Feature Story from 2023

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- A Mississippi State University Extension Service administrator with more than 30 years of experience in youth education has been selected to lead Mississippi’s 4-H program.

RAYMOND, Miss. -- Six years ago, John Malanchak combined his love of science, passion for teaching and a call to serve others into a project he named Dominic’s Garden. The project, which serves people with disabilities in the Jackson metro area, was recognized in June with an award at the International Master Gardener Conference in Overland Park, Kansas.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Row crop growers interested in the latest updates in cotton variety research and testing are encouraged to attend the 2023 Mississippi State University Cotton Agronomy Field Day August 24.

The MSU Extension Service and Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station will host the event from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the MAFES Veteran’s Memorial Rose Garden at 601 Highway 182 in Starkville.

Mississippi adults will continue to be offered science-based vaccine information by the Mississippi State University Extension Service with help from a national grant.

MSU Extension received the Extension Collaborative on Immunization Teaching and Engagement, or EXCITE, grant to provide adult vaccine education in Mississippi. MSU was one of 37 institutions chosen for this award.

Sweet potato producers and industry professionals are invited to tour Mississippi State University’s research plots and learn current information about this crop’s production at an Aug. 24 event in northeast Mississippi. The 2023 MSU Sweet Potato Field Day at the Pontotoc Ridge-Flatwoods Branch Experiment Station begins with registration at 8 a.m., followed by a guided tour of ongoing projects that begins about 8:30.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Vegetable growers soon will have two chances to learn about managing pests on produce in greenhouses and high tunnels.

The one-day workshop Vegetable Pest Management in High Tunnels and Greenhouses will be held at two locations: the Mississippi State University Extension Service Forrest County office in Hattiesburg on Aug. 30, and the MSU Extension Lafayette County office in Oxford on Sept. 1.

COLUMBUS, Miss. -- During a grain bin safety demonstration, Benton Moseley pulled a couple of soft drink crates out of a storage compartment and explained why he carried them.

CARRIERE, Miss. -- The 2023 Muscadine Field Day will be held Aug. 24 at the Mississippi State University McNeill Research Unit, a branch of the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station. Topics include propagation, pruning, insects, diseases and more.

STARKVILLE, Miss. – Dates have been set for the fall 2023 slate of Master Gardener courses.

Registration for the asynchronous online trainings will be open from August 14 to September 11. The trainings will be available from October 3 to December 4. Once registration opens, it can be accessed at http://msuext.ms/mg.

Fifty-seven Mississippi 4-H’ers received the highest honor given to youth civilians by the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.

The Aug. 6 Congressional Award ceremony marks the 25th anniversary of the partnership between the Congressional Award Program and the Mississippi State University Extension Service 4-H Youth Development Program.

Shortly after Emily Duggar bought property in Madison County to build a house near Canton, she realized there were beavers on a creek that ran through the back of the property.

“We saw evidence that beavers were taking down trees and gnawing on trees,” Duggar said. “We could see they were building a dam, and they’ve since built two more dams. The water is rising,” she said. “We haven’t had any flooding yet, but we’ve heard that some people who live in the neighborhoods behind our property have flooding from the creek.”

BOLTON, Miss. -- Gaddis & McLaurin sounds more like the name of a law firm than a general store, but since the 1870s, the name is synonymous with all manner of dry goods in the Hinds County community of Bolton.

Its expansive range of inventory is one reason for its longevity. Items normally found at local co-ops – animal feed, grass seed, lumber, tools and hardware – have been the store’s calling card for much of its existence. Over time, store owner and longtime row crop producer Kendall Garraway has brought in a multitude of home and garden items.

LEAKESVILLE, Miss. -- Most goat meat sold in the U.S. is imported, but a group of Mississippi meat goat producers wants to see that change. A first-of-its-kind test in the state is underway to help them meet that goal. The Southeastern Buck Performance Test aims to improve the profitability of the meat goat industry in the region by improving meat goat genetics.

MISSISSIPPI STATE , Miss. -- A Mississippi State University Extension Service specialist has been elected to the executive board of the American Association of Pesticide Safety Educators. Gene Merkl, program manager for pesticide safety education for the state of Mississippi, will serve as president-elect for the nationwide organization. His service on the board is a three-year commitment.

STARKVILLE, Miss. – Bolivar County, Mississippi, is the place to be for rice connoisseurs Sept. 21.

Rice Fest will highlight the commodity from 4-9 p.m. in downtown Merigold.  Not only is it National Rice Month, but this year marks the 33rd year Delta Rice Promotions has highlighted the state’s rice producers and industry. The event is free of charge and open to the public.

WAYNE COUNTY, Miss. -- A team of Mississippi 4-H’ers brought home a first-place award this summer in a national wildlife habitat management competition. The three-member team competed in the National Wildlife Habitat Education Program contest in Milford, Iowa, July 31-Aug. 2.

Despite several recognized benefits of growing winter cover crops, this conservation system has limited acceptance, something Mississippi State University researchers are trying to change by identifying and better managing risks.

Among the significant benefits of planting a green crop on farmland otherwise exposed to winter elements are improved soil health, water quality and erosion control. But cover crops grow into the optimal spring planting times for summer crops. This complicates their use and can reduce productivity of the summer crop.

For the last several years, MSU research has addressed various aspects of this issue, primarily focusing on cover crop management and cover crop species.

RAYMOND, Miss. -- In Mississippi, 230,000 residents lack access to high-speed internet and the many benefits it offers, but the Mississippi State University Extension Service is working to help change that. Devon Mills, an assistant Extension professor of agricultural economics, is leading an effort to build an inventory of all the organizations in the state working to promote digital skills and literacy. This effort, called the Mississippi Digital Asset Mapping Project, is helping spread the word about a survey to help construct that inventory.

RAYMOND, Miss. -- Tourism employees, city council members, elected officials and others interested in growing tourism in rural areas are invited to attend an upcoming tri-state conference. The Alabama-Mississippi-Tennessee Rural Tourism Conference will be held Oct. 23-25 in Cleveland, Mississippi. The conference is open to anyone who works in tourism, economic development or public service. Attendees will have the opportunity to network with professionals in the tourism industry and attend multiple educational sessions.

RAYMOND, Miss. -- Individuals interested in working with young children and families are encouraged to apply for job openings with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. Mississippi Child Care Resource and Referral at MSU Extension is hiring program associates and office associates in several counties statewide.