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MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi's agricultural industry may have survived the initial impact of Hurricane Katrina only to become the victim of exorbitant fuel prices if farmers can find supplies at all.

Reports from each of Mississippi's agricultural commodities seem to have the same primary concern: fuel. The state's crops facing major challenges related to the fuel situation include poultry, timber, cotton, soybeans, catfish, dairy, peanuts and horticultural crops.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- While pets are considered family during the good times, a disaster like Hurricane Katrina makes them runners-up.

Dr. James Watson, state veterinarian with the Board of Animal Health in the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce, said Wednesday (Sept. 1) that the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson is accepting rescued animals, agricenters around the state have taken in horses, and plans are being made to set up animal shelters in South Mississippi.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Pets separated from their owners or injured in the wake of Hurricane Katrina are finding shelter at the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson. Trained professionals and volunteers staff the shelter.

"People come first in an emergency, but there are animals that need help as a result of the hurricane," said Dr. Carla Huston, an assistant professor at Mississippi State University's College of Veterinary Medicine and a member of the Mississippi Animal Response Team. "We will assist state veterinarian Dr. James Watson as long as we're needed."

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- High waters from Hurricane Katrina will drive snakes, rodents and fire ants into areas they may not venture normally, such as homes and storage buildings.

Bill Maily, area wildlife agent with Mississippi State University's Extension Service, said any time a building has been flooded, people should enter it with extra caution.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Most people just want to get their life back together quickly after a storm deals a devastating blow to their house, but rushing too fast can compound the problem.

Homeowners across the Southeast are trying to reassemble the pieces of their homes and belongings after Hurricane Katrina tore through Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama Monday. It will take several weeks to get basic services back to many areas, and months for life to even begin to resemble what it used to be.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- When a disaster such as Hurricane Katrina strikes the state, officials add price gouging and illegitimate charities to the list of things they must deal with.

Bobbie Shaffett, associate professor of human sciences with Mississippi State University's Extension Service, said Mississippians are a generous people, but there are always a few people who see a disaster as an opportunity to scam others.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Getting a settlement from an insurance company in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, expected to be the most costly disaster in U.S. history, is a necessary early step in rebuilding lives.

Mississippi State University experts are urging those with claims to make safety and documentation top priorities when returning home and cleaning up after the disaster.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Hurricane damage threatens two things necessary for human and animal survival: water and food. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina's flood waters, people are discovering how precious clean drinking water can be.

Jimmy Bonner, water quality specialist with Mississippi State University's Extension Service, said boil-water notices have been prevalent across the state and consumers should follow that advice.

 MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Use caution while operating generators in the wake of Hurricane Katrina to avoid further damage to homes and health.

Herb Willcutt, safety specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said generators can be an invaluable resource after a disaster, but improper use can be deadly.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

Knowing you live in an area at risk for hurricane damage is one thing, but watching a Catagory 4 or 5 hurricane barrel down on your home is a helpless feeling. When the time for recovery arrives, cleaning up landscapes can seem overwhelming, especially if a lot of trees are down. What took a few hours to bring down, may take weeks to clean up.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- No age is immune from stresses that accompany natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina, but children may need extra help coping with the situation.

"Adults may get so caught up in all the traumatic details like relocations and damaged property that they overlook the emotional needs of the children around them," said Louise Davis, child and family development specialist with Mississippi State University's Extension Service.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- After Hurricane Katrina has passed, the deadly aftermath may be just beginning.

Glenn Hughes, a professor of forestry with Mississippi State University's Extension Service, said older, historic-type neighborhoods are often the hardest hit. Those areas typically have trees that are past their prime and possibly not as healthy.

Hughes, who is based in Hattiesburg, said each time a major hurricane hits the state, people learn the importance of removing at-risk trees before a storm hits.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The heat and humidity of August took its toll on cotton, and producers are ready for some relief both for themselves and their crop.

Producers will begin harvesting the bulk of Mississippi's cotton in late September. The U.S. Department of Agriculture predicts a state average of 928 pounds an acre, down from last year's record high of 1,024 pounds. State production is forecast at 2.30 million bales, down 2 percent from the previous year.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

Even if the heat has been oppressive, you must admit that late summer opens the door to one of the best times in the landscape for ornamental grasses. Just when you are ready to throw in the towel for the gardening season, these landscape warriors start sending up blooms and plumes demanding attention.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Before new soybean technologies arrived, soybeans were losing ground in the state, so Mississippi State University researchers looked for opportunities to improve this crop's potential.

In the 1970s and 1980s, state average soybean yields were 22 bushels an acre. Most producers kept this crop on heavy soil and grew it alone or rotated it with rice. Soybean irrigation was limited, and producers made few inputs due to marginal profits.

Today, soybeans are a viable crop in Mississippi. Last year, the state averaged a record 39 bushels an acre.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi State University Extension Service agronomists credit good management of diseases and a recent doubling of peanut acreage for what they expect to be Mississippi's largest peanut crop ever.

Still with fewer acres than most peanut-producing states, Mississippi growers have 20,000 acres in rotation plans with cotton and corn, primarily in the state's southern counties.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- A food allergy does not have to keep a student out of the cafeteria, but parents should work with the school in advance to develop a plan of action.

The National Institute of Health defines a food allergy as "an abnormal response to a food triggered by the body's immune system." Allergic reactions can cause serious illness and even death. The institute estimates 6 to 8 percent of children under the age of 3 and 2 percent of adults have true food allergies.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Alan Blaine was named the interim head of the North Mississippi Research and Extension Center in Verona after its current head took another position within Mississippi State University.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

Late yesterday evening, I was surveying the landscape and looking at the results of being gone for almost a week. The conclusion is it is time to begin some late-season planting. If you are like me and ready for a colorful pick-me-up, then late summer- to early fall-planted marigolds could certainly be what is needed.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Weather conditions may prevent Mississippi's rice farmers from posting a third consecutive year of record yields, but their biggest battle may be economics.