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News From 2021

Graphic showing 2021 planting intentions
April 1, 2021 - Filed Under: Agriculture, Corn, Cotton, Rice, Soybeans

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Mississippi row crop growers are planning to plant more soybeans and corn in 2021 than they did last year but not as much cotton, rice or hay.

The National Agricultural Statistics Service, a branch of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, publishes its planting intentions report each year at the end of March. This report provides a state-by-state estimation of how many acres of corn, soybeans, wheat and cotton farmers will plant in the upcoming growing season.

A bee gathers pollen form a blueberry bloom.
March 31, 2021 - Filed Under: Commercial Fruit and Nuts, Fruit, Nutrition and Wellness, Nutrition

Mississippi’s recent bout of bad weather came at a critical time for producers of blueberries, the state’s largest commercial fruit crop. Blueberries can be easily damaged by cold weather, but the timing of mid-February’s icy weather limited the potential damage.

A few trees remain standing among an area with snapped off pines.
March 31, 2021 - Filed Under: Landscape Design and Management, Landscape and Garden Design, Landscape Management, Landscape Resources, Landscape Plants and Trees Diseases, Trees

Mississippi weather can damage trees in many ways, making it crucial to select wisely when choosing trees for the landscape.

Four images of sage are pictured in a grid.
March 29, 2021 - Filed Under: Flower Gardens

Salvia is one of the groups of plants that everyone should have in their landscape. This plant group has flowers with a wide-ranging color palette and different sizes. Salvias are loved -- by me especially -- because of their ability to attract pollinators, butterflies and hummingbirds.

March 25, 2021 - Filed Under: Health and Wellness, Healthy Homes Initiative, Mississippi Well Owner Network

 Private well workshops in four counties this spring will help homeowners improve their drinking water sources.

Six children stand in a hallway wearing paper masks depicting billy goats.
March 23, 2021 - Filed Under: MSU Extension Head Start

Harrison County parents who hope to give their pre-kindergarten children a boost in school are encouraged to enroll them now for the upcoming school year with the Mississippi State University Extension Service Head Start Program.

Clusters of round, red fruit and black fruit are held above black leaves.
March 22, 2021 - Filed Under: Flower Gardens

Some of my favorite late-summer annuals are the ornamental peppers. These tough plants have to survive the heat and humidity of our Mississippi summers before they become the stars of my summer landscape.

A wild gobbler turkey with brown and black feathers and a red head.
March 19, 2021 - Filed Under: Wildlife

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Nothing sends a charge of electricity up my spine quite like the boom of a gobbler sounding off in Mississippi woodlands. If you have ever had the privilege of hearing a male turkey gobbler announce his presence in Mississippi oak or hickory hardwood and pine forests, you’ll never forget it. 

Many hunters take to the woods during turkey season to experience this exhilaration and for the chance to glimpse the spectacle of a strutting gobbler in full display to attract turkey hens for mating.

March 19, 2021 - Filed Under: Farming, Forages

PINEY WOODS, Miss. -- Farmers preparing for the growing season will benefit from a wide variety of topics at the Alliance of Sustainable Farms field day March 29.

Subjects include spring preparations for grazing, growing quality hay, cover crops, and native plants and pollinators. Participants will also learn how to calibrate a no-till drill.

Yellow and purple flowers bloom from a green plant.
March 15, 2021 - Filed Under: Flower Gardens

We had another great weather weekend in the garden, and  I spent a couple of days catching up on getting my Urban Nano Farm ready for spring. I’m almost finished repairing my fence after it was redesigned by Hurricane Zeta last year

A tall, thick layer of mulch around the base of a tree.
March 8, 2021 - Filed Under: Lawn and Garden, Flower Gardens, Landscape and Garden Design, Landscape Plants and Trees Diseases

The glorious gardening weekend we just enjoyed was certainly welcome after the recent cold weather that kept us out of the landscape.

I took advantage of the perfect weather and started on garden chores I’ve been putting off. My main accomplishment, which has been on my list for a while, was putting down fresh layers of mulch. It felt good because I have been accumulating bags of mulch, and the neatly stacked pile was pretty big.

March 2, 2021 - Filed Under: Commercial Horticulture, Insects, Floral Design

Mississippi State University Extension Service personnel were honored in February for their work in support of horticultural science.

A plant has purple leaves.
March 1, 2021 - Filed Under: Flower Gardens

After going through that recent cold snap, the glorious weather this past weekend has me wanting spring to get here as fast as possible. Visiting garden centers and seeing all the herb transplants means I just may get my spring wish.

Tall grass protects water from invading dry land.
February 25, 2021 - Filed Under: Natural Resources, Environment

BILOXI, Miss. -- Most folks dream of owning a piece of shoreline property on a river, a lake or the Gulf Coast. There is something about looking out over the water that is hard to describe.

Additionally, recreational opportunities like fishing aren’t bad either.

If you’re fortunate enough to own a piece of shoreline property, the last thing you want to happen is for it to erode.

A woman reaches for a seed pod on a small tree.
February 25, 2021 - Filed Under: Master Gardener

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Registration opens March 1 for the newest class of Master Gardeners, who will receive their training online this year.

Master Gardeners are expert volunteers trained and certified in consumer horticulture and related areas by the Mississippi State University Extension Service. In exchange for 40 hours of educational training, participants are required to return 40 hours of volunteer service within one year of their training.

This year, all Master Gardener instruction is online and self-paced. The class begins May 1 and closes June 30.

A small clump of hairy-type plant material grows on a tree trunk.
February 22, 2021 - Filed Under: Flower Gardens, Landscape Plants and Trees Diseases

The great winter storm of 2021 is finally over, and now we can finally get out into our gardens to survey the damage. And my goodness: I am getting so many questions about whether this plant or that plant is going to make it.

A container of plants droop under a coating of frost.
February 15, 2021 - Filed Under: Flower Gardens

I have to admit that I can’t even remember the groundhog’s prediction when he was dragged out of his burrow in Punxsutawney, Pa., on Feb. 2. It seems we have experienced an entire year’s worth of weather conditions since that day.

A variety of different sized and colored containers rest on a bed of gravel.
February 8, 2021 - Filed Under: Flower Gardens

You may have figured out by now that I am passionate growing plants in containers. Everything in my coastal Mississippi landscape and garden grows in some form of container. Growing in containers gives me the sense of control I want in the garden.

February 8, 2021 - Filed Under: Agriculture

PINEY WOODS, Miss. -- The Alliance of Sustainable Farms is celebrating its 10-year anniversary and unveiling its new demonstration farm during a virtual field day Feb. 19.

The event will feature a virtual tour of the new farm located at the Piney Woods school in Rankin County, Miss.

Topics will include crop and variety selection, seed acquisition, marketing risk and spring field preparation. The event also includes a seed starting demonstration. The program begins at 10 a.m. and ends at 2:30 p.m.

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