News

GREENWOOD, Miss. -- Farmers can learn about free-range poultry farming, high-tunnel vegetable and flower crops, and integrated disease and pest control during the Alliance for Sustainable Agricultural Production field day June 17.

The on-farm field day will be at Levee Run Farms, located at 802 Grenada Blvd. Extended in Greenwood.

Experts with the Mississippi State University Extension Service and Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station will help farmers understand how to prevent, identify, monitor and manage insects, diseases and weeds.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- When Brittany Storey of Terry, Mississippi, was searching for a major, she felt a little like Goldilocks -- she couldn’t find the career path that felt “just right.”

Although she loved animals and wanted a career in biology, she did not see herself as a veterinarian. She spoke with different department heads, but she could not picture herself in a career in agriculture or human medicine, either.

The first week of June is one of my favorite times in Mississippi landscapes and gardens. This is the time of the year when the vitex begins to bloom with the regularity of Old Faithful.

QUITMAN -- Bringing rural Mississippi communities into the digital age is the objective of a newly established Mississippi State University Extension Service program.

The MSU Extension Intelligent Community Institute, or MSUE-ICI, is a joint project between the Extension Center for Technology Outreach, Extension Center for Government and Community Development, and its parent worldwide organization, the Intelligent Community Forum.

RAYMOND, Miss. -- With opening day of dove season a few months away, many hunters have begun thinking about finding a perfect field.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Boating in the summertime can seem like the perfect way to escape the heat, but it is important for everyone enjoying outdoor activities to be aware of sun safety.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated half of young adult Americans get sunburned every year. The CDC estimates that extreme heat kills an average of 658 Americans annually, which is more than the total number killed by tornadoes, lightning, hurricanes and floods combined.

POPLARVILLE, Miss. -- The first half of June is usually a busy time for blueberry growers in Mississippi, and this year is no different, as recent dry conditions have expedited the crop’s harvest.

A few scattered small-market “U-Picks” can be found in north and central portions of the state, but most of the commercial activity is happening south of Interstate 20, where rain has been in short supply lately. Wayne County boasts the highest blueberry production in the state.

Like almost every gardener I know, I want a gorgeous looking garden and landscape that is drought tolerant and requires little maintenance.

I know I should know better, but I want what I want.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- For those in early childhood education, achieving accreditation by the National Association for the Education of Young Children is the mark of excellence in their field.

In Mississippi, few have earned this distinguished honor, but the School of Human Science’s Child Development and Family Studies Center at Mississippi State University is among the elite.

Director Melissa Tenhet learned on May 17 that the center’s efforts in recent years to achieve accreditation have been successful.

STARKVILLE, Miss – Many of us look forward to a summer garden every year, especially after a long winter.

Unfortunately, many wildlife species find garden vegetables and plants just as delicious as we do. This leads to a battle -- a battle to keep the fruits of our labors to ourselves rather than providing a meal for the local wildlife.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Researchers recently gathered at the Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine to share information about a common bacteria most people associate with ear and sinus infections.

Pneumococcal disease is also responsible for more serious infections, such as pneumonia and sepsis. Because of its prevalence and severity, MSU scientists are focused on finding preventions and treatments.

May is Older Americans Month…

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- The phrase “you are what you eat” may be a cliche, but nothing is truer nutritionally for adults who have reached their 65th birthday.

Pamela Redwine, a Mississippi State University Extension Service agent in Yalobusha County, said a good diet provides the energy seniors need to be at their most productive.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- An abundance of cool-season grasses and legumes means plenty of forage for Mississippi dairy cows, but increased nationwide milk production is driving down profits for the state’s producers.

Producers are receiving $12.75 per hundredweight, or about $1.10 per gallon of milk. A year ago, they were being paid just under $20 per hundredweight.

Brian Williams, an agricultural economist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said the sharp decrease is driven by supply.

OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. -- For military families, finding child care that accommodates their hectic schedules can feel impossible, which is what makes child care providers like Heather Bond so special.

For nearly six years, Bond has opened her home to military families who do not have traditional schedules, giving parents a safe and inviting alternative to conventional child care options.  

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- As children, Jessica and Rachel Wilson of Rankin County began working with animals, and now the sisters plan to devote their careers to this vocation after earning veterinary medicine degrees from Mississippi State University.

May is Older Americans Month…

HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- After pharmacist Jim Murray’s legs gave out at a Mississippi State University tailgate in 2007, his doctor told him his gardening days were over.

However, Murray is gardening again, thanks to the Pine Belt Master Gardeners’ salad table project.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Despite above-average rainfall in Mississippi between January and March, only a small portion of that moisture made it back into our groundwater, which is the primary source for household needs, including water for lawns and gardens.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Cotton producers made rapid planting progress in mid-May on increased acreage, hoping the recent trend of high yields will continue in a year of low prices for all crops.

Darrin Dodds, cotton specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said dry weather during the second week of May allowed farmers to kick planting into high gear.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- More than 20 campus units and 30 faculty and staff members at Mississippi State University are teaming up with state and federal agencies and local stakeholders to restore the water quality of a creek that flows through campus and is the focal point of the Catalpa Creek watershed.