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Feature Story from 2023

A man and woman sit opposite one another while talking.
April 17, 2023 - Filed Under: MSU Extension Head Start

GULFPORT, Miss. -- When Martin King’s sister encouraged him to enroll his children in Head Start, he took her advice. And he said he’s glad he did. King’s children, ages 3 and 5, began class in September at Gaston Point Head Start. It is one of several locations in Harrison County where the Mississippi State University Extension Service manages and delivers the early learning program.

A small river runs through a wooded area with a sand beach.
April 20, 2023 - Filed Under: Irrigation, Water

Agriculture is the world’s single largest consumer of fresh water, making the water shortages expected over the next 10 years in at least 40 states -- Mississippi included -- critically important.

Three girls in lab coats work with scientific equipment.
April 25, 2023 - Filed Under: STEM – Science Technology Engineering and Math

The Science Scholars camp invites all interested high school students to apply to the June 28-30 event at Mississippi State University.

White eggs are pictured in a carton with chickens in the background.
April 25, 2023 - Filed Under: Poultry

Poultry is big business in Mississippi, and poultry producers are having to manage disease and high feed costs to produce the meat and eggs that Americans consume in great quantities. Poultry is the most consumed meat in the U.S., according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, followed by beef and then pork. Eggs are also popular, with Americans eating close to 250 eggs per person each year.

Man leads room full of teenagers in dance exercise.
April 25, 2023 - Filed Under: 4-H, Health and Wellness, Food and Health, Health, Rural Health

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Community improvement starts with a volunteer spirit and a desire to serve as a role model for positive change.

In north Mississippi, plenty of teenagers are ready to step up. They just need to know how to help.

The Mississippi State University Extension Service 4-H program hosted 69 14- to 18-year-olds April 22 at the Mill Conference Center in Starkville to help some of these future leaders learn not just how to lead, but also how to take care of themselves and help their peers during challenging times.

April 27, 2023 - Filed Under: Community, Family, Landscape Architecture

PICAYUNE, Miss. -- The Mississippi State University Crosby Arboretum will hold its biannual music night May 6 in Picayune. Attendees will enjoy three live performances by area acts during Music Under the Stars. The event will be held on the Pinecote Pavilion from 6 to 9 p.m.

Tornado damaged pine trees.
April 28, 2023 - Filed Under: Forestry, Timber Prices, Timber Harvest

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Managers of forestland that was damaged or destroyed during the March 24 tornado outbreak in Mississippi now face questions about the short- and long-term future of their property.

Timber loss was recorded in six of the state’s counties after aerial surveys conducted by the Mississippi Forestry Commission estimated more than $13 million in losses on 23,155 acres, of which 9,281 acres were on nonindustrial private forestland. Storms also battered Enviva’s wood pellet production plant in Amory, suspending operations there.

April 28, 2023 - Filed Under: Catfish, Other Aquaculture Species

STONEVILLE, Miss. -- A Mississippi State University Extension professor has received the U.S. Aquaculture Society’s Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to the aquaculture industry.

Jimmy Avery, an Extension professor in the National Warmwater Aquaculture Center at the Delta Research and Extension Center and director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture Southern Regional Aquaculture Center, received the Lifetime Achievement Award for 2023.

Water stands between corn rows.
May 2, 2023 - Filed Under: Irrigation, Water

Technology allows Jeremy Jack to implement management practices on Silent Shade Planting Co. in Belzoni that were impossible 15 years ago, and water use efficiency is just one way his operation has improved.

A man in a red apron speaks to a class in a lab.
May 3, 2023 - Filed Under: Food

While “marination” brings up images of resealable bags and special sauces for many home cooks and backyard chefs, it meant hard-core meat science and technological advances to 47 industry professionals who attended Marination 101 at Mississippi State University. In mid-April, MSU Extension offered the workshop “Marination 101: The Flavor of Science” to industry personnel from across the United States and Canada. Topics covered included meat marination, marinade formulations, breading, food chemistry, flavor enhancements, equipment and more.

Black cows stand in a herd in a green pasture near trees.
May 9, 2023 - Filed Under: Beef

Mississippi cattle operations must constantly improve efficiency to remain profitable, as rising production costs are decreasing the benefit of high market prices. Brandi Karisch, beef specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said beef production is a significant component of the state’s agricultural economy, with a total estimated value of $318 million in 2022.

Yellow letters stand in the background behind a marker post.
May 22, 2023 - Filed Under: AIM for CHangE

A cross section of Belzoni society turned out to celebrate the opening of a new downtown attraction, a StoryWalk park that’s aimed at children but also welcomes adult interaction. Centennial Park on West Jackson Street in downtown Belzoni now hosts bright-yellow word art that invites visitors to “share.” Within the park is the area’s first StoryWalk, a combination of literacy and physical activity.

Young rice plants stand in a field.
May 26, 2023 - Filed Under: Agriculture, Crops, Rice

STONEVILLE, Miss. -- After taking a break from rice last year, Mississippi producers who typically grow the crop have returned to it this year. Hunter Bowman, Mississippi State University Extension Service rice specialist, said growers in the state have planted 119,000 acres of rice. That’s well over the 84,500 acres planted in 2022.

Hands clasped together over a dry field.
June 5, 2023 - Filed Under: Food and Health, Health, The PROMISE Initiative, Prescription Opioid Misuse, Mental Health First Aid, Farm Stress

RAYMOND, Miss. -- Edward Jenkins manages his family’s small farm in Grace, Mississippi. It’s property that has been in his family since the 1940s.

Like other farms, Jenkins’ family-run operation is a delicate balancing act of making the right decisions and dealing with issues that are beyond a farmer’s control, including weather and markets. It’s a high-pressure business.

 adult instructs two children in a kitchen setting.
June 8, 2023 - Filed Under: Food, Nutrition

Junior high and high school students are invited to improve their kitchen skills at a culinary arts camp June 26-30 at Mississippi State University. Culinary Arts Kids Camp is focused on teaching young people about local foods, kitchen basics and easy recipes.

 Corn plants snapped by hail and wind damage
June 16, 2023 - Filed Under: Agriculture, Corn, Cotton, Soybeans

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- After a June 14 severe thunderstorm dropped some of the state’s largest recorded hail on Noxubee County, row-crop farmland there suffered up to 50% yield loss.

A 5-inch-diameter hailstone from the eastern Mississippi storm cell made media headlines, but reports of wind and hail damage to crops in the Mississippi Delta began rolling in as early as the previous weekend.

June 19, 2023 - Filed Under: Extension Program Priorities, Environment, Marine Resources

BILOXI, Miss. -- The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality awarded Mississippi State University $800,000 to begin a three-year project to establish the Mississippi Sound Estuary Program and facilitate future conservation and restoration projects from Escatawpa to the Pearl River.

June 19, 2023 - Filed Under: Agriculture, Agricultural Engineering

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Agricultural professionals who have not learned how to use grain bin rescue equipment can do so while learning about emerging precision agriculture applications and seed-applied technologies.

The Mississippi State University Extension Service and Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station invite seed and agricultural industry professionals, stakeholders, producers, crop consultants and research professionals to attend the 2023 MSU Seed and Agricultural Technology Short Course Aug. 1-2.

A watermelon sits in a field.
June 19, 2023 - Filed Under: Agriculture, Crops, Commercial Horticulture, Watermelon Cantaloupe and Cucumber, Watermelons

RAYMOND, Miss. -- Harvest is in full swing for Mississippi watermelon producers as rains ramp up, increasing the likelihood of disease and ruined melons.

Three girls work with dough sheets at a table.
June 21, 2023 - Filed Under: Food

The smells coming from the classroom at one Mississippi State University summer camp will make a person hungry, which makes sense as the camp teaches kitchen skills and introduces new foods. Culinary Arts Kids Camp is offered each year, with one week for older elementary age kids and another for junior high and high school students. The events focus on local foods, kitchen basics and easy recipes. Young people in grades 4-6 and 7-12 are introduced to food science, culinary arts and food preparation techniques.

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