Feature Story

HAMILTON, Miss. -- Determining the extent of tornado damage to farms in Monroe County will take weeks, but video shot from flying drones will speed up the process.

Mississippi State University Extension Service personnel have been assisting in relief efforts since the morning after an EF-2 tornado on April 13 damaged more than 140 homes in Hamilton, claiming one life and injuring 19 others.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Mississippi is one of just two states east of the Mississippi River not infested with emerald ash borers, and landscapes need everyone’s help to keep it that way.

Blake Layton, Mississippi State University Extension Service entomologist, said the emerald ash borer -- or EAB -- is an invasive, nonnative pest that has killed hundreds of millions of ash trees in the eastern U.S. Fairly expensive, annual treatments can protect high-value landscape trees, but they have to be applied preventatively.

Horsemanship clinics, camps and competitions are uniting young horse enthusiasts with mature, experienced riders across the state as interest booms in the sometimes athletic and always fun equine activities.

Near a bridge that connects Issaquena and Sharkey counties, Waye Windham leaned toward the side of his boat and dipped a paddle down into flood water to gauge its depth.

The water was too deep for the paddle to reach the ground. Riding with Windham was Lacey Little, who tried a much longer wooden post.

The public can gain greater appreciation for one of Mississippi’s cultural treasures during a unique exhibition.

Tabitha McRunnels' career spent teaching young children evolved into one devoted to teaching mothers how to feed their kids nutritious meals on limited funds.

McRunnels is a nutrition educator with the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program -- or EFNEP -- in Lee County. She is part of the Mississippi State University Extension Service, which administers EFNEP through the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

A nationwide community program that helps limited-resource families learn how to eat healthy and live an active life is celebrating 50 years of nutrition education to Mississippians in 2019.

The Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program -- or EFNEP -- is a federal program administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

Challenges facing new farmers and ranchers will be the focus of a field day at the Mississippi State University Beaumont Horticultural Unit.

Researchers and Extension specialists from across the Southeast will help goat and sheep producers expand their knowledge on various aspects of the industry during a workshop on small ruminant production.

Coastal area agricultural producers met with Mississippi State University researchers and Extension Service agents to discuss the research and education they need from the university in 2019. 

The number of people in Mississippi taking up beekeeping as a hobby is growing, and commercial-scale production is holding steady -- for now.

Landowners will receive insights into oil and gas lease issues during daylong educational events April 30 in Oktibbeha County.

A Mississippi State cotton agronomist is the new head of the university's Department of Plant and Soil Sciences. Darrin Dodds, a 12-year veteran of the department, takes the helm April 1.

Southern Gardening host and columnist Gary Bachman earned a 2019 Great American Gardener Award from the American Horticultural Society. Bachman is a horticulturist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service working from the Coastal Research and Extension Center in Biloxi. He received the American  Horticultural Society's B.Y. Morrison Communications Award, which recognizes effective and inspirational communication through print, radio, television or online media with the goal of advancing public interest and participation in horticulture.

Recent rainfall in north Mississippi has flooded many areas and made much Delta farmland unworkable as the time approaches for planting and other traditional tasks.

Peak flea season is in the spring and summer, but in warmer areas like the South, successful flea control is a yearlong battle. (Photo by CanStock)

Landscape architecture students at Mississippi State University are involved in a win-win situation with the underserved community of Africatown in Mobile, Alabama.

A smart landscape can play a key role in efficiently heating and cooling homes while reducing energy costs.

Central Mississippi agricultural producers and industry professionals met with Mississippi State University personnel to discuss research and education priorities at the 2019 Producer Advisory Council meeting on Feb. 20.

The tornado in Lowndes County and widespread flooding in north Mississippi have triggered a variety of helpful “boots on the ground” to provide needed care and guidance.