STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Each February marks the occasion for producers to share their research and programming needs with Mississippi State University agricultural specialists in person.

To comply with COVID-19 social distancing guidelines, the opportunity will be extended virtually this year.

The MSU Extension Service and Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station will host their 2021 Producer Advisory Council meetings online. The meetings are for producers and stakeholders to meet with MSU state specialists and voice their needs for research and outreach materials focused in their specific commodity areas. In addition, state specialists will be providing updates on their current research and Extension projects.

The North Mississippi Producer Advisory Council meeting will be held Feb. 18-19, and the Central Mississippi Producer Advisory Council meeting is scheduled for Feb. 22-24.

Producers in these two regions can attend the sessions by going to the Extension office in their county or calling their local office to get the link or call-in number to the sessions. Specialists will Zoom with the audiences over county office teleconferencing. Producers are asked to contact their local county Extension office in advance to reserve a spot if they plan to attend at their local office.

Each commodity group has its own one-hour time slot. To get a link or call-in number to the sessions or to find out what time and day a commodity group is scheduled to meet, contact Paige Wood at 662-566-2201 in North Mississippi or Janie Ross in Central Mississippi at 601-857-2284.

The Coastal Producer Advisory Council meeting will be available online Feb. 8-28. Producers in this region can register to watch commodity session videos whenever they choose at http://coastal.msstate.edu/advisory. Coastal Producer Advisory Council participants may also provide advice and comment by completing either an online or paper survey, which will be mailed to producers. For questions regarding the Coastal meeting, contact Lester Mitchell at 228-546-1004.

Commodity groups served by these meetings include apiculture, aquaculture, beef, cotton, dairy, equine, forestry and wildlife, fruits and nuts, goats and sheep, grain crops, ornamentals, peanuts, poultry, sweet potatoes, swine, turf and vegetables. Commodity group reports will be shared with all participants after the meeting and posted online.

MSU Extension is an equal opportunity institution. For disability accommodation, contact Wood, Ross or Mitchell at the numbers listed above.