News From 2016

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- A person with extensive knowledge of bugs can almost tell the date by paying careful attention to what is going on in the insect world.

Right now, soon-to-emerge tomato fruitworms tell observers spring is around the corner. Gardeners frequently encounter pupas of various caterpillars when digging in the garden or flower bed. Identifying these seasonal insects can be difficult.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- A Mississippi State University student team’s business venture may be one solution to nutritional deficiencies the state’s schoolchildren face.

The team of students in MSU Department of Food Science, Nutrition and Health Promotion proposed a business to produce a cost-effective, sweet-potato-based powder they have named “Panacea.”

Team members include junior Morgan Von Staden of Olive Branch, Mississippi; graduate student Liz Ivey of Cumming, Georgia; and graduate student Hector Portillo of Sarasota, Florida.

What does a warm, early-spring weekend and home gardeners itching to get out and plant something add up to? You’re correct if you answered all kinds of plants ready to go on the racks at your local garden center.

Now, I wasn’t out plant shopping this weekend, but that’s exactly what I saw during my trip to pick up new fence pickets to make some repairs.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- The foundation of a healthy marriage rests on the solid ground of communication.

Karen Benson, an agent of the Mississippi State University Extension Service in Neshoba County who conducts family life programs, said couples are able to grow closer emotionally when they open up about their hopes and needs.

“Conflict is inevitable, but marriage does not have to be a struggle,” she said. “We learn to negotiate and learn more about ourselves when we work out solutions to conflicts.”

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Mississippi growers are relying on seed technologists to address issues related to their crops before the 2016 season begins.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Having too many weeds in a pond is the bane of many Mississippi pond owners.

Pond weeds start growing early, as soon as day length and water temperatures allow. Don’t let them get out of hand! Start a weed management program before they become a problem to keep your pond picture perfect.

BILOXI, Miss. -- Food safety professionals can earn the necessary certification to meet new provisions in the Food Safety Modernization Act next month during a three-day course on the Gulf Coast.

The Mississippi State University Extension Service is hosting a Food Safety Preventative Controls Alliance course March 22-24 in collaboration with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

PORT GIBSON, Miss. -- Mississippi farmers can learn about the Farm to School Program during an upcoming field day in Claiborne County.

The Alliance for Sustainable Agricultural Production will hold its first on-farm field day of the year at the Claiborne County Career and Technical Center in Port Gibson on March 18.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Mississippi State University will host four conservation camps in June to promote interest in careers and activities in the outdoors.

The camps are offered by the MSU Extension Service and the MSU Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture.

POPLARVILLE, Miss. -- A free workshop for water well owners originally scheduled for Feb. 23 has been rescheduled for Feb. 29 because of predicted bad weather.

South Mississippi homeowners in small communities and rural areas without public water supplies can learn how to better manage, operate and protect their private wells during a program in Pearl River County.

VERONA, Miss. -- More than 230 commodity producers in northeast Mississippi shared their research and outreach needs with Mississippi State University Extension Service specialists, researchers and administrators during the annual Producer Advisory Council meeting Feb. 18.

The meeting is held each year on the third Thursday in February at the Lee County Agricenter and the MSU North Mississippi Research and Extension Center in Verona. Producers represented 13 commodity groups across 27 counties.

It’s that time of year when gardeners across the state start planning their vegetable gardens.

After I wrote last week about the heirloom tomato Cherokee Purple being chosen as a Mississippi Medallion winner, I’ve dreamed about the heirloom tomatoes destined to become my tasty chili and spaghetti sauce next winter.

VERONA, Miss. -- Mississippi entrepreneurs with agritourism or food enterprises are invited to take advantage of training Mississippi State University will offer March 10 and 11 in Verona.

The two-day workshop is “Growing Your Brand: Marketing Tools for Mississippi Agritourism and Local Foods.” To be held in conjunction with the Mississippi Agritourism Association annual meeting, the event will be conducted by the MSU Extension Service and other partners.

By James E. “Jim” Miller
Professor Emeritus, Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture
MSU Extension Service

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- As I have gotten older, I’ve noticed changes in my neck and spine have led me to walk more bent over. I’m not the only one; many biologists and naturalists I know walk the same way. Our eyes seem to scan the ground directly in front of us more deliberately than when we were younger.

RAYMOND, Miss. -- Approximately 180 central Mississippi agricultural producers and Mississippi State University experts met on Feb. 16 to discuss research and educational priorities for the upcoming year.

The Central Mississippi Producer Advisory Council Meeting provides a formal setting for producers and industry professionals to present input on research and educational programs offered by agents, specialists and researchers with the MSU Extension Service and Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station.

By Karen Templeton
MSU College of Veterinary Medicine

Flowood, Miss. -- Bridget Monk of Pearl has dealt with and overcome a great deal in her 16 years. But all difficulties were forgotten when her new puppy, Princess Paisley, was placed in her arms.

CANTON, Miss. -- Families in the Canton area have a new place to visit and borrow educational books, toys and games.

The grand opening of the Central Mississippi Resource and Referral Center will be Feb. 22 at 3 p.m. The center is located at 175 North Union Street in The Grand Old Post Office.

The Early Years Network, in collaboration with Excel By 5, invites parents, community members, and early education and care providers to stop by and meet the staff, see the resources available and learn more about services offered.

JACKSON, Miss. -- The Mississippi Animal Disaster Relief Fund (MADRF) received a grant from the nonprofit organization GreaterGood.org.

The MADRF was established during Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. As the number of displaced or injured pets and livestock increased after the disaster, the relief fund was established to help pay for the animals’ care. The fund later became a permanent resource to help animals affected by natural disasters.

As gardeners across the state are starting spring planting, I want to urge everyone to consider the plants selected as Mississippi Medallion winners for 2016: Serenita Angelonia, muscadine, rosemary, Drift roses and Cherokee Purple tomato.

BILOXI, Miss. -- Floral enthusiasts can learn about the formal Japanese tea ceremony, Japanese floral design and Mississippi tea production during an upcoming demonstration in Biloxi.

In honor of International Women’s Day, Jim DelPrince, floral design specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, along with Judson LeCompte and Chieko Iwata will present Tea and Floral Design: The Art and Science of Tea from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on March 8.

The program will be at the MSU Coastal Research and Extension Center located at 1815 Popps Ferry Road.