Feature Story

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Volunteers, instructors, therapists and an ideal facility came together in 2008 to earn reaccreditation for Mississippi State University’s 4-H therapeutic riding program.

Now in its eighth year, the 4-H Therapeutic Equestrian Activity Member program offers horseback riding to children and adults who have challenges ranging from autism to spinal injuries.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- A Feb. 11-13 workshop hosted by the Mississippi State University Extension Service will help restore the whistle of the bobwhite to properties throughout the Southeast.

Designed for landowners, the intensive workshop includes detailed information on bobwhite biology and management. The on-campus workshop in Tully Auditorium at MSU’s Thompson Hall will give landowners the tools to manage their property for bobwhite quail.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The Mississippi State University Extension Service is recruiting people interested in becoming trained Smart Aging: Healthy Futures volunteers to help promote well-being among seniors in their communities.

Training sessions have been set up in Oxford and Natchez. Those in the northern half of the state can receive this training Jan. 29 from 9 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. in Oxford at the Lafayette County Extension Office at 101 Veterans Drive. The registration deadline is Jan. 27.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Extensive, lingering rains have turned much of the state into a soggy mess while replenishing rivers and lakes and recharging groundwater stores.

Charles Wax, state climatologist at Mississippi State University, said 2007 was the worst year of the recent, multi-year drought the state experienced. The end came in 2008 when above-average rainfall came in August and heavy rains began in late November.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Agricultural economists are predicting Mississippi's 2008 crop values will reach a record $5.9 billion, but cost-of-production increases have dampened most year-end celebrations.

By Patti Drapala
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The continuing decline in housing construction was supposed to decrease the value of Mississippi's timber harvest for the third consecutive year, but an increase in pulpwood demand kept that from happening.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Soybeans rode increased acres and high prices to a second straight year as Mississippi's top row crop, increasing 15 percent to bring an estimated $604 million to producers in 2008.

Mississippi farmers planted 2.1 million acres of soybeans, 35 percent more than was planted in 2007.

“The increase was primarily due to excellent prices for soybean,” said Trey Koger, state soybean specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. “The other commodity crops had lower prices and high costs for inputs, especially for cotton and rice.”

By Karen Templeton
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE – With an estimated production value of $2.3 billion in 2008, poultry remains Mississippi's No. 1 agricultural commodity.

“When following agricultural commodity trends for the past several years, we see that poultry stays at the top of the leader board,” said Vanessa Kretzschmar-McCluskey, an assistant professor of poultry science at Mississippi State University. “Poultry will likely remain a big producer as Mississippi ranks fourth in U.S. broiler production and 13th in egg production.”

By Patti Drapala
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Plant waste offers a nearly unlimited supply of raw material for biofuel production, but the substance that stands in the way of its use is the same one that makes the plants stand.

By Karen Templeton
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Everyone is looking for ways to save on fuel costs these days, and poultry growers are no exception. Fuel used for heating poultry houses during the cold winter months can be very costly.

Researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service and Mississippi State University's poultry science department have explored ways to reduce energy usage and improve energy efficiency in poultry houses.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- A working relationship that began 40 years ago has led to international recognition for a pair of Mississippi State University entomology graduates.

James H. Tumlinson and W. Joe Lewis are recipients of the 2008 Wolf Prize in Agriculture for their contributions to the field of chemical ecology. The Israel-based Wolf Foundation gives Wolf Prizes in the areas of medicine, agriculture and the arts. The Wolf award is considered agriculture’s equivalent of a Nobel Prize.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Wheelchairs and crutches are not common sights at most horseback riding classes, and laughter is not always heard at physical therapy sessions, but all of these can be found at the Mississippi Horse Park.

The therapeutic riding program available at the horse park near Starkville offers children and adults with physical challenges a chance to develop skills atop a living, breathing animal.

By Patti Drapala
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The experience of bagging sweet potatoes and boxing jelly for food pantries this semester has taught Mississippi State University students who focus on food and health issues that helping others is a sweet gift, too.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Titles like “You Want To Put What, Where?” and “We Don't Just Shoot 'Em Anymore” put a light-hearted spin on some complex science in an attempt to recruit students to a new class that offers a look at veterinary medicine.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Shardendu Kumar Singh, a former Mississippi State University graduate student, was honored by the Association of Agricultural Scientists of Indian Origin as its 2008 Outstanding Graduate Student Award winner.

The association includes agricultural scientists, faculty, post-doctoral fellows and graduate students of Indian origin. The group provides development opportunities for new scientists and graduate students. Singh received his award at the association’s annual meeting in Houston in October.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- A Mississippi State University program recently was honored for its early childhood training workshops.

The MSU Extension Service Child Care Resource and Referral Network received the 2008 Swimmy Award during the Mississippi Early Childhood Association’s annual conference held in October in Jackson. The Swimmy Award is based on the children’s book “Swimmy” by Leo Lionni, an internationally known author and artist. The award is presented to organizations for their collaboration, teamwork and dedication to Mississippi’s youth. 

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- A shortage of research veterinarians has prompted a new degree program that allows a student to earn a veterinary degree and a doctoral degree at the same time.

Mississippi State University's College of Veterinary Medicine is responding to a growing demand for researchers needed to study environmental impacts on human and animal health.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- With banks in financial trouble and the stock market still dropping, farmers preparing to secure financing for next year's crops should expect an uphill battle.

David Schweikhardt, a professor of domestic policy and international trade issues in the Department of Agricultural, Food and Resource Economics at Michigan State University, said producers are paying off their production loans in the fall and will get new ones in the spring.

By Patti Drapala
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi farmers have no control over volatile fertilizer costs but they can use good soil fertility management to offset the effect on production expenses.

“We have to be efficient users of fertilizer, and that doesn't mean just this product's application rate,” said Larry Oldham, soil specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. “This concept includes the whole production system of seed, soil, water, climate, pests, labor and capital.”

By Patti Drapala
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The 2008 Christmas tree crop in Mississippi is shaping up to be a good one as growers finish their spraying, shaking and shearing in time for holiday shoppers.

“Christmas tree farming is labor intensive,” said Steve Dicke, forestry specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. “Because the trees are a high-value crop, the standard in producing them also is high.”