Feature Story from 2008

By Patti Drapala
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- James “Wes” McPherson had his mind set on veterinary school three years ago when he began his freshman year at Mississippi State University, but his heart refused to listen.

The junior from Inverness grew up tending soybeans and corn on his stepfather's farm. The more he thought about leaving the Delta behind, the more it beckoned. This soul-searching caused McPherson to face facts and examine options. At stake were scholastic success and personal satisfaction.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi State University’s Institute for Digital Biology hosted a four-day international conference in May on avian genomics.

In hosting this conference, MSU joined a prestigious list of genetic research institutions that includes biomedical institutes in the United Kingdom, Japan and Spain, as well as the Stowers Institute in Kansas City, Mo., and the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories in New York.

By Courtney Coufal
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Many Mississippians will celebrate this Fourth of July at home, as high fuel prices cut into budgets, but they still can have a safe and memorable holiday weekend.

A survey conducted by Travelzoo.com revealed that six in 10 Americans feel it would be easier to host a large barbecue gathering during the holiday weekend than to find an affordable airline ticket.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Michael and Shuping Zhang work at the same facility, but you won't find this husband and wife team making dinner plans or coordinating transportation for their kids.

“If people ask about my husband, I tell them my husband is at home. We are just colleagues at work,” Shuping said. “We work in the same facility, but we each have our own sections.”

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Pecan growers will have the opportunity to see exhibits on every production aspect at the 2008 Tri-State Pecan Trade Show and Convention coming up July 24-25 in Vicksburg.

Instead of the traditional orchard tour, meeting organizers are offering an expanded focus on vendors in the 17,000 square feet of the Vicksburg Convention Center exhibit hall.

By Steven Nalley
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Both children and adults must follow safety rules to protect children from the dangers of riding, entering and exiting school buses.

Karen Benson is an area child and family development agent based in Neshoba County with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. She said children who move throughout the bus while it is moving risk not only falling, but also distracting the driver.

By Patti Drapala
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The need to manage diabetes goes to school or daycare with the child who has the disease, but parents and teachers can lessen their anxiety about the child's welfare with communication.

“Communication must be open and ongoing between parents and a child, and also between parents and school personnel, to help the child cope with diabetes,” said Tabitha Staier, family education specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service.

By Steven Nalley
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Freshmen and international students in college can deal with homesickness by getting involved in new activities and establishing strong social networks.

Tabitha Staier, family education and policy specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said the cause of homesickness often is not only a detachment from family and social networks at home, but also adjusting to newfound independence.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Two undergraduate student teams from Mississippi State University with an interest in muscle foods took top honors during their first appearance at the American Meat Science Association Intercollegiate Quiz Bowl.

The two MSU teams, a collaborative effort between the Departments of Animal and Dairy Sciences, and Food Science, Nutrition and Health Promotion, won first and second place among 20 collegiate teams from across the country. They competed at the 2008 Reciprocal Meat Conference in Gainesville, Fla., June 22 and 23.

By Steven Nalley
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- A well-planned budget and smart shopping can help prevent the pain at the pump from spreading to the classroom.

Bobbie Shaffett, family resource management specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said families should save money for occasional expenses like back-to-school and the holidays.

By Courtney Coufal
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Shopping for back-to-school clothes does not have to stress family finances if parents plan their spending and stick to the basics.

Bobbie Shaffett, family resource management specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said there may not be much room left in the family budget for clothing this year because of rising prices and energy costs.

This does not have to keep parents from treating their children to an annual back-to-school shopping trip if they follow a few tips.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The cost of getting an education is high, and with gas prices hovering near $4 a gallon, just getting to school has never been more expensive.

Traffic picks up when school starts back as school bus drivers, carpooling parents and commuting college students hit the road en mass to get an education or take someone to class.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Row crop farmers and consultants from across north Mississippi will have the opportunity to learn about current research during the upcoming field day at the Lee County Agri-Center just south of Verona.

The North Mississippi Research and Extension Center Agronomic Row Crops Field Day, which takes place every other year, will be held from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Aug. 14.

The program will include educational and industry exhibits and field research plot tours. This year’s featured speaker will be Mississippi Farm Bureau President David Waide.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi’s Master Clothing Volunteers will meet soon in Rankin County to learn some of the latest developments and trends in textiles and home decor.

The annual state meeting at the Rankin County Extension Office is open to nonmembers on July 31 and Aug. 1. A business meeting for Master Clothing Volunteers is scheduled on Aug. 2. Registration fees are required, with $5 discounts if made before July 18.

By Steven Nalley
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- A recent excavation effort will enable Mississippi harness racing enthusiasts who love attending good races actually to see some.

A hill in the center of the Mississippi Horse Park's five-eighths-mile all weather track obscured the audience's view of the back of the track for more than half a decade after the park opened in 1999. The harness track reopened on June 20, after the removal of 65,000 cubic yards of dirt from its center.

By Steven Nalley
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- A natural disaster often means no electricity, telephone service or safe transportation, but it does not have to mean no food, clean water or medicine if these essentials are ready and packaged in a disaster survival kit.

Herb Willcutt, safety specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said the kit should have two parts: a traveling disaster kit to bring along during an evacuation and a home disaster kit to use when staying home during a storm.

By Patti Drapala
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- At 8 years of age, Joey Burt assisted a prominent veterinarian with an emergency cesarean section on a cow, and a career was born that night.

Burt's family owned a small beef cattle farm in Columbia. Burt's father was away on an offshore job, and his mother called Dr. Cassie Price to deliver a calf. Assessing the situation, Price decided he had to operate.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi State University’s equine reproduction program lost its top stallion to a catastrophic leg injury during a severe thunderstorm on the afternoon of July 11.

Minister Slew, a grandson of 1977 Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew, was alone in a paddock when he apparently spooked or took a misstep during a sudden thunderstorm and fractured a front leg above the knee. He was euthanized a short time later.

By Patti Drapala
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Preparing large animal patients for evaluation, treatment and care is a huge responsibility.

Four technicians at Mississippi State University's College of Veterinary Medicine assume that role each day. Their ability to mobilize veterinary personnel helps the college maintain a high level of service and outreach.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Several Mississippi State University faculty and staff members were honored for service at the recent summer celebration of the Division of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine.

The division presented the 2008 Louis and Doris Wise Support Staff Awards, the Rosalind and Rodney Foil Teamwork Award and the William M. White Special Project Awards during the annual event at the Bost Center. Wise and Foil are former division vice presidents, and White was a dairy producer and MSU financial supporter.