Feature Story

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- A two-year trial pitted kenaf against pearl millet and a mix of dallisgrass and bermudagrass to see which forage brought the best results in cattle production.

More questions may have been raised than were answered, and Mississippi State University researchers would like to conduct the tests over a few more years to learn more.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Many soybean farmers across the state are seeing great yields cut in half or more as heavy rains are causing seed deterioration before the crop is harvested.

Group 4 soybean varieties that were ready for harvest are being hit the hardest from a week of rains that came near mid-August. Specialists have identified the disease that is deteriorating the seed in the pods as phomopsis. Yield losses are estimated as high as 50 to 60 percent in some fields.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Some state dairy producers have been given the opportunity to manage risk through cost share participation in the milk futures market.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Confirmed cases of encephalitis and the potential for the West Nile Virus in Mississippi have health officials at a state of heightened awareness to the threat of mosquito-borne illnesses.

By Carrie Reeves

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Whether baked, boiled, stir-fried or steamed, vegetables are a vital part of a healthy daily diet, and the storage and preparation methods are the keys to retaining nutritional value.

Melissa Mixon, human nutrition specialist with Mississippi State University's Extension Service, said vegetables are important to healthy diets, but their nutritional value depends on how they are prepared.

MISSISSIPPI STATE &endash; A better-than-expected national forecast for cotton production is not helping the troubled price outlook for growers as they approach the harvest season.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture released production estimates on Aug. 10. The outlook for corn and soybeans appears more favorable than that for cotton. The report predicts a 7 percent national decrease in corn production compared to the 2000 crop. Soybeans are only increasing slightly, up 4 percent nationally. Cotton will make the biggest national increase, up 16 percent.

By Charmain Tan Courcelle

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Producers and pesticide applicators trying to find the safest ways to use pesticides and reduce spray drift may find the answer blowing in the wind, say scientists involved in pesticide drift research.

"We've found that downwind distance is by far the most important variable that affects ground, boom spray drift," said David Smith, Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station agricultural engineer.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- People spend a lot of time and money trying to keep their tax burden as low as possible, but when it comes to timber sales, many Mississippians pay too much in taxes.

Debbie Gaddis, assistant Extension professor of forestry at Mississippi State University, said proper record keeping and management can lower tax bills by allowing timber owners to take advantage of special tax programs available to them.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Much of the state's soybeans, like Mississippi's other row crops, are benefitting from August showers, but some fields still are lacking.

"The rains have been very variable. Everyone doesn't want rain on the same day or in the same amount," said Alan Blaine, soybean specialist with Mississippi State University's Extension Service. "We really needed (tropical storm) Barry to come right through the middle of the state the first week of August and provide a good general rain, but that didn't happen."

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Old railroad crossties are basic elements in many landscapes, but in some cases they are helping spread the Formosan termite.

Formosan termites are a subterranean species that require moist environments to live. They are a tropical species from the Far East which tunnel from location to location to prevent them from drying out when exposed to above-ground conditions.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Just as Good Friday signals the time to get the spring garden in the ground, August's heat is the indication that it's time to plant the fall garden.

David Nagel, horticulture specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said now is the time to plant tomatoes, peppers, squash, sweet corn, peas and beans.

"Summer gardens typically wind down in early August when the temperatures start being consistently above 95 degrees," Nagel said. "That's when you clean the garden out and plant the fall garden."

By Carrie Reeves

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippians consider mosquitoes a nuisance during the summer months, but to their pets, these swarming pests can be deadly.

Heartworms are a life-threatening disease that affect dogs and cats, although they are most common in dogs. The disease is caused by the presence of the adult stage of the parasite Dirofilaria immitis.

MISSISSIPPI STATE - Nature gave corn a hand this year with moderate temperatures and scattered rains, and Mississippi producers are expecting to harvest near record-high yields.

Erick Larson, grain specialist with Mississippi State University's Extension Service, said the crop should be ready for harvest on schedule by mid-August. Favorable weather and low insect and disease pressure mean harvests should approach the record high 117 bushels an acre set in 1999.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Five years of eradication efforts are making the boll weevil a scarce pest in Mississippi cotton.

The most recent counts show the state has less than 1 percent of the boll weevils it had in fields last year. By late July 2000, about 1.1 million boll weevils had been trapped in Mississippi's cotton fields. This year, 10,442 have been captured. Last year's numbers were down more than 50 percent from the previous year.

By Carrie Reeves

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Swimming provides a great way to relax and have fun during the summer, but swimmers should be aware of pool-related infections and ways to prevent the spread of these in public pools.

The most serious germs which might be found in swimming pools are cryptosporidiosis, also known as crypto; giardiasis; and Escherichia Coli 057:H7, also know as E-Coli 057:H7. All of these infections are passed through feces.

VERONA -- Dr. Lester Spell, Mississippi's Commissioner for Agriculture and Commerce, will be the featured speaker along with other activities at the upcoming North Mississippi Research and Extension Center Agronomic Row Crop Field Day.

Farmers can learn the latest research results and recommendations at the Aug. 8 event from 8 a.m. until 1:30 p.m.at the Lee County AgriCenter on Highway 145, south of Verona.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Hay producers across most of Mississippi could not have timed the rains any better if they controlled the weather themselves.

Summer thunderstorms are bringing enough moisture to most parts of the state to grow good summer grasses. The rain is stopping to let farmers cut, dry and bale the hay before starting again.

"The rain comes at just the right time and quits at just the right time," said Malcolm Broome, forage specialist with Mississippi State University's Extension Service.

By Charmain Tan Courcelle

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Vaccine and pharmaceutical combinations are being used in aquaculture production as the first line of defense against disease-causing organisms.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Earning a college degree is a rather traditional pursuit, but Mississippi State University offers several degrees in some fairly non-traditional fields.

In addition to engineering, education, mathematics and science, MSU students can earn degrees in such varied areas as sports turf, precision agriculture, cotton ginning, landscape architecture, retail floristry and food science.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Cooking skills are bringing some widespread attention to a Mississippi volunteer organization.

Three recipes from the Mississippi Homemaker Volunteers' own cookbook, "Down Home Dining in Mississippi," were featured in a new cookbook, "America's Best Recipes -- A 2001 Hometown Collection." This cookbook is produced by Oxmoor House Inc., the parent company of Southern Living magazine.