News

The snapdragon is a longtime favorite flower of mine for the cool-season landscape.

Many home gardeners seem surprised when I tell them snapdragons are pretty tolerant of cold weather. We are lucky to be able to grow these great landscape plants in Mississippi from the cool, fall season to the rising temperatures of spring. Once planted and acclimated, snapdragons seem to say, “Bring on the cold weather.”

RAYMOND -- Consumers who want Mississippi-grown Christmas trees to deck their halls should shop early for the best selection every year.

“Choose-and-cut Christmas tree production in Mississippi is fairly flat because there are growers each year who retire,” said Stephen Dicke, a forestry professor with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. “Growers still in the business are producing more trees each year, but demand in heavily populated counties is much higher than the supply of trees.”

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- ’Tis the season to forget troubles and be happy, but Mississippians top the list of groups who cannot ignore a life-threatening concern lurking around their tables and lifestyles.

Mississippi leads the nation in obesity and ranks second in diabetes, and Mississippi State University Extension Service health specialist David Buys said the two go hand in hand.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Keeping healthy over the holidays is all about the germs.

David Buys, health specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said frequent, proper hand-washing and a flu shot are the best prevention tools.

“Flu and respiratory illnesses are the most common sicknesses in the winter, and they are both transmitted by mucus,” he said. “Viruses and bacteria are transmitted when somebody coughs or sneezes on their hand, and you touch their hand or an object they have touched, such as a doorknob, and then touch your mouth or nose.”

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Giving to good causes generates a wide range of happy feelings, and it is one reason why charitable organizations put such an emphasis on giving during the holidays.

Rita Green, family financial management specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said studies have shown that giving money to other people makes the givers happier than spending that same amount of money on themselves.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Jamie Earp operates a successful sweet potato farm in Chickasaw County, but he chose to work with a graphic design class at Mississippi State University to develop a new brand image.

Fifteen graphic art students in Suzanne Powney’s advanced print production class got to work with an actual client as they learned their craft. They completed the service-learning project with Earp.

As a wildlife specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, I get many phone calls and emails from hunters during the hunting season asking, “What’s wrong with this deer?” The hunter then provides some details regarding what he is seeing on the deer. Together we can usually diagnose the problem.

Most of the questions can be answered by one of two common disease categories: hemorrhagic disease or cutaneous fibromas. This summary of these two common deer diseases should help you at the skinning shed this fall and put your mind at ease.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Four young Mississippians will have the opportunity to represent 4-H and the Mississippi State University Center for Government and Community Development as pages in the 2015 State Legislature.

All senior 4-H’ers are encouraged to apply for the positions with the 2015 Lt. Governor Tate Reeves 4-H Senate Page Program. Selected applicants will serve in the Mississippi Senate the week of Feb. 9-13. To be considered, applications must be submitted by 5 p.m. Dec. 3.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Holiday gift giving can feel overwhelming when everyone seems to have the necessities and the budget is tight.

Natasha Haynes, a Mississippi State University Extension Service agent in Rankin County, said one easy solution is to give homemade food gifts.

“Everybody has to eat, and food gifts do not have to be expensive or high in calories,” Haynes said. “From homemade granola to jars filled with ingredients for a pot of healthy soup, good gifts are limited only by your creativity.”

RAYMOND -- Consumers who take a few precautions while shopping this holiday season can avoid the unwanted surprise of empty bank accounts and stolen identities.

Rita Green, family financial management specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, recommends shoppers follow some guidelines when making purchases in stores and online.

Through the year, I get quite a few questions concerning landscape issues, plant care and plant identification. Answering questions and helping home gardeners find success in their gardening endeavors is fun.

I’ve gotten questions from as far away as California. I have to admit that some of the questions make me think I’m on a game show called “Stump Gary,” and I learn a thing or two researching the answers. This question and answer time feels kind of like two gardeners sharing landscape tips across the back fence.

Here are a couple of questions I’ve recently received:

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Excellent summer crop harvests in recent years is partly responsible for a significant decrease in the amount of wheat being planted in the state this fall.

Official estimates are not yet available, but Erick Larson, grain crops agronomist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said he expects state farmers to plant less than 150,000 acres of wheat in 2014. Wheat planted in the fall is harvested early the following summer.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Wild hogs are a nuisance and potential danger to farmers and landowners throughout the United States. Brought to the Americas by early Spanish explorers as a livestock animal and later transported by hunting enthusiasts, wild hogs have spread rapidly throughout the Southeast.

One reason wild hogs are a growing problem is they can adapt quickly to a variety of temperatures, climates and conditions. They also reproduce rapidly and have few, if any, effective predators, other than humans.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The Morris Animal Foundation has named Dr. Cyprianna Swiderski, associate professor in the Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine, chair of its Large Animal Scientific Advisory Board.

Swiderski, an equine internist who studies airway disease in horses, credits Morris Animal Foundation with the early support of her research that helped to give it credibility. The foundation is a nonprofit organization and is the largest private funding source for research to advance the health of companion animals, horses and wildlife.

PRAIRIE -- Buyers shopping the Mississippi State University horse auction may be surprised to see bulls in the online photo lineup this fall.

This is the second year for horses in the annual Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station’s production sale to be auctioned online with eBay-style bidding. All the animals are available for viewing at http://www.auction.msucares.com.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Third-graders attending an agricultural event at Mississippi State University Nov. 10-15 will be able to tell their parents about the sources of food, clothing and other common products.

GOODMAN -- Fruit and vegetable growers can get information to help them prepare for spring planting during a Nov. 21 field day.

Experts from Mississippi State University Extension Service, the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, and Alcorn State University will present several educational sessions at the Alliance for Sustainable Agricultural Production Demonstration Farm Field Day in Goodman.

NATCHEZ -- Owners of agritourism enterprises can learn new ways to market their businesses during an upcoming meeting in Natchez.

The Mississippi Agritourism Association Meeting will be held on Nov. 17 and 18 at the Natchez Grand Hotel. The Mississippi State University Extension Service is sponsoring the educational event.

Topics include organizing a media day, merchandising and retail tips, hosting a farm-to-table dinner, and marketing and advertising.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- A Mississippi State University professor emeritus recently received a national honor for his lifetime of service.

The Railway Tie Association, or RTA, executive committee gave Terry Amburgey, a Giles Distinguished Professor, the 2014 Award of Merit for his contribution to the industry. The award is given at the executive committee’s discretion and has been awarded only two other times since the association was formed in 1919.