News

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Summer means fun in the sun, but young children need extra protection against the dangers associated with being outside too long.

With average summer temperatures in Mississippi in the 90s, safety precautions are required to protect children while they play.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Everyone needs friends to improve their quality of life, even dairy calves.

In a study on the effects of housing types, Mississippi State University scientists found that dairy calves develop better when raised in pairs. Stephanie Ward, a dairy management and nutrition scientist in the MSU-based Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, said this research should provide insight for dairy farmers who practice grass-based dairying.

Colorful caladiums at a popular theme park fascinated me on a recent trip to Florida. They were everywhere I looked.

Some caladiums neatly defined border edges or were mass planted in beds, but they were not all planted in the usual landscape places. The caladiums were planted in containers of every shape, size and color, and some were even in hanging baskets.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Business owners eager to capitalize on the power of technology can attend a free series of webinars scheduled for this fall.

The Mississippi State University Extension Service and the Mississippi Development Authority’s Entrepreneur Center have partnered to offer four sessions about web-based services and strategies.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Movie fans can enjoy three free Japanese films at an upcoming series at Mississippi State University’s Bost Extension Center.

The Japan Outreach Program at MSU is presenting the comedy “ROBO-G” on Aug. 22 from 6-8 p.m., the animated adventure “Brave Story” on Sept. 12 from 5-7 p.m., and the drama “Always: Sunset on Third Street 3” on Sept. 26 from 5-7 p.m.

STONEVILLE -- There is a reason catfish do well in Mississippi: hot summers.

“An unusually cool summer like we have had can create nice days for people, but the temperatures have caused some problems for our catfish,” said Jimmy Avery, Extension aquaculture specialist at the Mississippi State University Delta Research and Extension Center.

This time of year, it’s our faces -- not winter snow drifts -- that are glistening in the sunlight, but it’s never too early to start thinking about Christmas. By planning now, you can avoid sweating about gift ideas during the holidays.

If you are even remotely interested in creating personalized presents for family and friends, now is the time to get started. You can finish your list early, check it twice and save a few bucks with some easy-to-create gifts.

By James E. “Jim” Miller
Professor Emeritus, Department of Wildlife Fisheries and Aquaculture
MSU Extension Service

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- That first raucous, exhilarating gobble of the spring season heralds the thrill of the chase for millions of North American turkey hunters, including me.

Historians estimate between 7 and 10 million wild turkeys roamed the continent prior to European settlement. However, by the 1930s, only 30,000 birds remained, most in isolated populations in a few states.

DURANT -- A group project in Holmes County is one small town’s effort to end Mississippi’s national reign as the leader in obesity.

Detra Bishop, pastor of the John Wesley United Methodist Church in Durant, just marked the first anniversary of her church’s Health Education Center. She started the center in March 2013, involving people from other churches and a variety of contributing organizations.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- A Mississippi State University food science doctoral student, received top honors at the Institute of Food Technologists’ Annual Meeting and Food Expo.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi State University scientists are conducting research to determine the economic impact of wild hog damage to agriculture in Mississippi.

Bronson Strickland and Jessica Tegt, Extension wildlife biologists in the university’s Forest and Wildlife Research Center, are asking farmers and foresters to participate in the study.

By Karen Templeton
MSU College of Veterinary Medicine

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- When John and Paula Cormane took their dog to the Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine, they could only hope he would be able to walk back out the same doors they carried him through.

RAYMOND -- A new book should provide private landowners with a comprehensive and easy-to-understand guide to current land management techniques for fisheries and wildlife.

Adam T. Rohnke, a certified wildlife biologist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, served as managing editor for “Fish and Wildlife Management: A Handbook for Mississippi Landowners.”

If you are looking for an easy landscape plant that is guaranteed to please, the daylily is the plant for you.

Daylilies come in just about any color, shape or size you could want for your landscape. The colors are a kaleidoscope of red, peach, white and yellow. Aside from the stunning array of colors, the flowers themselves are not boring. Shapes include vibrant double flowers, petite flowers, flowers with gold-edged ruffles and spidery blooms with long, linear petals.

CARRIERE -- The 2014 Muscadine Field Day in Pearl River County on Aug. 23 will allow growers to learn from Mississippi State University researchers and examine the grape vines growing at the MSU McNeill Research Unit.

The event will run from 9 to 11 a.m. at the MSU research facility near Carriere. Participants will get to examine the fruit on the vines and hear speakers from MSU and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service.

Timely topics related to muscadine grapes include cultivars, best production practices, and insects and disease.

JACKSON -- Turf and forage producers in Mississippi need fewer clouds and more sunshine.

In 2014, forage producers raised an estimated 600,000 acres of hay across the state. There are about 60 farms producing sod for sale in the state.

Turf production…

The unusually harsh winter melted into a cool, wet spring and summer, which slowed spring growth and intensified diseases and last fall’s herbicide injury in sod, said Jay McCurdy, turf grass specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service.

Mississippi summers evoke thoughts of family vacations, rainy days and outdoor explorations. But with the heat and humidity come tiny critters that, if not discovered quickly, can ruin a fun day.

Nineteen species of ticks exist in Mississippi, but only a few are known to bite humans.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- A young researcher from Maine and another from Brazil are finding Mississippi to be a good place to lay the foundation for scientific careers.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Parents aren’t the only ones who struggle with time management anymore; school children are finding it more difficult to squeeze in all the things they want to do each day.

Larry Alexander, 4-H youth development specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said the beginning of the school year is a great time to make a time management plan.