News From 2024

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Yield quality for Mississippi’s corn crop this year will largely hinge on which fields were irrigated and which ones were dry land.

“Corn crop condition varies considerably depending on whether it is grown in fields with supplemental irrigation or not,” said Erick Larson, grain crops specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. “Mississippi corn dependent on rain has gone since early June without much appreciable rainfall, so the crop outlook has diminished considerably in that time.”

I am always looking for unique plants that brighten the landscape. Scaevola , commonly known as fan flower, is one of those plants. Native to Australia and the Pacific Islands, these plants are popular for their distinctive, fan-shaped flowers, versatile growth habit and robust nature.

I have enjoyed Echinacea coneflowers in my landscape for many years, and I find that these striking perennials bring a burst of vivid color to gardens. While recently visiting the home of Dave Overturf and Ginger Wentz in Long Beach, I couldn't help but notice the beautiful Echinacea coneflowers they have in their landscape.

RAYMOND, Miss. -- The consequences of last year’s significant drought continue to appear in trees all over Mississippi. Landowners in Central Mississippi have recently reported damage from variable oakleaf caterpillars and hypoxylon canker, according to the Mississippi Forestry Commission.

The combination of the caterpillars and hypoxylon canker has been observed affecting trees in towns including Raymond, Flora and Pocahantas.For drought-stressed trees, the double whammy can be a serious threat, but healthy trees will be able to withstand both pests, said Brady Self, a forestry specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service.

RAYMOND, Miss. -- Forest landowners who incurred damage from last year’s drought now have more information about the federal cost shares for restoration assistance approved in April. The Emergency Forest Restoration Program, or EFRP, is open to landowners in all 82 counties with private, nonindustrial property in rural areas who have lost pine trees related to pine bark beetle infestations that stemmed from last year’s drought.

Hydrangeas are one of my favorite plants to use in areas of my landscape that get part shade and full shade. This year, my hydrangeas have really put on a show with their colorful blooms.

One of the most popular and widely grown species, the bigleaf hydrangea, has always fascinated me with its ability to change color based on the soil pH and aluminum availability.

Mississippi’s ideal growing season means gardens can yield a lot of produce, but this usually comes with the help of pesticides to combat insects and diseases.
It is vital that home gardeners know how much time must elapse between application of the product and when the food is harvested, a time frame known as the pre-harvest interval, or PHI.

RAYMOND, Miss. -- Mississippi State University Extension Service plant pathologist Rebecca Melanson was recently recognized for her work to further the development and implementation of integrated pest management in the cucurbit industry. The Emerging Viruses in Cucurbits Working Group, or EVCWG, received the 2024 Friends of IPM Pulling Together Award. Melanson and Bill Wintermantel, a scientist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, co-chair the group that was established in 2022.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Growers interested in the latest updates on row crop research at Mississippi State University are invited to an agronomic field day Aug. 6.

Hosted by the Mississippi State University Extension Service and the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, the field day will be held at the head house at the MAFES R.R. Foil Plant Science Research Center.

The field day will run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. There is no cost to attend, and the event includes a catered lunch.

One of my favorite gardening experiences is seeing plants spontaneously appear in various spots in my home garden and landscape.

I love these plant volunteers, and I let them flourish in unexpected places around my garden. Their surprise appearances make the garden feel alive and ever-changing.

Young people had the unique opportunity to learn interesting things about the soil, plants that grow in it and animals that feed on top of it at a recent field day.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Despite encouraging milk prices, margins still project to be tight for Mississippi dairy farmers in 2024.

The latest World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture forecasted this year’s average all-milk price at $21.60 per hundredweight nationally. Josh Maples, an agricultural economist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said this is an improvement from last year, but still below 2022 levels, when prices hovered around $25 per hundredweight.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- An award-winning program within the Mississippi State University Extension Service will welcome a new leader July 1.

RAYMOND, Miss. -- Longtime dairy farmers David and Will Gilmer made the tough decision six years ago to get out of the dairy cattle business. The father-and-son team decided to transition their farm to beef cattle. However, the beef cattle business comes with its own stressful challenges.

Wheat harvest was complete across most of the state by late June, wrapping up a crop that was quite small compared to recent years and in fairly average condition.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimated wheat harvest was 94% complete by June 23, well ahead of the 5-year average for harvest. Mississippi growers planted just 70,000 acres in 2023, and the crop has averaged 96,000 acres since 2021.

RAYMOND, Miss. -- Heat-related illness is a concern for anyone as summer temperatures rise, but older adults are at greater risk of being negatively impacted. Extreme heat -- when temperatures rise above 90 degrees and combine with high humidity for two or more days -- is even more dangerous and can be deadly.

I am a big fan of incorporating unique native plants into the landscape due to their ecological, aesthetic and practical advantages. Native plants are exceptionally well-suited to the local soil, climate and environmental conditions, making them more resilient and easier to maintain than non-native species.

RAYMOND, Miss. -- An urban wildlife specialist and a group of trained volunteers with the Mississippi State University Extension Service have been tracking wildlife in the Jackson metro area for three years to better understand how gentrification impacts urban wildlife populations.

Their work is part of an unprecedented nationwide study led by Lincoln Park Zoo’s Urban Wildlife Institute and recently published in the journal “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,” or PNAS.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Private pesticide applicators will have new training requirements beginning July 1. The Mississippi Pesticide Safety Education Program has updated its online and face-to-face certification programs to meet this demand.

The new mandated training and competency requirements from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency are for applicators who use restricted use pesticides on farmland and need to renew or obtain certification.

Blueberry leaf rust has been identified on blueberries in Perry County, and everyone in the state with blueberries is cautioned to be on the lookout for this disease.
Alan Henn, plant pathologist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said leaf rust is not a common disease of blueberries in Mississippi, but it has been identified occasionally in several Mississippi counties during the last 10 years.