News

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Students at Mississippi State University's College of Veterinary Medicine will hold their 19th annual open house April 4 and 5 at the Wise Center, located on the south side of campus off Spring Street.

The theme of the open house is "A whole world of opportunities." 2003 marks the 29th year anniversary of the establishment of the MSU College of Veterinary Medicine by the Mississippi Legislature.

JACKSON -- Mississippi manufacturers, agricultural producers and economic developers can learn ways to reduce dependence on fossil fuels during a March 25 and 26 conference.

The Mississippi Renewable Energy Conference will address how the use of alternative fuels can create jobs and reduce the environmental impact of energy production and use.

Mississippi State University's Extension Service and the Mississippi Biomass Council are sponsoring the conference at the Clarion Hotel in Jackson.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Farmers trying to avoid possible rising nitrogen costs by applying the fertilizer to fields before the new planting season may harm their wallet and the environment.

Most nitrogen applied to fields weeks before planting will be lost to the environment. Not only will it have to be reapplied, adding cost to the producer, but it can have negative effects on nearby water quality.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

Superbena is sure to be hot this year, so get ready to look for this new verbena at a local garden center while supplies last.

Superbena certainly does look to be super and even monolithic in size by verbena standards, but gee, how about a better name? Obviously Proven Winners knows how to produce good plants and make a fortune without me, so I'll stop whining.

By Laura Whelan

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- While some people are preparing for a biological crisis with duct tape and plastic, Mississippi State University representatives are considering the animals in the food supply and the veterinarians who examine them.

By Charmain Tan Courcelle

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Neighborhood watch programs tend to deter criminal activity, and Mississippi State University researchers are hoping increased surveillance will have a similar effect on a devastating species of termites at work in the state.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Many communities are ready and willing to make aesthetic improvements or increase environmental consciousness, but it often takes outside encouragement to get a project started.

"The Community Pride program usually provides the seed money to motivate youth groups to develop projects to improve their local environment. The grants are intended to stimulate additional investments by the local community," said Rae Wilkinson, 4-H program specialist with the MSU Extension Service.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- A series of meetings around Mississippi in early March will help producers and agribusiness leaders understand conservation programs found in the new Farm Bill.

Charlie Forrest, agricultural economist with Mississippi State University's Extension Service, said the 2002 Farm Security and Rural Investment Act, or Farm Bill, provided for a substantial increase in funding for existing and new conservation programs.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

I predict Amber Waves, a new heuchera, will be one of the most sought-after plants this spring.

When I saw Amber Waves in trials last year, I figured it would take a couple of years to get to our state, but I just saw it at a Mississippi greenhouse complex. Our gardeners are fortunate to have such progressive growers as those in the Mississippi Nursery and Landscape Association.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

Late winter cold snaps are enough to make a gardener want to have a groundhog killing, but it would be better to channel our frustrations toward planning this year's landscapes. Therefore, I want to call your attention to a new, must-have plant for 2003.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- A growing number of students are finding that Mississippi State University is a great place to horse around -- seriously.

Forty students are members of the MSU Horseman's Association, and half of those members comprise the university's equestrian team.

JACKSON -- Excitement is always in the air for young livestock exhibitors who qualify for the Dixie National Sale of Junior Champions, which culminates the annual market animal show each February.

For 34 years, the sale has brought out the best in 4-H and FFA exhibitors and in philanthropic buyers who bid generously to reward some of the state's most responsible youth. This year, 35 market animals brought a total of $183,663. The eight steers averaged $9,268, the 12 hogs averaged $4,985, the 13 lambs averaged $3,343, and the two goats averaged $3,123.

JACKSON -- Fifty lenders and other supporters of microenterprises recently met for the founding conference of the Mississippi Micro-Enterprise Association Network, designed to help the smallest businesses establish themselves in the state.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

In today's container, basket or window-box plantings, cascading plants have become the ideal finishing touch for the overall design scheme.

In recent years, I have urged gardeners to choose plants that gently cascade over the rim. While that is still important, the new look includes those that reach the container's edge, then plummet toward the ground.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- It turns out chicken soup may be the perfect food for winter's cold and flu season, but other foods can also help ease the transition back to health.

Rebecca Kelly, human nutrition specialist and a registered dietitian with Mississippi State University's Extension Service, said the main focus during and after an illness is getting liquids and some energy back into the body.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Simply gaining national accreditation for its riding program for people with disabilities was not enough. Mississippi State University's 4-H TEAM aimed for and reached 100 percent of the national standards.

Mississippi State 4-H TEAM, or Therapeutic Equine Activity Member, was granted national accreditation in January from the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association through the Premier Accredited Center Program. The group is the only such organization in the state to have this accreditation.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- When Ryan Anderson came to Mississippi State University's College of Veterinary Medicine as a student in 1984, he both kept and broke family tradition.

Dr. Ryan Anderson, a 1987 MSU graduate, is the seventh man in his family to become a veterinarian. His father, Dr. Walter Anderson Sr., began the tradition in 1949, and Ryan's two brothers and three first cousins followed suit.

JACKSON -- Greenhouse tomato growers should mark their calendars for the 13th annual greenhouse tomato short course to be held in Jackson on March 11 through 13.

The 2003 Greenhouse Tomato Short Course will be held at the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum in Jackson. It is sponsored by the Mississippi State University Extension Service. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Risk Management Agency is providing additional funding through a partnership agreement to enhance the program.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

The winter already seems long, and if you are like me, we're ready to dig in the dirt. These next weeks before Spring offer great opportunities to plan for our beds to be the showiest ever. One plant you should consider is a new Rudbeckia hirta, or black-eyed susan, known as Prairie Sun.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

Farmers want to get rid of them and landscapers want to plant them, but two native hollies are at the top of my list of best shrubs or small trees we can grow in Mississippi.

Yaupon hollies are native throughout the Southeast. They are great shrubs for sunny beds and yet look good in shade. They tolerate clays, sand and everything in between.