Feature Story

By Karen Templeton
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Thousands of people will attend the State Fair in Jackson Oct. 7-18, and the novel H1N1 flu virus, commonly called “swine flu,” may have some attendees unnecessarily on edge.

“Swine are not responsible for spreading this virus,” said Mark Crenshaw, swine specialist with Mississippi State University’s Extension Service. “It is very unfortunate that it was ever given that name. The virus actually has many other components to it and it is being spread by people, not by pigs.”

By Patti Drapala
MSU Ag Communications

HOUSTON -- Small communities that are courting industry often turn to the county Extension office for help, and for Houston, that help has led to a beautiful new park.

Across the street from the historic Chickasaw County Courthouse stood a vacant, grassy lot. The Chickasaw Development Foundation owned the property but had been turned down on attempts to obtain grant money for refurbishing.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – About 4,000 fourth-graders and their teachers from across the state will be at Mississippi State University in late October for the annual Wood Magic Science Fair.

The goal of the Oct. 19-23 fair is to introduce students to the benefits of forestry, forest products and wildlife to the state. The Wood Magic Science Fair is sponsored by MSU’s College of Forest Resources and the Department of Forest Products. It is held at MSU’s forest products complex.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Thousands of garden and horticulture enthusiasts will converge on Crystal Springs in October for the 31st annual Fall Flower and Garden Fest.

The Oct. 16 and 17 event at Mississippi State University’s Truck Crops Experiment Station celebrates “Living Well – Greener and Healthier” with 3 acres of vegetables, flowers and herbs.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- People who want to learn more about unifying design concepts of homes and gardens should attend Mississippi State University’s 54th annual Edward C. Martin Jr. Landscape Design Symposium on Oct. 21.

The MSU Department of Landscape Architecture and the Garden Clubs of Mississippi Inc. sponsor the event each fall to introduce the public to new concepts in green design and the influence they have on daily life. This year’s theme is “Inside/Out,” which highlights how inside and outside environments can work together.

HATTIESBURG – Hurricane Katrina caused an estimated $888 million in timber damage to Mississippi’s forests in 2005, and an upcoming Mississippi State University panel discussion should help landowners cope with the next big hurricane.

Glenn Hughes, forestry professor with the MSU Extension Service, said about 80 percent of the timber loss occurred in a 10-county area from Hattiesburg to the Gulf Coast. The panel discussion, “Hurricane Katrina: Impacts on Forests and Lessons Learned,” will address some of the hurricane-related issues facing forest owners.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Sales will begin next year for Delta Jazz, a new crape myrtle developed by Mississippi State University that has maroon foliage and handles the heat of Southern summers.

MSU researchers developed and licensed this variety to Plant Development Service Inc. of Loxley, Ala., for commercial sale through the Southern Living Plant Collection. PDSI has established itself as a global leader in new plant introductions. Delta Jazz will be available for purchase in garden centers across the Southeast in the spring of 2010.

By Patti Drapala
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Many 4-H and FFA members are thrilled when they begin their first livestock projects, and youth development specialists with the Mississippi State University Extension Service hope a new competition will channel their enthusiasm into a lifelong passion.

By Karen Templeton
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Biodiesel production has created a new market for soybean oil, and although the demands for this alternative fuel fluctuate, the industry remains strong.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- A Noxubee County soybean field severely infected with soybean rust will represent the state's first yield losses to the disease that has been present in the state since November 2004.

Rust was evaluated in the field Sept. 4, and it is the most severe case of soybean rust found in Mississippi to date. The 100-acre field near Brooksville was not treated with a fungicide.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Professionals who help troubled adults and youth can enhance their effectiveness by attending the 12th annual Families and Communities Together Conference Oct. 6 at the Summit Center in Tupelo.

The conference is also open to the public. The Summit Center is on North Gloster Street.

Conference sponsors are the Mississippi State University Extension Service and other service agencies in north Mississippi that assist families.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Architects, managers, landowners and others with an interest wood and wood products can learn about the many facets of wood in a Nov. 4 workshop in Starkville.

Mississippi State University’s Extension Service is offering the workshop from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. in the Franklin Center, located off of Blackjack Road.

Through hands-on exercises, attendees will learn how to distinguish between various hardwood and softwood species. Participants will become familiar with defects that occur in standing trees and in wood products.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Although the economy is sluggish throughout the country, a new study shows Mississippi’s forestry industry is staying strong.

Forestry production ranks second in the state, behind poultry, generating $1.08 billion in revenue in 2008 and providing $17.37 billion to the state’s bottom line. A recent Mississippi State University report shows just how much of the state’s economy is rooted in the 19.6 million acres of forestland.

By Shoshana Herndon
MSU College of Forest Resources

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The lakes of the Mississippi Delta offer numerous recreational uses throughout the year. However, too many invasive aquatic plant species can create a less-than-optimal environment for fish and people.

A project in Mississippi State University’s Forest and Wildlife Research Center is looking at two different management practices to improve the habitat and increase public use of lakes for fishing, hunting and other recreational purposes.

By Patti Drapala
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- With the transfer of the fabled leather harness from father to son during pregame festivities at Davis-Wade Stadium, Mississippi State University’s new bulldog mascot Champ stepped into a role he was born to assume.

By Rebekah Ray
Delta Research and Extension Center

STONEVILLE – Two researchers at Mississippi State University’s Delta Research and Extension Center in Stoneville are continuing a centennial study begun in 2004 to examine the long-term effects of rotations on crop yields.

“We plowed the first plots for the study when the Delta station observed its 100th anniversary in 2004, and we refer to it as the Centennial Rotation,” said Wayne Ebelhar, the study’s organizer and a researcher specializing in soil fertility and cotton, corn and soybean production.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – A $150,000 grant will enable Mississippi State University students to gain international exposure as they study a technology that makes it possible to grow crops for longer than a typical season allows.

“Season extension technology” allows a crop to be grown earlier or later than weather typically allows. One method is to construct an unheated, Quonset-shaped greenhouse that captures heat.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Mississippi State University’s Crosby Arboretum in Picayune hopes to be overrun, not with bugs, but with youth and adults looking for insects as part of Bugfest Sept. 18 and 19.

The two-day event will include insect collecting, identification and mounting for display; a “Buggy Midway;” and educational seminars on various insects and collecting techniques. The Bugmobile from the New Orleans Audubon Insectarium will make a special appearance Saturday afternoon, with presentations at 1 and 2 p.m.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – The bonds between animals and people will be the topic of an upcoming lecture series at Mississippi State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine.

The second annual Human-Animal Bond Lecture Series will take place Oct. 19-23. It will celebrate the unique interdependence between people and animals -- companion, production, lab animal and wildlife. The series is sponsored by Nestle Purina PetCare Co.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Only in its second year, a student association at Mississippi State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine was awarded top honors at the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior conference this summer in Seattle.

The society sponsors veterinary student chapters in efforts to enhance knowledge of animal behavior. Student chapters are responsible for arranging events and speakers to share knowledge about animal behavior with their fellow students and the public.