News

Daily heat indexes routinely above the century mark make indoor air conditioning feel really fantastic and outdoor activities a challenge, but I’ve recently joined the ranks of gardeners who face a challenge unrelated to the weather.

Currently, I’m a frustrated gardener who wants to get out into the heat and tinker in the garden. I had a total knee replacement in July, and I need assistance with normal daily activities, let alone the landscape.

HATTIESBURG – Mississippi cattle producers continue to go online to connect with livestock markets throughout the country.

The sixth annual Mississippi Homeplace Producers’ Sale was broadcast live to viewers across the state and nation Aug. 5 from Southeast Mississippi Livestock in Hattiesburg. Since 2008, the sale has been conducted with the assistance of Mississippi State University’s Extension Service.

By Kaitlyn Byrne
MSU Office of Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- A social media workshop recently taught Mississippi’s Master Clothing Volunteers how to reach out to new members through Facebook and Pinterest.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – A successful tailgate party requires a winning game plan for the food, not just for the football game that follows.

Food safety experts say one in six people gets a food-borne illness each year. While most of these incidents do not require hospitalization and are even blamed on a stomach bug or 24-hour virus, these illnesses are avoidable.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Forage producers and their livestock are not the only ones admiring the plentiful bermudagrass fields and pastures across the state this year.

Another invasive insect has arrived in Mississippi, this time to take a bite out of potentially strong hay yields. Stem maggots are joining the list of invasive species in the state that includes fire ants, fall armyworms, kudzu bugs, and once upon a time, boll weevils.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Back to school time means homework, and homework today typically means at least some time spent in front of a computer.

While the Internet has long been used for research, today it frequently offers tutoring, drills and games aimed at brushing up the skills learned in class.

Carla Stanford, an agent with the Mississippi State University Extension Service in Pontotoc County, said careful parents and students can often find help with problem assignments or concepts that are particularly difficult to master.

PONTOTOC – Sweet potato growers, crop consultants and other agricultural professionals can learn about recent weed, insect and disease control research during an upcoming field day.

Researchers and specialists with Mississippi State University’s Extension Service and the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment station will host the event Aug. 22 at the Pontotoc Ridge-Flatwoods Branch Experiment Station located at 8320 Highway 15 South.

MISSISSIPPI STATE —Two Mississippi State University food science graduate students took top prizes for poster presentations at the Institute of Food Technologists Annual Meeting and Food Expo in Chicago.

Yan Zhao placed first in the Muscle Foods Division competition for her research on food safety in aging dry-cured hams. Her research looked at not only keeping the food safe but also at the effects different processes have on flavor and sensory quality.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Two Mississippi State University poultry science graduate students took home honors from the Poultry Science Association annual meeting.

If you’re the kind of gardener who likes to plan now for what to plant next year, here’s another plant to add to your list: Golden Thryallis.

This plant starts flowering in early June and continues through fall if higher temperatures linger. It has stand-out yellow flowers that really draw attention in the landscape. The bright and cheery flowers appear in clusters that are up to 6 inches long.

If you’re like me, you’ll enjoy Golden Thryallis for more than its flowers. Even the branches are attractive.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Getting enough sleep can significantly improve a child’s readiness for school and general well-being.

Mississippi State University researchers recently took on a project at a local child care center to offer research-based strategies for developing healthier families. One of those strategies is developing bedtime routines to ease kids into sleep.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – A tough bunch of salamanders found a home in a brand-new lab at Mississippi State University, where they are helping researchers learn how to keep populations of these amphibians from declining worldwide.

The 62 tiger salamanders took a long road before reaching MSU. They came from Nevada by way of Iowa and the Omaha Zoo before arriving at a Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station lab at MSU.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The spring’s planting challenges and last year’s Midwest drought boosted soybean prices for a while, but the winds of change are starting to blow.

Brian Williams, agricultural economist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said the soybean market had been strong until mid-July. The market typically drops before harvest, but he said prices dropped a bit faster this year.

STONEVILLE – Farmers and consultants came to the 2013 Rice Field Day to learn the latest rice growing recommendations, but they also witnessed the industry’s support of Mississippi State University’s research program.

MSU hosted the annual event on July 30 at the Delta Research and Extension Center in Stoneville. Following the keynote address by Andy Morris, a rice buyer for Mars Food, MSU received a $50,000 check from the company to support rice research in the state.

JACKSON – The vegetable garden’s homegrown goodness can last well into the fall and early winter with proper care.

Summer vegetables, such as tomatoes, squash, cucumbers and peppers can all be replanted this time of year for a second harvest, said Rebecca Bates, Mississippi State University’s Extension Service coordinator in Lincoln County.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The kudzu bug is a nonnative insect that is becoming a management headache in soybeans and a pest in houses after just one year in the state.

The insect was first found in Georgia in 2009 and quickly spread to Mississippi and six other Southeastern states. By the end of July, it had been found in 17 Mississippi counties in kudzu, and seven of these counties had the bugs in soybeans.

Belzoni -- Landowners who want to branch out and earn extra income can attend a Natural Resource Enterprises Business Workshop Aug. 15.

Hosted by Mississippi State University, the workshop offers attendees the opportunity to learn different ways to make more money from their land. Topics include recreational businesses, managing wildlife such as waterfowl and wild hogs, marketing, cost-share programs and reducing liability.

STONEVILLE – Energy beets could be the answer to Mississippi farmers’ quest for off-season income and provide an alternative energy source for the nation’s expanding biofuels markets.

Mississippi State University researchers and Extension agents are examining the growth and profit potential for varieties of energy beets, a nonedible relative of sugarbeets used only in biofuel production.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – A partnership between two Mississippi State University alumni and the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians is bearing fruit under three hoop houses next to Conehatta Elementary School.

For 10 years, Dick Hoy, Class of 1976, and Jim McAdory, Class of 1998 and an MSU Extension agent for the tribe, have been exchanging tips on agriculture and greenhouse operations. This year, they broke ground on the first of at least three school-based farms designed to teach students about gardening and healthier eating.

Gardens look beautiful when the flowers are in full bloom and there’s a profusion of color, but alert gardeners know this is the time to get the scissors ready.

It’s time to deadhead once the new has worn off and the flowers are past their prime and starting to dry up. This important garden maintenance activity simply refers to removing the spent flowers.