News

By Karen Templeton
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE – A new broadband initiative seeks to help Mississippians connect to new technology, increasing access to a wide range of community and economic development opportunities.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – The 38th Annual Ornamental Horticulture Field Day on Oct. 6 will give updates on current research findings and experiments relevant to this industry.

The half-day event will be held at the South Mississippi Branch Experiment Station in Poplarville. There will be tours of the trial gardens and research updates from scientists at Mississippi State University and the USDA Agricultural Research Service’s Southern Horticultural Laboratory.

Just as the changing colors in nature signal the arrival of autumn, so do the appearance of beautiful, flowering mums at our local garden centers.

Adding fall mums, which is the short name for Chrysanthemums, is a stress-free way to provide color to the fall landscape. It’s easy to see why, as these plants will produce more flowers than you could possibly count. The selection of colors seems limitless, from rustic earth tones to bright and cheery pastels.

Available sizes range from 4-inch pots all the way up to 5-gallon containers and bigger.

By Karen Templeton
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE – The summer drought could have severely affected this year’s pecan yields, but thanks to Tropical Storm Lee, growers are optimistic about the crop.

The entire Southeast experienced a dry growing season until Tropical Storm Lee hit in early September.

“The rains were very timely and needed,” said David Ingram, plant pathologist with the Mississippi State University Central Research and Extension Center in Raymond.

E-mail phishing attacks net more than just dollars and cents; they can also capture account usernames and passwords.

The term phishing is a combination of the words “fishing” and “phreaks.” Phreaks were early computer users who also dabbled in hacking. Later, malicious computer hackers began using their skills to hook unsuspecting e-mail users with phishing e-mails.

Phishers create e-mails that mimic those from well-known companies. More than half of all phishing e-mails impersonate a financial institution, such as a bank or credit-card company.

By Laci Kyles
Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station

MISSISSIPPI STATE – A Mississippi State University assistant professor is looking to “panda poop,” or microbes in panda excrement that breakdown woody materials, as a possible means to biofuel production.

Fall has always been one of my favorite times of the year, something that probably has a lot to do with my growing up in Michigan, where I enjoyed cooler temperatures and trees changing colors.

Here in Mississippi, I enjoy waking up in the morning and feeling that chill in the air. I guess I am finally becoming acclimated because even 70 degrees feels chilly after a hot and humid Mississippi summer.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – A Mississippi State University poultry sciences associate professor was recognized by the National Chicken Council for his research contributions.

Alex Corzo received the council’s Broiler Research Award for research work that has positively impacted the broiler industry. An eight-year veteran of the university, Corzo is a scientist with the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station. His research is focused on how poultry absorb nutrients and use dietary ingredients.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Tropical Storm Lee brought rain across the state Labor Day weekend with mixed results -- mostly good -- for the state’s soybean crop.

Rain that weekend ranged from a few hundredths of an inch in northwest Mississippi to as many as 10 inches in some soybean-growing areas. Whether it brought much-needed moisture to dry fields at an ideal time or halted harvest depended on when the crop was planted.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Preserving Mississippi’s vanishing prairies through conservation, restoration and establishment of new prairie gardens will save unique plants and maintain native landscapes.

“Many ecosystem processes regulate conditions for life,” said Bob Brzuszek, associate Extension professor in Mississippi State University’s Department of Landscape Architecture and Contracting. “Protecting wild species, such as those found in prairies, protects managed ecosystems, which in turn impact human interests.”

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Proper nutrition and conditioning keep Bully XX in top shape as Mississippi State University’s mascot, and pet owners can take a peek at his play book for tips on caring for their animals.

The health regimen for Bully XX, whose name is Champ, includes a proper diet, special conditioning and quality care.

By Debbie Montgomery
MSU School of Human Sciences

MISSISSIPPI STATE – A Mississippi State University program is connecting families to education and community resources that help children thrive.

Project Navigator, administered by MSU’s School of Human Sciences, teaches families positive parenting skills and connects them with resources. During the first year, the program targeted families with children ages birth to five in Choctaw, Clay, Kemper, Noxubee and Winston counties.

By Kaitlyn Byrne
MSU Office of Ag Communications

PONTOTOC – A partnership between a nonprofit medical treatment group and the Mississippi State University Extension Service has opened up health care options for uninsured children in Pontotoc County.

Catch Kids is a nonprofit organization that makes quality healthcare possible for children without health insurance. There are 15 Catch Kids clinics. They are in Chickasaw County, Lee County and now Pontotoc County.

CRYSTAL SPRINGS -- The Southeast’s largest home gardening event is about to mark its 33rd anniversary as gardeners from across the region flock to Copiah County for the Oct. 21 and 22 Fall Flower & Garden Fest.

Mississippi State University, through the Extension Service and the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, is sponsoring the annual event at the Truck Crops Branch Experiment Station in Crystal Springs. Gates will be open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily, and admission and parking are free.

Many Internet sites require a username and password, and the stronger they are, the safer your personal information will be.

Fall is the perfect time to start on your garden and landscape for next year. Amending the soil with quality, organic material is one of the best gifts you can give your garden soil.

There are quite a few options for gardeners when it comes to soil amendments. In Mississippi, many gardeners use cottonseed meal as an organic source of nutrients. It has a nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium analysis of 6-2-1 and is a good source of trace nutrients.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – An innovative partnership between Starkville School District and Mississippi State University teaches key science concepts in a week-long intensive immersion program for fourth and fifth graders.

"Our goal is to give students a fun, safe and educational forum in which to generate enthusiasm and interest in science and the environment,” said Jessica Tegt, MSU Extension Service assistant professor with the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Tropical Storm Lee brought much-needed rains to Mississippi’s parched fields and pastures but minimal flood and wind damage.

Late-season tropical storms can be costly, even devastating, when winds and pounding rains may whip plants and complicate harvests. When Lee swept through the state over Labor Day weekend, most of Mississippi’s crops either had been harvested or needed one last rain before harvest.

Rainfall amounts…

MISSISSIPPI STATE – The U.S. Department of Agriculture introduced a new, user-friendly icon designed to make healthy eating easier.

MyPlate, the new graphic, depicts a round plate divided into four colored sections, labeled fruits, vegetables, grains and protein. A circle, labeled dairy, represents a glass of milk. The icon is part of the education campaign for the latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Using advanced search techniques can reduce the amount of time spent “surfing the web” for the perfect resource.

In addition to word or phrase searches, most search engines, such as Yahoo, Google and Bing, have search bars that will limit searches to images, video or shopping.