Feature Story

MISSISSIPPI STATE – A Mississippi State University researcher landed another grant to continue work begun in 2007 to support the state’s cotton industry.

Ted Wallace, a researcher with the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, received a $25,000 grant for 2012 from Cotton Inc. to continue his work developing nematode-resistant cotton cultivars.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Fire ants are one of the most frustrating insect pests to deal with in Mississippi lawns, but they can be successfully controlled with the correct approach.

“There is a lot of confusion when it comes to treating fire ants, but it is not that complicated,” said Blake Layton, an entomology specialist with Mississippi State University’s Extension Service. “I recommend using what I call the one-two punch.”

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- A passion for fashion led a Mississippi State University alumna back to campus to share her career path with students in the apparel, textiles and merchandising program.

Robin Cox, a 1998 MSU graduate and corporate merchandise planner for national retailer J.C. Penney Co., now known as jcpenney, spent a day talking with students and faculty as part of the Senior Showcase. This event celebrated 2012 graduates and the design work they completed while in MSU’s School of Human Sciences.

STONEVILLE – Farmers can learn more about controlling Palmer amaranth, universally hated and commonly known as pigweed, at an upcoming field day.

Mississippi State University’s Delta Research and Extension Center will host a Pigweed Field Day from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on June 14.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Some skeptics think agricultural production and natural resource conservation are incompatible, but a Mississippi State University scientist is committed to proving them wrong, one farm at a time.

Robbie Kroger, assistant professor of aquatic sciences in the MSU Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture, is the co-founder and spokesperson for a new initiative called Research and Education to Advance Conservation and Habitat, or REACH.

STONEVILLE -- Two Mississippi State University scientists are taking on new leadership roles at the university’s Delta Research and Extension Center in Stoneville.

Jimmy Avery, who has served as the MSU Extension Service aquaculture specialist since 1999, has been named director of the Southern Regional Aquaculture Center.

The mission of the center is to support aquaculture research and education in the Southeast. Its goal is to enhance aquaculture production to benefit consumers, producers, service industries and the American economy.

BRANDON – An organization that provides outdoor adventures to children facing life-threatening illnesses netted $65,000 at two recent fundraisers in Brandon.

The Catch-A-Dream Foundation is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization working in cooperation with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. Each year, Catch-A-Dream fulfills the hunting- and fishing-related wishes of children with life-threatening illnesses, such as cancer and cystic fibrosis. The foundation holds two benefit events each year: the Bass Classic and the Shotgun Jamboree.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Two Mississippi State University scientists have been selected for a national leadership training program.

MSU Forest and Wildlife Research Center professors Robert Kroger and David Jones will be in the Leadership for the 21st Century, or Lead21, class of 2012-2013.

Lead21’s purpose is to develop leaders within land-grant universities and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The year-long Lead21 course includes three sessions and an individual learning component.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Robotics is a gateway to engineering careers and the focus of one track at the 2012 4-H Tech Camp in Starkville.

Mississippi high school students in 4-H can learn how to apply their technical skills to college success in the senior robotics track at Tech Camp. The residential program is offered through the Mississippi State University Extension Service 4-H youth program.

NEWTON – Spending the day fishing, searching pond water for insects, and hiking nature trails might not be a traditional middle school field trip, but organizers of the first Youth Fishing Day hope the May 11 event sparked an appreciation for the outdoors in participating sixth graders.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Catfish and toads drew two British Broadcasting Corporation film crews and host to spend three days with Mississippi State University experts.

The crew was shooting an upcoming BBC documentary called Wonders of Life with host Brian Cox. It will follow Cox’s successful Wonders of the Solar System and Wonders of the Universe, viewed by millions of people in the United Kingdom and around the world last year.

HATTIESBURG -- Mississippi’s Extension agents are not being deployed to Afghanistan, but their agricultural and food preservation information is.

Mississippi State University Extension Director Gary Jackson said agricultural specialists recently trained an elite group of military personnel preparing to assist the Afghan Ministry of Agriculture. After they are deployed, these men and women will maintain their contact with MSU specialists for ongoing needs and questions as they assist Afghan agricultural agents with demonstration food plots and similar responsibilities.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Members of the inaugural team of 4-H shooting sports ambassadors hit the bull’s eye in their first year of service, said their Mississippi State University leader.

“We selected four experienced 4-H shooting sports competitors who are enthusiastic about the sport to represent Mississippi at local, state and national events, and this team has exemplified good sportsmanship, patience, respect and self-discipline,” said John Long, assistant Extension professor and state shooting sports coordinator.

PRAIRIE – An informational program and station tour of Mississippi State University’s Prairie Research Unit will focus on native grass and cattle production May 31.

The Native Grass and Cattle Field Day will take place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the MSU research unit in Monroe County. Lunch is provided. There is no cost to attend, but registration is required.

MISSISSIPPI STATE –4-H programs in Mississippi and Tennessee received a donation from North American energy infrastructure company TransCanada to fund training for community leaders.

The $30,000 contribution will be divided between the two states’ programs to finance a social media training program taught by trained 4-H members. 4-H’ers train county government officials, emergency responders and business leaders to use a variety of methods to communicate with constituents and community members.

MISSISSIPPI STATE –Mississippi State University officials will attempt to remove sweltering heat from the discussion topics at the Agronomic Crops Field Day on July 19, allowing participants to focus on the crop information.

MSU is providing air-conditioned shuttle buses for field tours in place of the open wagons typically used for these educational events. The tours will stop at cotton, corn, soybean, and other research and demonstration plots.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – A date has been added to the free Mississippi Market Ready training series to help food producers learn how to sell their products directly to restaurant chefs and retail managers.

On July 19 in Biloxi, Mississippi State University Extension Service experts will discuss current food policy legislation, building relationships with restaurant managers and chefs, proper packaging and labeling, marketing strategies, pricing structures and regulatory concerns.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – With specialized training and equipment and several years of experience behind them, a team of Mississippi State University veterinarians are ready to use interventional radiology to aid patients suffering from some difficult-to-treat conditions.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi State University’s BuckScore software is now the official scoring system for the Outdoor Channel.

BuckScore is a software package that uses digital images to estimate the age and antler score of white-tailed deer. Developed by scientists in the university’s Forest and Wildlife Research Center and Extension Service, MSU licensed the product in 2010 to NBFog, a Texas-based company focused on outdoor business.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Technology may have changed in the 114 years since the national soil survey started, but the dedication of soil scientists engaged in the project has not wavered.

On May 8, partners from Mississippi State University’s Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and other natural resources agencies met in Jackson to celebrate the completion of an ambitious project: to map Mississippi’s soils on the acre level.