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Feature Story from 2014

September 5, 2014 - Filed Under: Biofuels

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Using fast-growing woody crops as a source of energy and fuel may be the key to energy independence in the United States.

The latest Southeastern biofuels research and production methods will be on display for landowners, industry professionals and community leaders during a month-long series of field days in September sponsored by the Southeastern Partnership for Integrated Biomass Supply Systems.

The All-America Selections garden at the Mississippi State University South Mississippi Branch Experiment Station in Poplarville is in full bloom for the Ornamental Horticulture Field Day set for Oct. 2, 2014. Visitors that day can tour the demonstration gardens and hear updates on the latest research. (Photo by MSU Ag Communications/Kevin Hudson)
September 5, 2014 - Filed Under: Lawn and Garden

POPLARVILLE -- Horticulture enthusiasts and industry professionals can hear research updates and tour demonstration gardens at the Mississippi State University South Mississippi Branch Experiment Station in Poplarville on Oct. 2.

Scientists with the MSU Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, Extension Service and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service will deliver information on pest management, variety trial results and landscaping during the 41st annual Ornamental Horticultural Field Day.

September 5, 2014 - Filed Under: Family

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The first Mississippi State University student to complete degree requirements for a Master of Science in human development and family studies has graduated from the School of Human Sciences.

Kirsten Ferrell of Horn Lake, Mississippi, received her diploma in August and began working with The Early Years Network. She now trains early child care and preschool teachers in northwest Mississippi.

September 8, 2014 - Filed Under: Crops, Commercial Horticulture, Fruit

GOODMAN -- Fruit and vegetable growers can learn about growing fall crops and building mobile cooling trailers during the Sept. 19 Alliance for Sustainable Agricultural Production Demonstration Farm Field Day in Goodman.

Bill Evans, a Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station associate research professor with Mississippi State University, will cover variety selection, planting dates, disease resistance, pest management, crop rotation and more.

John Guyton, Mississippi State University Extension entomology specialist, shares an insect collection with a school group on Sept. 27, 2013, during Bugfest at the Crosby Arboretum in Picayune. Participants in this year's two-day event can take part in insect collection and identification, tours of the pitcher plant bog, tree identification hikes, a beekeeping tutorial and more. (Photo by MSU Ag Communications/Susan Collins-Smith)
September 9, 2014 - Filed Under: Community, Urban and Backyard Wildlife, Insects

PICAYUNE -- Families and school groups can learn about some of Mississippi’s insects and their plant companions during the annual Bugfest Sept. 26 and 27 at the Mississippi State University Crosby Arboretum in Picayune.

September 9, 2014 - Filed Under: Soils, Soil Testing

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Row crop producers interested in quality soil should sample fields after harvest and apply recommended lime in the fall.

Larry Oldham, a soil fertility specialist and professor with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said lime is an important component of soil fertility management because it sets the environment in which plants live and grow.

Fall Flower and Garden Fest logo
September 10, 2014 - Filed Under: Lawn and Garden, Flower Gardens, Vegetable Gardens

CRYSTAL SPRINGS -- Leisure gardeners and horticulture professionals are invited to attend the Southeast’s most popular gardening show Oct. 17 and 18 at the Mississippi State University Truck Crops Experiment Station.

The Dermacentor tick species is among those that infect dogs with a neurotoxin that can paralyze them if left untreated. (Photo by Thinkstock.)
September 10, 2014 - Filed Under: Insects-Human Pests, Insects-Pet Pests

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Dog owners may be surprised to find out that certain ticks can paralyze their beloved pets.

These tick species carry a nerurotoxin that affects the mobility of animals. If the animal is not treated, their limbs may become paralyzed.

Michael Hingson escaped the World Trade Center on 9/11 by walking down 78 flights of stairs with his guide dog, Roselle. Hingson will talk about the human-animal bond that saved his life at the Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine on Sept. 18, 2014. (Submitted Photo)
September 12, 2014 - Filed Under: Animal Health, Pets

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Michael Hingson will soon visit Mississippi State University to explain how the human-animal bond saved his life during the terrorist attacks in New York on Sept. 11, 2001.

Hingson and his guide dog, Roselle, were among those working in the World Trade Center on 9/11. Through trust and teamwork, Hingson and Roselle escaped from the 78th floor of Tower One moments before it collapsed.

Brittany Reyer of Reyer Farms in Lena grows seasonal produce, free-range chickens for egg production, and pasture-raised heritage-breed pigs and cattle. (Photo by MSU Ag Communications/Kevin Hudson)
September 12, 2014 - Filed Under: Farming

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Childhood visits to grandma’s farm, complete with a mean rooster, piglets on the loose and homemade apple pie, led one Mississippi State University graduate into full-time farm living.

Brittany Reyer of Reyer Farms in Lena grows seasonal produce, free-range chickens for egg production, and pasture-raised heritage breed pigs and cattle with her husband, Jody. When they were expecting their first child, they began investigating options that would allow Brittany to stay home full-time.

September 15, 2014 - Filed Under: Forestry, Timber Harvest

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The newest technology and machinery used to advance the South’s timber industry will be demonstrated Sept. 19-20 at the Mid-South Forestry Equipment Show.

The event will run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. Held at the John W. Starr Memorial Forest off of Highway 25 south of Starkville, the show is sponsored by Mississippi State University’s College of Forest Resources, Hatton-Brown Publishers Inc., the Mississippi Loggers Association and the Mississippi Forestry Association.

Jennifer Seltzer, a research associate with the Mississippi Entomological Museum at Mississippi State University, talks to Jameson Clancy, sitting, Thomas Taylor and Simon Smith about a grasshopper they found during the BioBlitz Sept. 13, 2014, at the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science. The 13-hour event helped educate the public about local ecosystems. (Photo by MSU Ag Communications/Kat Lawrence)
September 15, 2014 - Filed Under: Environment, Natural Resources

JACKSON -- More than 130 students, teachers and community members combed the grounds of the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science in Jackson on Sept. 13 during the state’s first BioBlitz.

Scientists from the Mississippi State University Extension Service and the museum led participants through the facility’s trails during the 13-hour event to inventory insects, spiders, birds, aquatic animals, mammals, trees and mushrooms.

September 17, 2014 - Filed Under: Landscape Architecture

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi State University is bringing three influential designers to campus in October to give professional and hobby gardeners new ideas about landscape design.

The 59th Edward C. Martin Landscape Design Symposium will be held from 9 a.m. to noon Oct. 15 at the MSU Bost Extension Center Auditorium. Bob Brzuszek, Extension professor of landscape architecture, is the symposium program chair.

Speakers this year are Eric Groft, John Mayronne and Sadik Artunc.

Include insect repellent when packing bags, especially when traveling to tropical or Third World regions. (Photo by MSU Ag Communications/Linda Breazeale)
September 17, 2014 - Filed Under: Family, Insects-Human Pests

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Some travelers may be afraid of lions, tigers and bears, but the real health threats come from mosquitoes, ticks and fleas.

David Buys, health specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said people traveling outside the United States should consult doctors, local health departments, or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website for disease risks and recommendations.

September 19, 2014 - Filed Under: Wood Products

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Anticipating the return of manufacturing to the U.S., Mississippi State University’s Franklin Furniture Institute is hosting the Mississippi Reshoring Summit on Sept. 24.

Higher labor costs in China and technological advances that aid in U.S. production are partly responsible for increasing domestic manufacturing. The summit will help attendees answer the question for their industries, “Is it time to reshore?”

Kandiace Gray, a Mississippi State University graduate student from Fulton, prepares materials for workshop on growing mushrooms, mosses and ferns on July 8, 2014 at Dorman Hall on the Starkville campus. (Photo by MSU Ag Communications/Kevin Hudson)
September 19, 2014 - Filed Under: Community, Lawn and Garden

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- A Mississippi State University graduate student is using a centuries-old teaching method to plant the seeds of success in would-be gardeners.

Kandiace Gray of Fulton is working on her master’s degree in horticulture. She has created a hands-on workshop series designed to share the how-to side of the pretty pictures found on Pinterest gardening boards.

Soil samples undergo pH testing at the Mississippi State University Soil Testing Laboratory Sept. 8, 2014. Researchers at MSU's Delta Research and Extension Center in Stoneville are conducting a study to determine whether soil test correlations and calibration methods are still accurate for today's improved crop production systems. (Photo by MSU Ag Communications/Kevin Hudson)
September 22, 2014 - Filed Under: Agriculture, Crops

STONEVILLE -- The thousands of dollars farmers invest in equipment, seed and labor to produce row crops, such as soybeans, cotton and corn, is wasted if they do not have quality soil.

“Everything ties back to how well the soil is maintained,” said Bobby Golden, an agronomist and researcher with the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station at Stoneville. “If we didn’t have a strong, stable foundation, which is the soil, the crop yields we produce wouldn’t exist.”

After processing, deer meat must be put into the freezer immediately for best flavor and highest quality. (Photo by MSU Ag Communications/Bonnie Coblentz)
September 24, 2014 - Filed Under: Environment, Wildlife, Food Safety, White-Tailed Deer

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- In Mississippi, more than 200,000 deer are harvested each year, providing families with a source of free-range meat. However, hunters must exercise care when processing deer to ensure good-tasting, high quality, safe meat products.

Ryan Akers, an assistant Extension professor in the Mississippi State University School of Human Sciences, left, receives Champions of Change recognition from Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator Craig Fugate at recent ceremonies in Washington, D.C. Additionally, the Mississippi Youth Preparedness Initiative, which is coordinated by Akers, won the national FEMA Individual and Community Preparedness Award for Most Outstanding Youth Preparedness program. (Submitted photo)
September 24, 2014 - Filed Under: Disaster Preparedness, Family

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- A Mississippi State University Extension Service youth initiative and its coordinator earned national honors this month for efforts to prepare communities for disasters.

Drivers should reduce speed anytime they approach a vehicle with a slow-moving-vehicle, or SMV, sign. The small orange triangle indicates a vehicle is traveling below the speed limit. (Photo by Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station/ David Ammon)
September 24, 2014 - Filed Under: Agriculture, Farming, Farm Safety

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- This week marks National Farm Safety and Health Week and it is the perfect time to recognize the dangers of harvest equipment on the highways.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, 70 percent of traffic fatalities in Mississippi occur on rural roads. In addition to being more common, crashes on rural roads tend to be more severe and are more likely to result in death. Farm equipment can be a hazard rural roads any time of year, but harvest time means increased traffic.

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