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News From 2020

Red and black fruit rise vertically above green leaves.
August 3, 2020 - Filed Under: Other Vegetables, Flower Gardens

Last week, I told you about culinary peppers that I like to grow and ultimately consume. This week, I want to share another way to use peppers in our second summer garden and landscape.

Side-by-side images showing exterior packaging materials and close-up seed packet.
July 29, 2020 - Filed Under: Agriculture, Lawn and Garden

Mississippians are urged not to open or plant packets of unknown seeds that are appearing unsolicited in mailboxes, seemingly shipped from China. Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Andy Gipson urged state residents who receive the seeds to report them immediately. The Bureau of Plant Industry’s phone number is 662-325-3390.

A person carrying a black bag marked with census information approaches the front door of a house.
July 29, 2020 - Filed Under: 2020 Census

The laid-back way of life in Mississippi has a downside when it leads to very low U.S. Census participation: Inaccurate population counts can cause the state to lose money, political representation and participation in beneficial programs.

July 29, 2020 - Filed Under: Agriculture

Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Andy Gipson instructs anyone receiving packages of unsolicited seeds from China, or any foreign country, in recent days to immediately contact the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce’s Bureau of Plant Industry by phoning (662) 325-3390. Those receiving the seeds are instructed to hold onto the seeds and packaging, including the mailing label, until someone from MDAC’s Bureau of Plant Industry contacts you with further instructions. Do not plant seeds from unknown origins.

Three students wear face masks as they sit at their desks.
July 28, 2020 - Filed Under: Health and Wellness, Family, Children and Parenting, Health, Coronavirus

Parents can help children understand how to stay healthy at school amid the COVID-19 pandemic as they prepare for the start of the academic year.

A slender, green pepper sits atop a collection of yellow, red and orange peppers.
July 27, 2020 - Filed Under: Other Vegetables, Flower Gardens

It’s the end of July, and much of my vegetable garden is a distant memory due to the summer heat and humidity. But I’m always encouraged by the production I enjoy from my pepper plants.

A large, peach-colored flower blooms wide open against dark-green leaves.
July 20, 2020 - Filed Under: Flower Gardens

I’m staying with the theme of second summer this week because I was out in my landscape early this morning taking care of a task that was hard to do but inevitable.

Large nets converge on a boat with two men aboard.
July 17, 2020 - Filed Under: Catfish, Catfish Marketing, Coronavirus

Cash flow challenges are the latest struggle for Mississippi catfish producers, as product sales to their biggest consumers -- restaurants -- are way down due to COVID-19.

July 16, 2020 - Filed Under: Food and Health, Food Safety

A Mississippi State University Extension Service food safety specialist has been selected to serve on the Executive Advisory Board of the Food Safety Preventive Controls Alliance.

July 15, 2020 - Filed Under: Food and Health, Health, AIM for CHangE, Nutrition

David Buys, associate professor in MSU’s Department of Food Science, Nutrition and Health Promotion and state health specialist with the MSU Extension Service, is being honored as a fellow of the Gerontological Society of America.

Bright-green leaves with ruffled edges fill the entire frame.
July 13, 2020 - Filed Under: Flower Gardens

A couple of weeks ago, I gave you my thoughts on the second summer season in our Mississippi landscapes and gardens. In my vegetable garden, the harvest output of my heirloom tomatoes and pickling cucumbers is declining, and I am taking these plants out. But my peppers are stepping up and providing my family with a bounty of brightly colored fruit.

A woman looks on while a young boy writes on a piece of paper.
July 7, 2020 - Filed Under: Family, Children and Parenting, Coronavirus

Parents dealing with COVID-19 closings are working daily to find safe child care for young children when most of the traditional summer options are gone.

Rows of peanut plants.
July 6, 2020 - Filed Under: Agriculture, Agricultural Economics, Corn, Cotton, Peanuts, Rice, Soybeans, Wheat, Forages

Cotton and corn acreage in Mississippi are more than 30% below March projections, while growers of soybeans and peanuts planted much more than initially forecasted.

A cluster of unopened buds is seen next to blooms rising from burgundy foliage.
July 6, 2020 - Filed Under: Flower Gardens

One of my landscape joys is growing plants that share their big flowers with me.

A faucet with water flowing.
July 1, 2020 - Filed Under: Children and Parenting, Creating Healthy Indoor Childcare Environments, Water, SipSafe

Two simple, daily steps can protect Mississippi’s youngest citizens from lead poisoning. Jason Barrett, an assistant Extension professor in the Mississippi Water Resources Research Institute, said lead in drinking water can harm children’s health. But flushing faucets each morning and using cold water for cooking and preparing baby bottles can greatly reduce exposure.

Tomatoes line a branch in two rows, with colors ranging from red to green.
June 29, 2020 - Filed Under: Flower Gardens, Vegetable Gardens

Each year as we approach Independence Day, my landscape and garden begin a transition to what I like to call “second summer.” This is due to the heat and humidity that set in anywhere from late April to mid-May.

A man wearing a baseball cap reaches toward a green tomato growing on a large, caged plant.
June 29, 2020 - Filed Under: Other Vegetables, Lawn and Garden, Vegetable Gardens, Youth Gardening

Knowing that many Mississippians share a love for home-grown tomatoes, two Mississippi State University Extension Service agents designed programs just for them.

June 25, 2020 - Filed Under: Agriculture, Agricultural Economics

Three Mississippi State University agricultural economists contributed to a national academic report on the effects of COVID-19 on food and agricultural markets.

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