjectives and Accolades.”

The M12H harvester at the Hobson Plantation was produced in the late 1940s. It was among the second generation of commercially successful cotton pickers to hit the market. Hopson Plantation was the site of field tests for mechanical pickers from the 1920s through the 1940s. (Photo by Bob Ratliff)
January 3, 2008 - Filed Under: Cotton

CLARKSDALE -- Covered only with a coat of rust and adorned with a string of lights from a Christmas past, the vintage machine sitting on the edge of Highway 49 near Clarksdale is a reminder of a revolution that took place in southern agriculture more than 60 years ago.

The M12H International Harvester cotton picker was produced in the late 1940s and was among the second generation of commercially successful cotton pickers to hit the market. It is located on the Hopson Plantation, the site of field tests for mechanical pickers from the 1920s through the 1940s.

Alan Blaine
January 3, 2008 - Filed Under: About Extension

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Alan Blaine of Starkville has been named the winner of Farm Bureau’s Distinguished Service Award for 2007 at the organization’s annual meeting on Nov. 29.

Blaine serves as the head of the North Mississippi Research and Extension Center in Verona. He is recognized as one of the top soybean specialists in the United States.

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