Feature Story from 2014

QUITMAN – When January rolls around, Clarke County 4-H’ers start lining up at Christy King’s door to participate in the livestock show for 4-H members with special needs.

“It’s so popular I have a waiting list,” said King, who is an agent with the Mississippi State University Extension Service in Clarke County.

The event pairs members of the Clarke County 4-H Livestock Club with local youth who have special needs. The show began 16 years ago but ended in 2003 when the original participants became adults.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – The Mississippi State University Extension Service is helping offer free squirrel hunts throughout Mississippi on Feb. 8 to teach youth about small game hunting and conservation.

VERONA – Mississippi State University’s North Mississippi Research and Extension Center will host its annual Producer Advisory Council meeting Feb. 20 at the Magnolia Conference Center in Verona.

Agricultural clients will meet to discuss needs for education and research with representatives from MSU’s Extension Service and the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station.

STARKVILLE – Record low temperatures the first week of January plunged the state into a deep freeze, but the cold came too early to cause significant plant damage or have much effect on insect pests in 2014.

Horticulture…

Lelia Kelly, horticulturist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said most plants were firmly in their dormant stage when the extreme temperatures hit.

JACKSON – In the months after Christmas, the pitter-patter of puppy paws leads to a lot of puddles and frayed sneakers.

But with proper care and training, the new puppy can become a devoted companion for many years.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Landowners who want to earn extra income are invited to attend a Natural Resource Enterprises workshop on Feb. 4 in Rolling Fork.

Hosted by Mississippi State University, the workshop offers attendees the opportunity to learn different ways to make more money from their land. Topics include recreational businesses, marketing, cost-share programs, liability reduction and wildlife management.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi State University Extension cotton specialist Darrin Dodds was recently named the 2014 Extension Cotton Specialist of the Year, an award based on leadership and industry service.

Dodds received his doctoral degree at Mississippi State University and has worked at MSU for six years studying cotton variety performance, management, fertility, plant growth regulator use, irrigation management and weed control.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – A Mississippi State University forage expert received an award for outstanding contributions to the field from the American Forage and Grassland Council during its recent national meeting.

Rocky Lemus was recognized with the merit award for superior contributions to forage and grassland agriculture at the 2014 annual conference Jan. 14 in Memphis. He has a joint appointment with the MSU Extension Service and the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Finding a special product that consumers want can help growers stand out in the increasingly crowded farmers market.

Bill Evans, associate research professor with the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station at the Truck Crops Branch Experiment Station in Crystal Springs, said a growing number of consumers want fresh, local produce, and small growers can help provide it.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Most student projects are done for a grade, but a Mississippi State University competition lets students see who can present research findings the best.

Graduate students studying applied row-crop agriculture will compete Feb. 6 in the second Future of Agriculture Graduate Student Competition. The competition gives them experience presenting their research findings to an audience.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Nothing teaches more about how government works than actually working in government, which four Mississippi 4-H youth will have the opportunity to do.

The 2014 Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves 4-H Senate Page Program is seeking qualified young people to serve one week in the Mississippi Senate. Chosen students will serve as pages March 31 to April 4, supporting the work of the senators.

Mississippi State University Extension Service. 4-H is the youth development program of the Extension Service.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – The cover of the most recent issue of the Journal of Forestry highlights a Mississippi State University Extension Service publication series available to anyone interested in the forestry industry.

The national journal is published bimonthly by the Society of American Foresters. Published since 1902, it is the most widely circulated scholarly forestry journal in the world. Its mission is to advance the forestry profession by informing forest management professionals of significant developments and ideas in the many facets of forestry.

POPLARVILLE -- An expert in the mechanized harvesting of blueberries and other fruit crops will be the keynote speaker at an educational workshop for blueberry growers on Feb. 13.

The workshop will be from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Forrest County Extension Office, located at 952 Sullivan Drive in Hattiesburg.

JACKSON -- Central Mississippi agriculture producers can provide input and direction on educational programming and research delivered by Mississippi State University.

The Central Mississippi Producer Advisory Council meeting will be Feb. 18 at the McKenzie Arena in Raymond. Representatives from the MSU Extension Service and the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station will discuss current issues and answer questions.

JACKSON – Winter means cold and flu season is in full swing for humans, but pets can experience similar illnesses all year long.

“Upper respiratory infection is not prevalent during a certain time of year because most cases are caused by viruses, which are present year-round,” said Dr. Christine Bryan, assistant clinical professor in the Department of Clinical Sciences at the Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine. “Patients can relapse during times of stress, other illness, injury, or in inadequate or overcrowded housing conditions, such as a shelter.”

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Mississippi food businesses will soon have access to customers all over the world through the expansion of MarketMaker, a database of searchable food industry-related information.

Through a new license with MarketMaker, not-for-profit company Riverside Research has exclusive rights to the database.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Animal enthusiasts can learn about human-wildlife interactions from an experienced wildlife veterinarian at a free lecture Feb. 6.

The Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine will host guest speaker Dr. Mark Johnson of Global Wildlife Resources as part of the college’s Human-Animal Bond Lecture Series.

Johnson’s presentation, “Care, honor, and respect for every animal: a perspective on wildlife and feral animals,” is also supported by Wildlife Exotic Zoo Avian and Aquatic Medicine.

BILOXI – An upcoming meeting will allow producers of various commodities in Mississippi’s coastal region to help guide Mississippi State University’s research and educational programs in the district.

Experts from the MSU Extension Service and the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station will be available to discuss current issues, share research results and answer questions at the annual Commodity Advisory Council meeting Feb. 25 at the Coastal Research and Extension Center.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Protecting personal information and preventing identity theft require Mississippians to be careful with documents, especially when it is time to get rid of them.

Shredding documents is the best way to prevent personal information from falling into the wrong hands. The Mississippi State University Extension Service has joined with the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office and several other organizations to offer six collection events for the safe disposal of personal papers.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Southwest Mississippi landowners, land managers and residents interested in oil and gas development can learn about legal, financial and land management planning at two upcoming workshops.

The Mississippi State University Extension Service Center for Government and Community Development and the Stennis Institute of Government and Community Development are hosting “Managing Energy Development: A Workshop for Mississippi Landowners” in two locations.