Feature Story

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- David Jones has joined the Mississippi State University Extension Service as the first forest products specialist. 

Jones, a wood quality expert, formerly worked as a postdoctoral associate at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in forestry. He received a bachelor’s degree in forest resources from Clemson University, a master’s from Stephen F. Austin State University, and a doctorate in forestry from the University of Georgia. 

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Bob Ratliff of Starkville is serving as the interim department head of Mississippi State University’s Office of Agricultural Communications.

Vance Watson, serving as MSU’s vice president for agriculture, forestry and veterinary medicine, appointed Ratliff to the interim task after the retirement of Tom Knecht on Feb. 29.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- A Mississippi State University alumnus and forest products faculty member is the new head of the university’s forest products department.

Rubin Shmulsky, who assumed his new duties April 1, will lead the largest state-funded laboratory of its kind in the United States. His appointment was approved during the March meeting of the state Board of Trustees for the Institutions of Higher Learning.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi State University is offering different kinds of family vacations this summer.

Four educational summer camps that appeal to families who enjoy the outdoors will be offered: two are based at the MSU campus in Starkville and one will be in north Mississippi at Crow’s Neck Environmental Center in Tishomingo County. The location of the fourth is still being determined.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Overall demand for wood products is down, but one segment of the industry is experiencing stronger demand.

Pulpwood prices are expected to reach, and possibly exceed, $10 a ton during the first half of 2008, which is almost double their level last summer, said Mississippi State University Extension Service forestry economist James Henderson.

“There is increased demand from the pulp and paper industry for pulpwood,” Henderson said. “This increase is being driven by two factors -- the weak U.S. dollar and the subprime mortgage crises.”

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Well before planting time, the fight against Asian soybean rust is already under way in Mississippi as sentinel plots are planted and genetic resistance to the disease is being developed.

Billy Moore, pathologist emeritus working parttime with the rust program for the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said Schillinger Seeds is developing resistance to soybean rust.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The Mississippi Peanut Growers Association is seeking peanut producers who are interested in serving on the National Peanut Board.

The MPGA will hold nominations to select a member and an alternate to the National Peanut Board during a meeting at 8:30 a.m. April 21. MPGA members may participate in the nominations by video conference at any Mississippi State University Extension Service county office or in person at the Forrest County Extension office, located at 952 Sullivan Drive in Hattiesburg.

By Patti Drapala
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Seventh-graders in the Mississippi Delta are discovering career opportunities in a place they least expect -- home.

A collaborative project between Mississippi State University and the Delta Health Alliance is motivating these students to dream big, study hard and return as doctors, nurses, respiratory specialists, radiology technicians and other health-care professionals.

By Robert H. Wells
Delta Research and Extension Center

STONEVILLE -- The distressed Mississippi catfish industry received a small boost in January as state producers were granted $8.1 million in disaster assistance for losses sustained in the hot summer of 2006.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Lead poisoning is a real threat to Mississippi children, many of whom are exposed to the potentially deadly substance in painted surfaces in their homes.

Jane Clary, health specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said high levels of lead exposure can lead to the development of colic, kidney damage, anemia, muscle weakness and brain damage, which can cause death. Lower levels of lead exposure can affect the blood, development and behavior.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Scientists have known for decades that animals are good stand-ins for humans in research, and one Mississippi State University veterinarian was on the front lines of the fight to protect the welfare of laboratory animals.

Dr. John Harkness retired in 2005 from his position as laboratory animal veterinarian at MSU. He began his career in the early 1970s, just seven years after federal legislation mandated the kind of care laboratory animals must receive.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- An upcoming workshop will offer hope and guidance to entrepreneurs with a variety of business interests that they want to base in their homes.

The home-based business workshop will be linked with video conferencing technology and will take place April 16 in Biloxi, Cleveland, Raymond, Verona and on the Mississippi State University campus. The registration deadline is April 7. The fee is $20 per person.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Fee fishing, fee hunting, agritourism, trail riding and wildlife watching are examples of outdoor recreational businesses based on natural resources commonly found on Mississippi private lands.

A one-day workshop for farmers, landowners and resource managers will provide attendees with the resources to start and manage a natural resource enterprise. This April 24 event will be held in Benndale  in George County. Benndale is located at the intersection of Highway 26 and Highway 57, just west of Lucedale.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Few events focus the need for saving money like a sudden job loss or a personal catastrophe. Unfortunately, by then it is too late.

“Most people know they need to save money for retirement or for their child's college education, but any number of crises that require emergency funds can occur before those anticipated needs arrive,” said Bobbie Shaffett, family resource management specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Bats in the backyard are a good way to keep mosquito numbers down, but bats in the attic are a problem.

Ben West, wildlife specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said Mississippi is home to eight of the 40 kinds of bats native to the United States.

“Bats are great mammals to have around your property because they really help control mosquitoes,” West said. “Bats are so effective at mosquito control that many people place bat houses on their property to encourage bats to live nearby.”

By Patti Drapala
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The Mississippi State University Extension Service has launched a one-stop information shop on the MSUcares.com Web site focusing on imported fire ants.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- For more than two decades, Mississippi State University’s veterinary college has welcomed thousands of school children to its annual open house, and people of all ages will enjoy the 2008 event.

MSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine will open its doors from 8:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. on April 4 and 5 for the 24th annual open house at the Wise Center, located on the south side of campus off Spring Street.

VERONA -- On Feb. 20, the nation’s oldest group of its type met for the 55th time at the North Mississippi Research and Extension Center in Verona.

The North Mississippi Producer Advisory Committee has met every year since 1953 and its purpose has remained the same -- to tell Mississippi State University Extension Service and the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station personnel the research and education needs of agricultural producers in 27 north Mississippi counties.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- A donation of old-but-functional computers from the Mississippi State University Extension Service will soon give local law enforcement, intelligence and public safety agencies connectivity for sharing information.

MSU Division of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine Vice President Vance Watson said many emergency management agencies in small towns lack adequate computers. Extension’s donation will give these agencies additional communication tools to respond to criminal activities, natural disasters and emergencies.

By Robert H. Wells
Delta Research and Extension Center

STONEVILLE -- With soybean seed in short supply in 2008, Mississippi soybean growers are facing increased production risks including unproven varieties and poor-quality seed.

Mississippi State University Extension Service specialists recommend producers research available varieties to minimize these risks.