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Feature Story from 2014

Michael Resh of Nanih Waiya (left) and Nick Strehle of Noxapater examine soil layers during the land judging competition at Mississippi State University on March 25, 2014. (Photo by MSU Ag Communications/Kat Lawrence)
March 27, 2014 - Filed Under: Natural Resources

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Mississippi youths recently took part in a competition with skills they can take to their graves.

Lori Irvin, a therapeutic riding volunteer, holds the horse still while Mississippi State University Extension Service agents Jim McAdory and Cassie Brunson make sure Martina Tubby is comfortable for a ride at the Elizabeth A. Howard 4-H Therapeutic Riding and Activity Center in West Point on March 20, 2014. (Photo by MSU Ag Communications/Kat Lawrence)
March 28, 2014 - Filed Under: Agriculture, Family

WEST POINT -- Jim McAdory wants to surround a group of Choctaw teens with academic and professional examples of people who are pursuing or embracing careers in agriculture.

McAdory, an agent with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, is working with the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians to develop an agricultural mentors program for high school juniors and seniors.

Lauren Bright, second from left, discusses the nutritional value of winter grasses for cattle with fellow Mississippi State University students Seth Jenkins and Lauren Comstock and Dr. David Smith. In May, Bright will be the first graduate of the college's combined DVM-Ph.D. program. (Photo by MSU College of Veterinary Medicine/Tom Thompson)
April 1, 2014 - Filed Under: Animal Health, Community

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Lauren Bright may not consider herself a pioneer, but she has blazed a trail for Mississippi State University veterinary medicine students interested in medical research careers.

In 2008, Bright became one of the first two students admitted to the newly combined doctor of veterinary medicine-graduate degree program at the MSU College of Veterinary Medicine, in which students earn a DVM and a Ph.D. at the same time. This May, she will become the program’s first graduate, when she receives her DVM degree in May 2014. She will receive her Ph.D. in spring 2015.

Sweet potatoes are loaded with vitamins A and C, beta-carotene and fiber, which make them a healthy addition to soups, stews, main dishes and desserts. (Photo by MSU Ag Communications/File Photo)
April 1, 2014 - Filed Under: Sweet Potatoes

By Brittnie Burton
MSU Ag Communications

Dr. Rebecca Gimenez, an instructor for the Technical Large Animal Emergency Response course at Mississippi State University on March 29, 2014, explains that head protection is essential when people are helping large, distressed animals. (Photo by MSU Ag Communications/Linda Breazeale)
April 2, 2014 - Filed Under: Livestock, Animal Health, Community

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Well-intentioned people may do more harm than good when trying to help large animals after disasters, trailer accidents and other catastrophes.

Doug Carter, an agent with the Mississippi State University Extension Service in Rankin County, said even people with large animal experience can make life-threatening mistakes. He was one of the Extension agents who took part in the Technical Large Animal Emergency Response awareness course at the Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine on March 29 and 30.

The Mississippi Child Care Resource and Referral Network mobile resource library will visit seven cities April 7-11, 2014, to celebrate the Week of the Young Child. (Submitted photo)
April 3, 2014 - Filed Under: Children and Parenting

MISSISSIPPI STATE – A recreational vehicle loaded with early childhood resources will tour Mississippi April 7-11 to celebrate the Week of the Young Child.

The Mississippi Child Care Resource and Referral Network, a program of the Mississippi State University Extension Service, is sending its mobile library to Pontotoc, Chickasaw, Copiah, Madison, Rankin, Tunica and Panola counties.

Providers, families and community members can tour the RV and receive giveaways. Providers can earn one contact hour by completing a make-and-take activity.

Mississippi's diverse ecosystems take center stage in Mississippi State University landscape architecture professor Bob Brzuszek's new book about the Crosby Arboretum. (Photo courtesy of Louisiana State University Press)
April 3, 2014 - Filed Under: Landscape Architecture

PICAYUNE -- Mississippi's diverse ecosystems take center stage in a Mississippi State University landscape architecture expert’s new book about the Crosby Arboretum.

Bob Brzuszek, an Extension professor of landscape architecture, recently launched “The Crosby Arboretum: A Sustainable Regional Landscape,” through the Louisiana State University Press.

Mississippi State University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences honored four faculty members as exemplary teachers during a recent ceremony. From left are Angel Fason, Shien Lu, Fred Musser and Charles Freeman. (Photo by MSU Ag Communications/Kat Lawrence)
April 3, 2014 - Filed Under: Community

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Faculty and staff in the Mississippi State University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences were honored for exemplary service during a recent awards ceremony.

The four faculty honorees, chosen from a field of 217 educators, were recognized for inspiring students both in and out of the classroom. Recipients of the college’s annual teaching awards for 2014 were Shien Lu, Angel Fason, Fred Musser and Charles Freeman.

The college also honored two staff members for their outstanding contributions.

April 4, 2014 - Filed Under: Community, Pets

JACKSON – The mild spring weather brings people and pets out to play. But encounters with other dogs, wildlife and moving vehicles often hurt dogs that spend time outdoors.

Supervision is the best way to help Fido avoid trouble, said Dr. Christine Calder, a veterinary resident with a focus in behavior at the Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine.

April 4, 2014 - Filed Under: Forestry

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The Mississippi Forestry Foundation is investing in the lives of students at Mississippi State University.

The foundation, a nonprofit division of the Mississippi Forestry Association, created two endowed scholarships in the College of Forest Resources through the “Infinite Impact: The Mississippi State University Campaign.”

The foundation’s membership previously supported one of the most coveted scholarships in the college, an annual $2,500 award. The most recent gifts are in addition to that annual scholarship.

Jerry Don Keith, Tishomingo County Master Gardener, right, helps his grandson Brooks Keith select tomato plants from James Tennyson's inventory at Fairless Hardware Co. in Tishomingo on April 3, 2014. (Photo by MSU Ag Communications/Kat Lawrence)
April 7, 2014 - Filed Under: Master Gardener

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Jerry Don Keith has been gardening for years, but he had the best garden he’s ever grown after he attended the Master Gardener training last spring.

“I knew I had a lot to learn, but I had no idea that the Master Gardeners would cover so much,” Keith said. “It’s not just about vegetable gardening, but trees, weeds, grass and soil. It’s learning what to do in gardens and yards. Sometimes the little things we learn are the most important.”

Researchers at Mississippi State University have released a free software program that will help foresters and landowners manage bottomland hardwood timber, such as this stand in southwest Mississippi. (Photo courtesy of Patrick Glass)
April 8, 2014 - Filed Under: Forestry, Timber Harvest

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi State University scientists have created a new software program to help foresters and landowners manage hardwood timber.

Emily Schultz and Tom Matney, forestry professors in the MSU Forest and Wildlife Research Center, developed the software and user’s guide based on 33 years of research.

The free software provides expected yields and future growth values for the red oak-sweetgum forest mixture that is widely distributed across Mississippi river bottoms.

Mississippi State University Extension Service Director Gary Jackson, right, presents Forrest County Agricultural High School Superintendent Jerry Morgan with an MSU cowbell April 8, 2014, to mark the beginning of a partnership between the school and university. The Extension Service loaned the school an interactive video system that allows students, faculty and staff to attend Extension educational programs. (Photo by MSU Ag Communications/Kat Lawrence)
April 10, 2014 - Filed Under: Community, About Extension

BROOKLYN – Students at Forrest County Agricultural High School now have the resources of Mississippi State University at their fingertips.

The school entered a partnership with the MSU Extension Service this year that allows students, faculty and staff to attend Extension educational trainings through an interactive video system. Extension and school representatives and local and state officials marked the occasion with a ribbon cutting on April 8 at the high school.

This pond-raised catfish has been infected by trematodes, visible as bumps just under the skin. This parasite reduces catfish feed consumption, which increases the time it takes for fish to grow to market size. (Photo by MSU Delta Research and Extension Center/Jimmy Avery)
April 11, 2014 - Filed Under: Catfish

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Eliminating ramshorn snails is a proven method of controlling a major catfish parasite, but producers must be constantly vigilant to keep a small problem from exploding into big trouble.

Digenetic trematodes, which are spread by ramshorn snails, can cause costly problems in Mississippi catfish ponds, including slow fish growth, susceptibility to diseases and fingerling death. This parasite is showing signs of reemerging as a significant problem, and it has spread from the Delta to east Mississippi ponds.

Cattle producers Genette Hunt and Sarah Harvill of Franklin County use sustainable production methods, such as rotational grazing, to make their business more profitable while reducing their workload. The two began a joint farming operation in 1987 after retiring from the medical field. (Photo by MSU Ag Communications/Kat Lawrence)
April 11, 2014 - Filed Under: Women for Agriculture

MEADVILLE – Genette Hunt and Sarah Harvill live their dream every day.

The two own and operate Sage Farms in Franklin County, a 140-acre cutting-edge beef cattle operation.

“Owning farmland is something we both always wanted to do,” said Hunt, who has owned cattle with longtime friend Harvill since 1987. “When I was a child, 6 or 7 years old at the most, I’d go with my mother around our farm, and I’d ask her how many cows we had and how much land we had. I’ve always been interested in it.”

Mississippi State University Extension Service 4-H representatives, state and local officials, and industry representatives enjoy a beautiful day for a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Jimmy Bryan 4-H Youth Complex in West Point April 10, 2014. Participants include Paula Threadgill, (front row, left), Angela Turner-James, Hobson Waits, Jimmy Bryan, Floyd McKee, Barney Jacks, Robbie Robinson, Paige Lamkin and Amy Berry; Lynn Horton (back row, left), Shelton Deanes, Preston Sullivan, Russell Jolly, Gary Jackso
April 11, 2014 - Filed Under: 4-H, Youth Projects, Community, About Extension

WEST POINT -- Representatives of the 4-H Foundation of Mississippi touted a 63-acre multipurpose youth complex as a great example of community partnerships during a ribbon-cutting ceremony in West Point Thursday (April 10).

April 11, 2014 - Filed Under: Catfish

MACON -- East Mississippi catfish producers are invited to an April 30 workshop that will help them address a new challenge to their profit margins.

The Mississippi State University Extension Service is offering a short meeting on trematode infection in catfish. All industry professionals are encouraged to attend the Wednesday session from 1:30-2:30 p.m. at the Noxubee County Civic Center in Macon. Registration begins at 1 p.m.

The Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station recently honored Mississippi State University scientists and students for outstanding research. Fei Yu, center, received the 2014 Excellence in Research Award. Tyler Anderson, left, and Bart Harris represent Mississippi Land Bank, which sponsored the award. (Photo by MSU Ag Communications/Kat Lawrence)
April 15, 2014 - Filed Under: Community

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station recently honored several members of the Mississippi State University faculty, staff and student body for outstanding research, service and facility maintenance.

Fei Yu, a MAFES scientists and assistant professor in the MSU Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, received the 2014 Excellence in Research Award sponsored by Mississippi Land Bank. Yu also received the MAFES Grantsmanship Award for amassing more than $4.5 million in grants.

April 15, 2014 - Filed Under: Commercial Horticulture, Fruit

JACKSON – Commercial fruit and vegetable growers can learn to produce strawberries for local markets during a one-time short course offered May 13 and 14 in Choctaw.

Experts from the Mississippi State University Extension Service, the Research and Extension Division of the University of Arkansas, and the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce will present information about crop production and marketing.

Strawberry expert Barclay Poling of North Carolina State University and strawberry grower Mel Ellis of Mayhew Tomato Farm in Columbus are featured speakers.

April 16, 2014 - Filed Under: Family, Mississippi Homemaker Volunteers

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The Mississippi State University Extension Service is tuning up its sewing machines as the requests for sewing classes stack up.

“Everything old is new again,” said Sylvia Clark, family and consumer sciences Extension associate. “There is a renewed interest in sewing, in making clothes and items for the home that reflect a personal sense of style and save money.”

Most schools in Mississippi, like those in many other states, no longer offer sewing classes.

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