Feature Story from 2001

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Bicycles are such popular items on wish lists and under Christmas trees that it's easy to forget that these can be dangerous gifts.

Linda Patterson, health education specialist at Mississippi State University's Extension Service, urged parents to make sure their children have the equipment and training necessary to make bike riding a safe experience.

"A bicycle is not a toy. It's a vehicle," Patterson said. "Every year about 1,200 bicyclists are killed, and more than a half million others are injured in bicycle-related accidents."

By Bethany Waldrop Keiper

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The good news is, most people don't gain as much weight as they think they do during the holidays. The bad news is, the weight people do gain then is not likely to be lost during the new year.

In early 2001, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases concluded a study about holiday weight gain with some surprising results.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Toy manufacturers' goal each year is to produce the most popular item, but tolerance may be this holiday season's hottest gift.

Holiday shoppers have enthusiastically purchased Cabbage Patch and Tickle Me Elmo dolls and Sony Playstations in recent years, but this may be the year Americans turn to more traditional expressions of the season.

By Carrie Reeves

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- People should remember to consider the special needs of the family pet when going down the checklist and loading the car with presents, luggage and family members.

Whether taking your pet on vacation or boarding it, pack so that your pet may maintain its home environment.

By Bethany Waldrop Keiper

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Take rich foods, shining tinsel, laughing guests and fragrant plants, mix with curious pets, and you have a recipe for holiday distress. Give your pets special consideration as you make your holiday plans.

Dr. Cory Langston, service chief of community practice at Mississippi State University's College of Veterinary Medicine, said an increase in activities and guests in the home can be very stressful for a pet, depending on the animal's disposition.

By Bethany Waldrop Keiper

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Since the holidays are a time of giving and love, many pet owners may feel compelled to give others the chance to have the love of a pet. While the sentiment is a good one, the idea is not.

"Pets take a commitment, and you can't make that commitment for someone else," explained Dr. Cory Langston, service chief of community practice at Mississippi State University's College of Veterinary Medicine.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – A three-day short course in early December will give Mississippi cotton, soybean and corn producers valuable information about how to succeed in agriculture.

Registration for the Dec. 5-7 Row Crop Short Course is free until Nov. 25 and $40 a person after that. The event is hosted by Mississippi State University’s Extension Service and will be held on campus in the Bost Extension Center.

By Charmain Tan Courcelle

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Researchers believe the discovery of new uses for poultry litter will expand the market for this byproduct.

Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station researchers are working with the Southwest Mississippi Resource Conservation and Development Council, Inc. One new application they are considering is the use of litter as a horticulture fertilizer.

By Bethany Waldrop Keiper

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Automobile hazards, sudden temperature drops and dietary concerns are just a few of the dangers pets face even during the South's relatively mild winters.

Antifreeze, which is vital to cars during cold weather, presents pets with both a hazard and a temptation, said Dr. Thomas Lenarduzzi, associate clinical professor at Mississippi State University's College of Veterinary Medicine.

By Allison Matthews
Southern Rural Development Center

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- More adults in the South are reaching a higher educational status than in past years and job numbers have increased significantly over the past decade, but rural citizens may be less likely to see the same economic improvements that are occurring in metropolitan areas.

By Charmain Tan Courcelle

VERONA -- Research at the North Mississippi Research and Extension Center may one day extend the shelf life of floral arrangements purchased in Mississippi.

Crofton Sloan, horticulturist with the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, is searching for flower species and cultivars that may be used to establish a cut-flower industry in Mississippi. A local source could mean fresher blooms in the state's florist shops.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- There are just some things veterinary students cannot learn even in the best American classrooms.

Dr. Philip Bushby, professor and director of the Office of Educational Innovation at Mississippi State University's College of Veterinary Medicine, said senior students are encouraged to pursue educational opportunities overseas, but the cost is often prohibitive. While veterinary students who are not in their senior year do not receive educational credit for such pursuits, a small number of underclass students journey outside the country as well.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Three cattlemen in northeast Mississippi recognized the value of combining forces in the quest for a better product and higher profits.

Chip Waterer of Circle W Ranch in Chickasaw County and brothers Mike and Rick Howell of Holly Ridge Farm in Lee County merged their registered Angus and commercial cattle operations in the fall of 1999. The offspring are being combined into a new production company called Southern Shine Pastures.

By Charmain Tan Courcelle

MISSISSIPPI STATE--Environmentalists and citizens concerned about agricultural chemicals moving into the environment from farms may take heart from a project investigating the fate of pesticides.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Vance H. Watson, director of the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, has been named interim vice president of the Division of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine and interim dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Mississippi State University. The appointment is effective Jan. 1, 2002, subject to approval by the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- A new 4-H horticulture curriculum is taking root in classrooms across Mississippi, and students are gaining a new appreciation for gardening.

Lelia Kelly, area Extension horticulturist in Verona, said test results from the first Junior Master Gardeners have some educators and youth workers enthused about the program's potential. Administered by the Mississippi State University Extension Service, 11 schools and six after-school clubs took part in a pilot program in the spring of 2001.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Farmers' markets are finding their niche in community economies across the state as producers and customers develop mutually beneficial relationships.

"Farmers' markets have a place in communities who have an appreciation for fresh produce," said David Nagel, horticulture specialist with Mississippi State University's Extension Service. "Prices are similar to grocery stores, but the produce is fresher. Most of the produce is grown within a 25-mile radius of the market. Grocery produce may be from as far as 2,000 miles away."

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi has earned a first-place rank that no state would envy: highway deaths.

The National Safety Council Accident Facts 2001 ranked Mississippi first in three categories for motor vehicle deaths. The state had the greatest number of traffic deaths per million miles driven, per 10,000 vehicles registered and per 100,000 population.

By Bethany Waldrop Keiper

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Many Mississippians turn to gasoline-powered generators to provide power and warmth during winter's electrical outages, but improperly maintaining or using generators can make a difficult situation even worse.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Bolstered by increases in poultry and row crops, agricultural economists are predicting Mississippi's 2001 farm production value to remain near $4.8 billion, a 2.6-percent increase over the previous year.