JACKSON, Miss. -- Melissa Tolar was hopeful that her daughter, Emmy, would be featured in this year’s Dixie National Sale of Champions, but she admitted to some uncertainty about her chances at first.
Emmy, a 12-year-old 4-H’er from Marion County with autism, had difficulties with communication and presenting her animals dating back to when she began showing livestock four years ago. To advance to this year’s sale, one of the goats she showed had to place first in the Dixie National Junior Round-Up.
Regional agriculture advisory groups will meet across the state next month to provide input on educational programing and research conducted by Mississippi State University.
Since the best-managed sports fields are the safest, the Mississippi State University Extension Service is offering two workshops in February to improve the skills of field managers.
Field management workshops will be held Feb. 11 in Booneville and Feb. 18 in Columbus. Each event lasts from 8:30 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. with lunch provided. There is no cost to attend.
High school juniors interested in health care and other science-related careers can apply to participate in an exploratory, four-week summer program at Mississippi State University.
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- While the Rotary Classic Rodeo is a competitive tournament featuring bull riding, barrel racing, steer wrestling and other contests, the event offers something for the whole family.
Hosted by the Starkville Rotary Club, the annual rodeo sanctioned by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association and the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association is returning to the Mississippi Horse Park Feb. 7-8.
General admission is $15 at the door and $12 in advance.
Mississippi farmers and gardeners who want to learn about plant propagation and seed starting are invited to attend the next Alliance of Sustainable Farms field day.
In 2019, Mississippi’s agricultural industry faced the prospect of dipping below $7 billion for the first time in eight years, but federal payments pushed its value up enough to post a slight gain over 2018.
The estimated value of Mississippi agriculture in 2019 is $7.39 billion, a 0.2% gain from last year’s $7.37 billion. Included in the total is an estimated $628 million in government payments, the largest amount of federal assistance Mississippi producers have seen since 2006
Overcoming every challenge that comes its way, Mississippi’s poultry industry maintained its 25-year streak in 2019 as the state’s No. 1 agricultural commodity.
Mississippi’s timber industry remained its second highest producing agricultural commodity again in 2019.
Coming in with an estimated production value of $1.15 billion, timber followed the state’s poultry industry, which generated an estimated value of $2.78 billion in 2019. Timber’s value of production is estimated by monthly severance taxes collected by the Mississippi Department of Revenue.
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- The Mississippi State University Extension Service invites growers and financial professionals in the agricultural industry to the 2020 Agricultural and Rural Outlook Conference.
The conference will be held Jan. 7 at the Bost Extension Center auditorium on the main MSU campus in Starkville. It begins at 8:30 a.m. and concludes by 3:30 p.m.
Financial management, farm policy, trade and agricultural commodity outlooks will be among the topics covered.
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Experts from the Mississippi State University Extension Service will offer a workshop designed to help food-related business owners prepare for disasters.
“Food as a Business: Disaster Preparedness for Food Businesses” is for anyone who currently operates or is interested in operating an agriculture-based food business, including retail, cottage food or food processing operations.
Topics include financial preparedness, risk management, record keeping, crisis communication planning, emergency-action planning and food recall and traceability planning.
A few, simple preparations can mean the difference between achieving a healthy success or suffering a major disaster during the traditional biggest meal of the year.
The Mississippi State University Extension Service is doing what it can to make sure everyone in the state’s agricultural community knows there is help available when the stress of life seems unrelenting.
Mississippi fruit and vegetable producers, specialty foods producers and interested farmers can learn how to get their products on local store shelves and into new markets during an upcoming meeting.