Feature Story from 2009

By Patti Drapala
MSU Ag Communications

HOUSTON -- Small communities that are courting industry often turn to the county Extension office for help, and for Houston, that help has led to a beautiful new park.

Across the street from the historic Chickasaw County Courthouse stood a vacant, grassy lot. The Chickasaw Development Foundation owned the property but had been turned down on attempts to obtain grant money for refurbishing.

By Karen Templeton
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Thousands of people will attend the State Fair in Jackson Oct. 7-18, and the novel H1N1 flu virus, commonly called “swine flu,” may have some attendees unnecessarily on edge.

“Swine are not responsible for spreading this virus,” said Mark Crenshaw, swine specialist with Mississippi State University’s Extension Service. “It is very unfortunate that it was ever given that name. The virus actually has many other components to it and it is being spread by people, not by pigs.”

MISSISSIPPI STATE – About 4,000 fourth-graders and their teachers from across the state will be at Mississippi State University in late October for the annual Wood Magic Science Fair.

The goal of the Oct. 19-23 fair is to introduce students to the benefits of forestry, forest products and wildlife to the state. The Wood Magic Science Fair is sponsored by MSU’s College of Forest Resources and the Department of Forest Products. It is held at MSU’s forest products complex.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Thousands of garden and horticulture enthusiasts will converge on Crystal Springs in October for the 31st annual Fall Flower and Garden Fest.

The Oct. 16 and 17 event at Mississippi State University’s Truck Crops Experiment Station celebrates “Living Well – Greener and Healthier” with 3 acres of vegetables, flowers and herbs.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Mississippi beef producers who want to keep current on innovative herd health and profitability research can attend the Beef and Forage Field Day on Oct. 24 in Prairie.

The field day will be at the Prairie Research Unit of the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station. Registration begins at 8 a.m. at the main facility at 10223 Highway 382. There is no cost to attend, and lunch will be provided. Field day sponsors are MAFES, Mississippi State University and the MSU Extension Service.

By Karen Templeton
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE – A Mississippi State University program is doing its part to address rising childhood obesity rates by educating young children about healthy living, aiming to stop obesity before it starts.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Live snakes, alligators and turtles are just a few of the Mississippi wildlife that will be on display at the Oct. 17 wildlife festival at the Coastal Plains Experiment Station in Newton.

The 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. event will include bird dog and falconry demonstrations, and tours of wildlife management areas at the experiment station.

Wildlife experts will be on-hand to provide advice on managing white-tailed deer, wild turkey, waterfowl, bobwhite quail and mourning doves. Other topics include preserving hunting trophies and historical weapons.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Turkey hunting is a popular sport throughout Mississippi, and the sound of a gobbler responding to a call is unrivaled for the more than 30,000 hunters who spend mid-March to May in search of the elusive bird.

While the season is set in spring for the entire state, many hunters have expressed concerns over the time frame as it relates to peak gobbling activity.

By Patti Drapala
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Horses can be intimidating and unpredictable, but Mississippi State University programs that have equine components can help people feel more comfortable with these powerful, large animals.

Animal Health …

Some students at the MSU College of Veterinary Medicine do not have any riding or handling experience with horses. Dr. Bob Linford, a veterinary surgeon and professor, uses his experience as a teacher and horse enthusiast to help them gain confidence.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Mississippi State University entomologist Richard Brown and two co-authors will be given the Editor’s Choice Award for writing one of the best entomological articles of 2008.

Brown and his colleagues will receive the award in December from the Entomological Society of America. The article, “Tracing an Invasion: Phylogeography of Cactoblastis cactorum in the United States Based on Mitochondrial DNA,” was published in the Annals of the Entomological Society of America.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Veterinarians are the doctors of the animal world, and certified veterinary technicians are the “nurses” who are trained and certified to care for patients and provide much of the medical care the animals receive.

Only veterinarians can legally diagnose, prescribe and perform surgery. Veterinary technicians, commonly called vet techs, can perform all other procedures and tasks completed in veterinary practice. Mississippi State University will soon offer a new degree program to train future vet techs for this important work.

By Karen Templeton
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Two Mississippi State University pathology laboratories work together to diagnose animal diseases across the state and also serve two important yet different missions.

The College of Veterinary Medicine laboratories in Starkville and Pearl work within the Mississippi Veterinary Research and Diagnostic Laboratory System to provide veterinarians, producers and researchers with quality diagnostic services.

By Patti Drapala
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE – The tradition of passing parenting skills from one generation to the next is being lost as traditional family structures change, but the Mississippi State University Extension Service is nurturing a program that helps young mothers and fathers cope.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Inconsistencies in soybean grading last year led the state’s soybean industry to take steps to educate producers and grain elevator staff on how to determine the kind and amount of damage soybeans have.

Industry supporters developed the Mississippi Soybean Producer’s Field Guide to Soybean Damage as a handy, pocket reference for producers. They also held four grading clinics where they gave grain elevator operators a half-day refresher course in soybean grading.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Two years of hard work and commitment to reactivate Mississippi State University’s 4-H chapter paid off when the Southern Region Collegiate 4-H selected the club to host its 2009 annual conference.

Representatives of collegiate 4-H clubs from 13 states will take part in workshops and participate in several service projects.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine is preparing to host a nationally known animal scientist who frequently addresses parents and teachers about her life with autism.

Temple Grandin, a professor of animal science at Colorado State University, will speak Tuesday as part of the second annual Human-Animal Bond Lecture Series Oct. 19-23. It will celebrate the unique interdependence between people and animals -- companion, production, lab animal and wildlife. The series is sponsored by Nestle Purina PetCare Co.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – A 350-acre area of deep ravines and bluff ridges in Webster County is being preserved to protect its plant and animal diversity that resembles that of the Appalachian Mountains.

The Appalachian Mountains stretch from Alabama to Canada with foothills in northeastern Mississippi. Some 100 miles from these foothills is an area in central Mississippi known as Old Cove. The land is owned by Weyerhaeuser Co. and is home to mature hardwoods, rock outcroppings, reptiles, amphibians and many plant species.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi cut flower growers who want to reach new markets by improving their business savvy can attend a regional short course Nov. 17-18 in Memphis.

The event will be at the Hilton Memphis at 939 Ridge Lake Blvd. The $85 preregistration for two days is due Nov. 10, and onsite registration is $125. The cost for a single day is $70, either by preregistration or onsite enrollment.  

MISSISSIPPI STATE – The arts, history and music of the past will be celebrated at the seventh annual Piney Woods Festival at Mississippi State University’s Crosby Arboretum in Picayune.

The festival will provide an opportunity for attendees to have fun while learning about the early days of the Piney Woods region.

“The arboretum provides the perfect setting for learning about arts and heritage crafts,” said Patricia Drackett, the arboretum’s senior curator. “We want to preserve those arts by providing a fun and interactive event.”

MISSISIPPI STATE – People wanting to learn how to develop forest habitats, wildlife areas, streams, lakes and other natural settings into income generators can attend an outdoor recreational business workshop Nov. 10 at Legion State Park in Louisville.

The one-day workshop will give attendees information to start and manage a natural resource enterprise. The morning session will begin at 8:30 with topics on revenue potential from different types of enterprises, landowner cost-share programs, liability and legal considerations.