Feature Story from 2009

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Remodelers should follow lead-safe practices that will be taught at sessions around the state in November and December.

Mississippi State University’s Extension Service will offer several Renovation, Repair and Painting Certification Training sessions in full-day courses and half-day refresher courses. The full-day courses are $150, and half-day courses are $85. The sessions are being presented by the Alliance for Healthy Homes and funded in part by a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

By Karen Templeton
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE – As Mississippi’s sweet potato industry continues to grow, researchers at Mississippi State University are developing even more innovative and effective strategies for growers.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – A very wet September and October left most of the state’s soil saturated, as many places have had gotten rain in almost statistically impossible quantities.

Charles Wax, state climatologist and professor of geosciences at Mississippi State University, said February and May were unusually wet across much of the state, and the summer had few periods of dry weather. This caused many areas to have above-normal yearly rainfall totals when fall arrived. Then starting in September, rainfall began accumulating rapidly.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Temple Grandin, an animal scientist from Colorado State University, thinks in pictures, a characteristic that gives her valuable insight in how to handle animals.

Grandin is a best-selling author and a world-renowned speaker. She also has autism. Grandin was the keynote speaker at CVM’s Human-Animal Bond lecture series in late October. She has been instrumental in developing welfare guidelines for handling and transporting livestock and is a past member of the board of directors of the Autism Society of America.

WIGGINS – Two brothers in the logging business for more than 11 years have proven that high production and multiple crews in the woods are not a prerequisite for standing out among one’s peers.

The Mississippi Forestry Association recently named Terry and Jim Ed Owen of Wiggins as the group’s “Outstanding Logger of the Year” for 2009. The brothers grew up learning the logging business from their father, who ran a successful operation. They decided to branch out on their own in 1998.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Quality horses and beef cattle will move through the auction ring in two separate November sales as Mississippi State University plans to market 92 lots of cattle and about 40 horses from research herds.

The Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station and MSU’s Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences will host the 27th annual Livestock Production Sale of bulls, bred heifers and cows on Nov. 19. The university’s horse sale will follow on Nov. 21.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – A three-day short course in December will provide information to Mississippi cotton, soybean and corn producers working to be successful in challenging years.

Registration for the Dec. 7-9 Row Crop Short Course is free until Nov. 20, 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 Rebekah Ray
Delta Research and Extension Center

STONEVILLE – A serious disease is threatening some species of freshwater fish, and although it has not been found in Mississippi, it is a concern for catfish producers when they want to move live catfish across state lines.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Steve Martin has been named head of Mississippi State University’s Delta Research and Extension Center in Stoneville.

Martin assumed his duties as head of the regional facility Nov. 1. He was named interim head of the center in July 2008, following the appointment of then DREC head Joe Street as associate director of the MSU Extension Service.

By Amelia Killcreas
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Celebrating holidays can be expensive, but two Mississippi State University experts said there are ways to create meaningful family traditions without spending excessively.

Joe Wilmoth, MSU assistant professor of human sciences, said traditions are important to family well-being.

By Patti Drapala
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi State University veterinary experts, who agree that pets generally do not make good gifts, suggest people can capture the holiday spirit by donating to an animal health-care group in someone’s name.

Pets are not toys or objects. They are living, breathing organisms that depend on humans for food, shelter and comfort when placed in a home. When pets are neglected, ignored or unwanted, they suffer.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- People use many strategies to prevent weight gain, but starting the day with a good breakfast is an important part of keeping off the holiday pounds.

Carol Ball, a Family Nutrition Program registered dietitian with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said breakfast is one of the most important parts of the day.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Flu concerns during the winter holidays are not new this year, but the highly contagious novel H1N1 flu strain increases the importance of healthy practices to avoid the spread of germs.

Jane Clary, health specialist with Mississippi State University’s Extension Service, said visits to and from loved ones from other regions can hasten influenza’s progress across the country and the globe. Mass transit, shopping malls and other places with large numbers of people also can increase the rate of infections in a community.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippians may find themselves with many people on their gift lists and a small budget this year, but a few ideas and some creativity can help them give good gifts.

Lelia Kelly, consumer horticulture specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said people can create unique and memorable decorations and gifts at little cost using plentiful resources from gardens, fields and woods.

By Karen Templeton
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Decorating for the holidays can be a struggle, but experts at The University Florist tell customers that preparing for winter festivities can be as easy as remembering holidays past and looking in their own backyards.

Lynette McDougald is the business manager at The University Florist, located on Mississippi State University's campus, and a plant and soil sciences instructor. She said holiday decorating starts with inspiration.

By Patti Drapala
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- “Don’t tell them you’re a Rebel,” Tommy Walker whispered to his son’s badly injured dog, Tayson, as they approached the entrance to Mississippi State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Dozens of poinsettia varieties and novelty plants will be on display and sale at the Dec. 4 Holiday Open House hosted by Mississippi State University’s Department of Plant and Soil Sciences. Additional poinsettia displays will be available Dec. 5 in Kosciusko and Jackson.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Mississippi State University is offering training for those who would like to open a child-care business and for administrators of established centers.

The Child Care as a Business training will be presented by the Mississippi Child Care Resource and Referral Network Dec. 1-3 at the Bolivar, Forrest, Lee, Lincoln, Montgomery, Pearl River, Scott and Yalobusha county Extension offices.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Three upcoming webinars addressing e-commerce issues of importance to Mississippi entrepreneurs are being offered free through the Southern Rural Development Center.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – The best way to battle a pathogen affecting the state’s catfish industry is to know as much about it as possible, and Mississippi State University researchers took a major step in that direction this summer.

Researchers at MSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine released the genome sequence of Edwardsiella ictaluri 93-146, the most important pathogen affecting the state’s channel catfish aquaculture industry. Dr. Mark Lawrence, a CVM professor of basic sciences, was the lead investigator of the project, which was completed this summer.