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News From 2013

August 19, 2013 - Filed Under: Technology, Health

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Mississippians looking for more information about how to better care for themselves and their families have a new resource available online.

Fall-flowering mums come in many warm colors to complement almost any home color scheme. (Photo by MSU Extension Service/Gary Bachman)
August 19, 2013 - Filed Under: Lawn and Garden, Flower Gardens

Even though we are still in the grip of summer’s heat and humidity, garden centers soon will start stocking gorgeous, flowering fall mums. Start planning now where to use these plants most effectively in the landscape.

Incorporating fall garden mums into your landscape is easy.

One of the most popular ways to display these beautiful plants is to simply place them in a big container on the front porch. The many warm colors available can fit into almost any home color scheme. The plants seem to have hundreds of flowers, so the impact is immediate.

Ample summer rains have provided this cow with plenty of grass in her Oktibbeha County pasture on Aug. 16, 2013. (Photo by MSU Ag Communications/Linda Breazeale)
August 16, 2013 - Filed Under: Beef

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Rains are taking some feed-cost pressure off Mississippi cattle producers as the end of summer approaches.

Jane Parish, beef specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said summer droughts often reduce hay yields, and the resulting sparse grass in pastures can trigger hay feedings before the first frost hits. This year, rains across most of the state have had the opposite effect and kept grass abundant.

Regions Bank representatives, from left, Brad Jones, Walt Stephens and Alan Sims join Mississippi State University forest products professor Phillip Steele as he accepts the Superior Faculty Award for research from Greg Bohach, vice president for the Division of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine on Aug. 2. Regions Bank pledged $50,000 over five years to fund DAFVM awards for exceptional merit in five areas: teaching, research, Extension and outreach, service, and international collaboration. (Ph
August 16, 2013 - Filed Under: Community

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Mississippi State University’s Division of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine recently honored five faculty members with the Regions Bank-DAFVM Superior Faculty Awards in a new program designed to highlight exemplary work in five key areas.

James Warnock, associate professor of biomedical engineering program in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, received the Teaching Award for his innovative teaching methods and commitment to his students. He has been a faculty member at MSU for eight years.

August 15, 2013 - Filed Under: Animal Health, Pets

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Veterinary students will join a diverse group of public health and veterinary experts in late September to explore successes and challenges in rabies prevention on both local and global scales.

The Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine will host the sixth annual Merial Rabies Symposium on World Rabies Day, Sept. 28.

This year’s symposium is themed “Protecting Animals, People and Our Future.” Activities will take place from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Wise Center in Starkville.

August 15, 2013 - Filed Under: Peanuts

CLARKSDALE -- Mississippi peanut growers can hear the latest research-based recommendations and get close looks at demonstration plots in Coahoma County during a Sept. 6 field day.

The Mississippi State University Extension Service will host the North Mississippi Peanut Field Day beginning at 9 a.m. on the Mattson Flowers Farm, located at the intersection of Highway 322 and Highway 49.

August 14, 2013 - Filed Under: Technology, About Extension

MISSISSIPPI STATE – A new app from the Mississippi State University Extension Service connects the expertise of more than 150 county agents to clients wherever they are.

The Mississippi Extension Service Directory is a free app available for Apple products, including the iPhone, iPad and iPod, through the app store. Users can search the directory by county, region and agent’s name. Clients can launch an in-app phone call or view a map to the county office.

Betsy Padgett, Holmes County Extension agent, and Christina Meriwether, Leflore County Extension agent, learn how to program robots at Mississippi State University's 4-H Robotics Academy on Aug. 13, 2013. (Photo by MSU Ag Communications/Kat Lawrence)
August 14, 2013 - Filed Under: Technology, Family, STEM – Science Technology Engineering and Math

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Although robots do dangerous and repetitive tasks and provide automation in industry, it was their role as really good teaching tools that drew trainers to Mississippi State University in early August.

The MSU Extension Service’s Center for Technology Outreach hosted the 4-H Robotics Academy Aug. 11-15. The center partnered with NASA and the University of Mississippi’s Center for Mathematics and Science Education to offer five days of robotics training at basically no charge. MSU’s Bagley College of Engineering was also involved.

August 12, 2013 - Filed Under: Beef

HATTIESBURG – Mississippi cattle producers continue to go online to connect with livestock markets throughout the country.

The sixth annual Mississippi Homeplace Producers’ Sale was broadcast live to viewers across the state and nation Aug. 5 from Southeast Mississippi Livestock in Hattiesburg. Since 2008, the sale has been conducted with the assistance of Mississippi State University’s Extension Service.

Place window boxes on a stepladder-type design for gardening that requires no bending. (Photo by MSU Extension Service/Gary Bachman)
August 12, 2013 - Filed Under: Lawn and Garden, Flower Gardens, Vegetable Gardens

Daily heat indexes routinely above the century mark make indoor air conditioning feel really fantastic and outdoor activities a challenge, but I’ve recently joined the ranks of gardeners who face a challenge unrelated to the weather.

Currently, I’m a frustrated gardener who wants to get out into the heat and tinker in the garden. I had a total knee replacement in July, and I need assistance with normal daily activities, let alone the landscape.

Rocky Lemus, forage specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, examines stem maggot damage on the tips of bermudagrass growing in research plots in the forage unit at the Henry H. Leveck Animal Research Farm in Starkville on Aug. 7, 2013. (Photo by MSU Ag Communications/Linda Breazeale)
August 9, 2013 - Filed Under: Forages, Insects-Forage Pests

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Forage producers and their livestock are not the only ones admiring the plentiful bermudagrass fields and pastures across the state this year.

Another invasive insect has arrived in Mississippi, this time to take a bite out of potentially strong hay yields. Stem maggots are joining the list of invasive species in the state that includes fire ants, fall armyworms, kudzu bugs, and once upon a time, boll weevils.

From left, Ramona Edge, Itawamba County Extension coordinator, and Shelaine Pennington, Prentiss County Extension coordinator, learn how to make a flat pattern Aug. 1 during the annual Master Clothing Volunteers conference at Mississippi State University. (Photo by MSU Extension Center for Technology Outreach/Mariah Smith)
August 9, 2013 - Filed Under: Technology, Family, Mississippi Homemaker Volunteers

By Kaitlyn Byrne
MSU Office of Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- A social media workshop recently taught Mississippi’s Master Clothing Volunteers how to reach out to new members through Facebook and Pinterest.

August 9, 2013 - Filed Under: Family, Food Safety

MISSISSIPPI STATE – A successful tailgate party requires a winning game plan for the food, not just for the football game that follows.

Food safety experts say one in six people gets a food-borne illness each year. While most of these incidents do not require hospitalization and are even blamed on a stomach bug or 24-hour virus, these illnesses are avoidable.

August 8, 2013 - Filed Under: Sweet Potatoes

PONTOTOC – Sweet potato growers, crop consultants and other agricultural professionals can learn about recent weed, insect and disease control research during an upcoming field day.

Researchers and specialists with Mississippi State University’s Extension Service and the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment station will host the event Aug. 22 at the Pontotoc Ridge-Flatwoods Branch Experiment Station located at 8320 Highway 15 South.

August 8, 2013 - Filed Under: Technology, Family, Children and Parenting

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Back to school time means homework, and homework today typically means at least some time spent in front of a computer.

While the Internet has long been used for research, today it frequently offers tutoring, drills and games aimed at brushing up the skills learned in class.

Carla Stanford, an agent with the Mississippi State University Extension Service in Pontotoc County, said careful parents and students can often find help with problem assignments or concepts that are particularly difficult to master.

August 6, 2013 - Filed Under: Food

MISSISSIPPI STATE —Two Mississippi State University food science graduate students took top prizes for poster presentations at the Institute of Food Technologists Annual Meeting and Food Expo in Chicago.

Yan Zhao placed first in the Muscle Foods Division competition for her research on food safety in aging dry-cured hams. Her research looked at not only keeping the food safe but also at the effects different processes have on flavor and sensory quality.

August 5, 2013 - Filed Under: Poultry

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Two Mississippi State University poultry science graduate students took home honors from the Poultry Science Association annual meeting.

Mississippi State University faculty Lori Elmore-Staton and MSU Extension Service family life specialist Cassandra Kirkland discuss sleep strategies with Santee Ezell of Starkville at a family health workshop hosted by the Brickfire Project. (Photo by MSU Ag Communications/Scott Corey)
August 5, 2013 - Filed Under: Family, Children and Parenting, Health

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Getting enough sleep can significantly improve a child’s readiness for school and general well-being.

Mississippi State University researchers recently took on a project at a local child care center to offer research-based strategies for developing healthier families. One of those strategies is developing bedtime routines to ease kids into sleep.

Golden Thryallis makes a great background for other plants in a flowering perennial border. When mass-planted, it looks outstanding as a large-scale ground cover. (Photo by MSU Extension Service/Gary Bachman)
August 5, 2013 - Filed Under: Lawn and Garden, Flower Gardens

If you’re the kind of gardener who likes to plan now for what to plant next year, here’s another plant to add to your list: Golden Thryallis.

This plant starts flowering in early June and continues through fall if higher temperatures linger. It has stand-out yellow flowers that really draw attention in the landscape. The bright and cheery flowers appear in clusters that are up to 6 inches long.

If you’re like me, you’ll enjoy Golden Thryallis for more than its flowers. Even the branches are attractive.

Trent Irby, soybean specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, evaluates the maturity of soybean plants on Aug. 2, 2013, in a research plot located at the R.R. Foil Plant Science Research Center in Starkville, Miss. (Photo by MSU Ag Communications/Linda Breazeale)
August 2, 2013 - Filed Under: Agricultural Economics, Soybeans

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The spring’s planting challenges and last year’s Midwest drought boosted soybean prices for a while, but the winds of change are starting to blow.

Brian Williams, agricultural economist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said the soybean market had been strong until mid-July. The market typically drops before harvest, but he said prices dropped a bit faster this year.

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