Feature Story from 2008

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Divorce, unplanned pregnancies, predators, substance abuse and behavior issues are some of the topics that will be discussed at an upcoming North Mississippi conference addressing the needs of families and communities.

The Families and Communities Together, or FACT, conference will take place Sept. 30 at The Summit in Tupelo. Registration begins at 8 a.m., and sessions take place from 8:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. Early registration is $40 by Sept. 25 and $60 after that date. The fee covers lunch and program materials.

By Patti Drapala
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The challenge of drawing an unfamiliar mount and competing with someone else's saddle and bridle would throw many of the best riders in the world, but Mississippi State University's equestrian team does not find that aspect of intercollegiate club sports hard to handle.

To prepare for the realities of intercollegiate competition, team members train with different horses each time they ride. Molly Nicodemus, the team coach, said she believes this approach is one of the best ways to learn to read horses.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – As another hurricane approaches the Mississippi and Louisiana shores, many coastal horse owners will be seeking refuge at the Mississippi Horse Park near Starkville.

“We expect to see a lot of repeat customers from past hurricane evacuations,” said Bricklee Miller, manager of the Mississippi Horse Park and Agricenter. The facility is located on Mississippi State University's South Farm.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Toyota is putting down roots in Mississippi with its new auto manufacturing plant near Tupelo, and the company also intends to influence the environment by funding a 4-H water-quality project.

In June, Toyota gave the $80,000 Mississippi Operation 4-H2O grant to the state's 4-H program. 4-H programs in California, Kentucky, Michigan and West Virginia received similar grants.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Lessons learned during Hurricane Katrina are helping the College of Veterinary Medicine at Mississippi State University prepare to respond if Gustav strikes the state's Gulf Coast as a hurricane-strength storm.

“Our first mission will be to support the state veterinarian under the provisions of the state's emergency plan,” said Dr. Stanley Robertson, CVM director of outreach and external affairs. “Our personnel will be part of the teams assessing the needs of both livestock and domestic animals in any storm-damaged areas and then helping meet those needs.”

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi State University researchers are investigating the connection between soil fertility and antler size as deer hunters prepare for their annual quest for the elusive trophy buck.

As fall approaches, masses of hunters begin to dust off bows, construct tree stands and sight in rifles. Deer season opens Oct. 15 for most of the state, and once again more than 250,000 hunters will be going into Mississippi's forests in search of prized bucks. Finding the trophy can be a challenge because antlers come in all shapes and sizes.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The Fall Flower and Garden Fest in Crystal Springs will mark its 30th anniversary in October, making it older than hundreds of visitors who will step on the property at the Truck Crops Experiment Station for the celebration.

Mississippi State University sponsors the annual event for garden and horticulture enthusiasts. The Oct. 17 and 18 event will be open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Admission and parking are free. Considered the largest home gardening show in the Southeast, past events have averaged about 6,000 participants over the two-day period.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- New Mississippi State University Extension Service assistant professor Kim Morgan said she hopes to use her experience in consumer behavior, market research and economic analysis to find solutions relevant to agribusiness managers.

Morgan assumed her duties July 1 in the MSU Department of Agricultural Economics. She said she felt the position with the department was an excellent career choice.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- When the owners of an organic fertilizer company in Lawrence County were trying to determine best uses for their product and develop new markets, they turned for help to a team of specialists with the Mississippi State University Extension Service.

Amanda Walker is the Extension director in Lawrence County. She spearheaded the efforts on behalf of Organic Growing Systems, a relatively new and growing company that produces organic fertilizer from poultry litter.

By Patti Drapala
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Disaster response training will make members of Mississippi State University's Division of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine better prepared to respond to major emergency events than they were three years ago when Hurricane Katrina hit.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – The upcoming Ornamental Horticulture Field Day in Poplarville will allow visitors to tour trial gardens and hear updates from Mississippi State University and U.S. Department of Agriculture researchers.

This Oct. 2 event marks the 35th year the South Mississippi Branch Experiment Station has hosted the field day. The day’s program begins at 9:30 a.m. and continues until 2:30 p.m. Registration begins at 9 a.m. The $10 fee, $6.50 for students, covers the cost of lunch and refreshments.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Two approaches to leadership development are helping communities address their unique and evolving needs.

Alan Barefield, economic and community development specialist with Mississippi State University's Extension Service, said needs differ from place to place and from year to year. Likewise, an area's means of addressing needs vary.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Wildlife watching, fee fishing, fee hunting and horse trail riding as outdoor recreational businesses will be discussed at a Sept. 30 workshop at Richardson’s Tree Farm in Brookhaven.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Meat and poultry processors and producers can learn more about emerging issues in their industries at an upcoming workshop in Brandon.

Mississippi State University’s Department of Food Science, Nutrition and Health Promotion is sponsoring the Oct. 1 workshop at the Rankin County Extension Office. A $35 fee will cover course materials, breaks and lunch. The registration deadline is Sept. 26.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Pet owners who discover their small animals have cancer have more hope than they would have had just a decade ago.

Mississippi State University's College of Veterinary Medicine has been part of a nationwide explosion in the study of oncology in dogs and cats. Veterinarians, who in years past could provide only a shoulder to cry on, now have many treatment options to offer pet owners.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- A yearling quarter horse that was treated less than a year ago at Mississippi State University went on to become a world champion in August.

Veterinarians at MSU's College of Veterinary Medicine treated 20-month-old Touch My Imagination, or Ty, for a severe respiratory problem. He was named the world champion yearling quarter horse stallion Aug. 26 at the Bayer Select World Show in Amarillo, Texas. His owner is Connie Lee of Weatherford, Texas, formerly of Barton, Miss.

By Patti Drapala
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi is a great lure for people who study butterflies and moths because of the unique habitats in the state and the Lepidoptera collection contained within Mississippi State University's renowned entomological museum.

The collecting opportunities and the museum significantly influenced The Lepidopterists' Society, an international association of professional researchers and amateur enthusiasts, to hold its 59th annual meeting in Mississippi for the first time this summer.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Quitman native John Michael Riley became an agricultural economist because he wanted to help solve problems producers face.

Through his involvement as a youth with 4-H, the National FFA Organization and the Mississippi Junior Cattlemen’s Association, Riley interacted with individuals dependent upon agriculture, and that interaction led to his desire to pursue his current profession.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The College of Veterinary Medicine's ambulatory service is catching on as a win-win opportunity for Mississippi State University students and owners of large animals in the Starkville area and beyond.

Dr. David Christiansen, assistant professor in the Department of Pathobiology and Population Medicine, is spearheading the mobile service, which got under way in the fall of 2007. A fully equipped truck is available to take veterinarians and students off campus for routine or emergency care of horses, cattle, small ruminants and swine.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi State University forestry students are combining the modern technology of computer laptops and flash drives with traditional saws, mallets and squares to learn the time-honored craft of timber framing.

Students who took the “Wood in Design and Engineering” course offered this spring experienced a hands-on laboratory in this art.

Once a popular construction method, the craft of timber framing dates back to 6220 B.C. In the early 1900s, Sears and similar retailers sold thousands of timber frame homes through mail-order catalogs.