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News From 2010

January 28, 2010 - Filed Under: Peanuts, Community

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Three truckloads of peanut butter are headed to the hungry survivors of Haiti’s earthquake, and a portion of this donation was made by generous Mississippi peanut growers.

The Peanut Butter for Haiti project was initiated by Early County 2055, a non-profit organization in Georgia, but the program quickly spread to Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. The Mississippi Peanut Growers’ Association is part of efforts that have generated $100,000 in donation pledges as of the end of January.

Big Train A' Comin, a 3-year-old bay thoroughbred, is available to horse owners wanting to breed their mares to Mississippi State University's new, top-pedigree stallion. (Photo compliments of MSU Ag Communications)
January 28, 2010 - Filed Under: Agriculture, Livestock, Equine

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Horse owners can look to Mississippi State University for their mares’ reproductive services from quality studs including a new, top-pedigree thoroughbred stallion.

West Coast businessman Neal Jones donated Big Train A’ Comin, a 3-year-old bay stallion. He is the son of Giant’s Causeway, the 1997 European Horse of the Year, and Snowfire, also a past winner in European races. His arrival comes more than a year after MSU lost its top stallion, Minister Slew, to a catastrophic leg injury during a severe thunderstorm.

January 28, 2010 - Filed Under: Greenhouse Tomatoes

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Greenhouse tomato growers and people with an interest in this business should mark their calendars for the 20th annual greenhouse tomato short course to be held in Raymond March 9-10.

The intensive, one-of-a-kind short course is dedicated to helping producers of greenhouse tomatoes. Mississippi is home to about 100 growers who produce a $6 million greenhouse tomato crop annually.

Rick Snyder, Mississippi State University professor and vegetable specialist in Crystal Springs, is organizing the short course.

January 28, 2010 - Filed Under: Agriculture, Farming

MISSISSIPPI STATE – The South’s already long growing season can be extended by high-tunnel production, a low-cost technique that is new to many Mississippians.

Mississippi State University is offering the High Tunnel Field Day on March 11 from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in Crystal Springs at the MSU Truck Crops Experiment Station. Registration includes lunch and is $15 by March 1 and $25 per person after that.

January 28, 2010 - Filed Under: Women for Agriculture

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Mississippi Women in Agriculture will hold its annual state conference March 11-12 at Mississippi State University with an agenda that continues the program’s goal to improve business skills of farm owners and managers.

The conference will be at the Bost Extension Center on the MSU campus. Registration is $100 and due by March 4. Topics include legal trends, leadership, groundwater regulations, climate change and alternative energy.

January 25, 2010 - Filed Under: Landscape Architecture

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Those with a desire to learn the latest in a variety of landscape maintenance topics will have a chance to do so in a two-day short course offered through  Mississippi State University and the University of Arkansas.

The 2010 Landscape Short Course will be held Feb. 18-19 at the Desoto County Board of Education Building in Hernando. It is jointly sponsored by the MSU Extension Service and the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.

January 21, 2010 - Filed Under: Wildlife Youth Education

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Several wildlife groups will assist in a Feb. 13 youth event in an effort to lay the foundation for safe and responsible hunting.

Mississippi State University’s Department of Wildlife and Fisheries in the College of Forest Resources is offering a squirrel hunt for young people. The hunt will take place at the Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge, located southeast of Starkville.

Youth ages 16 years or younger are eligible to hunt. A parent, grandparent or guardian must attend with them. A hunting license is not necessary for this hunt. 

January 21, 2010 - Filed Under: Wildlife Youth Education, Northern Bobwhite Quail

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Young hunters will learn about quail hunting and conservation at two upcoming day-long events in Clarke and Clay counties.

Quail Forever is organizing the Feb. 27 and March 6 events with help from the Mississippi State University Extension Service, the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, and the 2009 Youth Participation Initiative Program. Applications for the limited openings are due by Feb. 10. Participation is free and open to youth ages 12 to 18. Lunch and dinner are provided.

January 21, 2010 - Filed Under: Turfgrass and Lawn Management

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Mississippi State University has launched a Web site to promote its development of high-quality turfgrass cultivars and help consumers find vendors for commercial varieties that result from this research.  

The site, http://www.msuturf.com, highlights several new and improved varieties of bermudagrass and St. Augustine grass researched and developed by the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station.

Students in a visual design class at Mississippi State University designed a collection of hats to thrill any fashionista. The hats will be part of a campus fashion show at semester's end. (Photo by Kat Lawrence)
January 21, 2010 - Filed Under: Community

By Patti Drapala
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Hats once were an essential element of a woman’s wardrobe, but some Mississippi State University students have reinvented this accessory as cutting edge fashion for their design class. 

Phyllis Bell Miller, MSU associate professor of apparel, textiles and merchandising, teaches a course every fall called Visual Design in Dress. Students learn basic design and marketing principles of fashion in this class. 

Winter is a good time to evaluate a landscape’s design features. Consider using edging to define beds and provide continuity. Large stones are used to edge this bed of purple ageratum. (Photo by Scott Corey)
January 21, 2010 - Filed Under: Lawn and Garden, Flower Gardens

Even though it’s cold outside, now is a good time to stroll through your yard with pencil and paper in hand, noting what worked and what didn’t in your landscape last year. Viewing it during the bare-bones winter season will help you see where changes should be made.

Now, I know you’re thinking you’re not a designer, but I say you are. This is your garden, so do what looks pleasing and functional to you. There is a tremendous amount of information on landscape design available in books and on the Internet, but you are the judge of what works for you.

Personnel at Mississippi State University's Delta Research and Extension Center in Stoneville harvest peanuts on Nov. 13, 2009, as part of a research study on insecticides. (Photo by Rebekah Ray/MSU Delta Research and Extension Center)
January 21, 2010 - Filed Under: Peanuts

By Rebekah Ray
Delta Research and Extension Center

STONEVILLE -- Peanuts have become a good commercial crop for Delta farmers, and Mississippi State University researchers are evaluating the effectiveness of a group of insecticides on hard-to-control pests that impact these little jewels.

Jennifer Burt, left, and Christine Barker, of Christine's Couture in Starkville, examine the intricate patterns of beading and lace that commonly adorn authentic designer wedding gowns. Handsewn embellishments like these are never seen on counterfeit dresses. (Photo by Scott Corey)
January 15, 2010 - Filed Under: Family, Family Dynamics, Family Financial Management

By Patti Drapala
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE – The Internet may be a great tool for finding wedding gown styles, but it is an unsatisfactory way to buy one because of fashion counterfeiters and fraudulent businesses lurking in cyberspace.

Wanda Cheek, associate professor of apparel, textiles and merchandising in Mississippi State University’s School of Human Sciences, is concerned about the burgeoning counterfeit industry. She is currently researching fashion counterfeit and leads many class discussions on the ramifications of this issue.

Mississippi State University florist manager Lynette McDougal and horticulture professor Jim DelPrince create a unique wedding arrangement of cymbidium orchids, lily grass, bear grass and feathers. (Photo by Kat Lawrence)
January 14, 2010 - Filed Under: Family, Family Dynamics

By Patti Drapala
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE – A bride who wants her wedding flowers to symbolize her personality and taste may want to work with a graduate of Mississippi State University’s floral management program.

Trendiness does not cut it with these professors, and weddings may never look the same again as more MSU graduates enter the workforce.

January 14, 2010 - Filed Under: Family, Family Financial Management

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Different priorities, philosophies and background experiences are among the reasons many couples cross swords over family finances, but several options exist to help reduce some of this conflict.

Bobbie Shaffett, family resource management specialist with Mississippi State University’s Extension Service, said programs, newsletters and publications are available to help couples address finances in a healthy manner.

January 14, 2010 - Filed Under: Family, Family Financial Management

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Marriage is all about new beginnings, and this beginning is the ideal time to take care of business related to the end.

A will is the legal document that specifies how a person’s assets and property are to be disbursed after death. A prenuptial agreement is a legal document that specifies the division of property and assets if a marriage is dissolved.

January 14, 2010 - Filed Under: Family, Family Dynamics, Nutrition

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Setting up housekeeping is a huge task for newly married couples, and young people with limited experience on their own can benefit from gift items for the kitchen.

Pamela Redwine, nutrition and food safety area agent with the Mississippi State University Extension Service in Yalobusha County, said every kitchen needs tools, but keep the personality of the user in mind when buying gifts for the kitchen.

A Nellie R. Stevens holly provides pleasing winter color to this home landscape, holding its abundant fruit through the dreary winter months. (Photo by Jeff Wilson)
January 14, 2010 - Filed Under: Lawn and Garden, Landscape Architecture

Numerous landscape plants have attractive foliage mixed with colorful berries, but few can match the brilliant luster of a holly.

The striking, dark green leaves of hollies provide a beautiful backdrop for their deep red and orange berries. Another reason these plants are so popular in the landscape is their ability to adapt to environmental conditions.

After insisting to go out, Precious the cat lets her Starkville owner know she needs to come back in from the cold. (Photo by MSU Ag Communications/Tom Thompson)
January 8, 2010 - Filed Under: Pets

By Patti Drapala
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE –Although many pets and livestock grow heavy winter coats and have thick foot padding, they still need human protection when temperatures drop.

Animal specialists at Mississippi State University have tips that pet owners and livestock producers can follow to keep their animals healthy and comfortable in extremely cold weather.

January 8, 2010 - Filed Under: Farm Safety, Community, Health

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Mississippians have experience coping with extreme heat, but the opposite end of the thermometer is unfamiliar and equally dangerous territory for them.

Jane Clary, health specialist with Mississippi State University’s Extension Service, said health and safety concerns increase when weather conditions go to extremes. The first step in coping with the conditions is to prepare for them.

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