News From 2012

STONEVILLE – Two upcoming field days at Mississippi State University’s Delta Research and Extension Center will showcase the latest research on soybeans, corn and rice.

On July 19, MSU Extension Service specialists and Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station researchers will focus on soybeans and corn during presentations and field tours. Rice will be the topic on July 31.

When the Mississippi summer really heats up, lantana is one of my go-to plants. Lantana is a brilliant plant that provides consistently bright colors and nonstop blooming through the summer into fall.

While many of the older lantana selections are large landscape plants, I really like the newer selections that have a smaller growth potential. These smaller plants open up entirely new growing options.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – June’s frequent rains and cool nighttime temperatures seem custom-made for corn, and the result is optimistic farmers looking at a great crop with tremendous yield potential.

Erick Larson, grain crops agronomist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said the crop is as much as 10 days early and looking good.

“We’ve had a lot of favorable conditions lately that should be very beneficial and will hopefully lead to a more productive crop than we’ve seen in the last few years,” Larson said.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Bugs provoke shudders or shrieks from most people, but Matthew Thorn seeks them out.

Two years ago, Thorn’s hobby led him to discover the Japanese Rock Pool Mosquito in Mississippi. The mosquito had never before been reported in the state. He collected the insect in its larva stage in Itawamba County. After the adult emerged, he identified it and was shocked by his findings.

By Kaitlyn Byrne
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Pet owners should make finding pet-friendly emergency shelters a priority, as these shelters are safe havens for all “family” members during evacuations caused by hurricanes or other threats.

JACKSON – The quest to improve Mississippian’s lives through digital literacy and better Internet access got a boost on June 8.

Mississippi State University’s Extension Broadband Education and Adoption Team, or e-BEAT, and the Mississippi Library Commission announced a partnership that will provide education and support at local libraries for citizens interested in computers and the Internet. The partnership will officially begin July 1.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Veterinary technicians wanting to enhance their dental skills should plan to attend the Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine veterinary technician dental training Aug. 18.

The one-day course will be from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. at MSU-CVM’s Wise Center in Starkville. The course is designed to develop competency and cover basic to advanced companion animal dental care. Experts will present lectures, and attendees will participate in hands-on exercises. Participants can earn eight continuing education credit hours.

Home renovation projects always look easier on television than in reality. Viewers may never see the teams of professionals brought in to do the real work.

This past week, my brother and I discovered that a surprise renovation project for our parents could have gone smoother if we had used a few home-renovation apps in the process. We decided to take the plunge and surprise our parents by updating their kitchen while they were out of town, and some basic apps could have made a difference in our results.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – While some college students struck out in their employment searches this summer, one Mississippi State University student has two full-time jobs.

“I’ve been working from sunup to sundown every summer since I was 14, and this summer I’m farming and interning,” said James Locke, an MSU senior majoring in agriculture science. “School feels like a vacation to me.”

GRENADA – Individuals and families can learn skills needed to survive the current economy during an upcoming seminar on asset building.

Asset Building: Pathway to Household Financial Stability” will take place from 8:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. June 26 at the Grenada County Extension Office. Registration is required by June 20 for the free event. A continental breakfast and lunch will be provided.

Yellow is a cheerful color that mixes and matches well in summer gardens. If your garden needs this versatile color, try Coreopsis, a tough group of plants that provides beautiful yellow and golden flowers from early summer to well into fall.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – A forest and wildlife management specialist at Mississippi State University has been named the national Extension Forester of the Year by the Forest Landowners Association.

Don Bales of Purvis, a senior Extension associate in MSU’s College of Forest Resources and certified wildlife biologist, received the honor at the organization’s recent annual meeting in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. His office is located in the MSU Extension Service’s Southeast District Forestry Office in Lamar County.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – When the school bell rings for the last time, many children have furry friends eagerly awaiting summertime outdoor adventures. Proper veterinary care and good hygiene can help keep pets and kids parasite-free.

“As we spend time outdoors, we expose ourselves to fleas, ticks, mosquitoes and internal parasites, such as hookworms, roundworms and tapeworms more frequently,” said Dr. Jody Ray, assistant clinical professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine at Mississippi State University.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – A mild winter and unusually productive spring means Mississippi dairy farmers are enjoying good milk yield from their cows, but low prices and high input costs are making profits scarce.

Lamar Adams, dairy cattle specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said production costs are at or near record highs and milk prices are down about 21 percent from last year primarily due to high levels of domestic and global milk production.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Some Mississippi gardeners who took advantage of this year’s early spring are already eating the results of their efforts.

Lelia Kelly, consumer horticulture specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said garden plants are at least two weeks ahead of schedule across the state. Some are even earlier than that.

JACKSON – City dwellers do not have to move to the country to enjoy colorful birds, butterflies and other wild animals if they build a backyard wildlife habitat.

“The No. 1 reason people consider a backyard wildlife habitat is for the enjoyment they get from watching wildlife,” said Ty Jones, Madison County director with Mississippi State University’s Extension Service. “But in metropolitan areas, wildlife-friendly landscapes also give animals small pockets of refuge.”

MISSISSIPPI STATE – They help cucumbers grow straight, increase fruit yields and make the colorful fields of flowers possible -- they are pollinators, and a few simple plantings can make a home garden a haven for these important creatures.

The hot days of summer are here, and children everywhere are lining up for snow cones, heading out to summer camps and splashing around in pools. While these lazy days are fun, recent statistics suggest that children can forget up to two months’ worth of knowledge from school over the summer. Unfortunately, teachers have to spend four to six weeks at the beginning of the school year re-teaching children what they forgot during their break.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – This summer’s jam-packed 4-H schedule finishes out another full year of activities for the youth development program of the Mississippi State University Extension Service.

Close to 96,000 Mississippi youth are involved in 4-H this year. They learn, participate and compete in a variety of areas. 4-H’ers can be involved in ATV safety training and shooting sports, grilling and food safety, livestock shows and forestry events, weeds and seeds, robotics, photography, fashion and numerous other program areas.

Mint is one of those plants that gardeners both love and hate at the same time.

Many gardeners love the sweet fragrance they smell when they brush against the mint foliage. They also find mint iced tea to be delicious or a mint julep to be a sure-fire summer time refreshment.

But in the landscape, mint grows aggressively and can quickly take over an area. I’ve heard people say -- hopefully in jest -- that the only way to control mint in the landscape is to move.