News

By Patti Drapala
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Mississippi farms and specialty businesses have a virtual route to potential customers with an interactive computer mapping program on the Internet.

MarketMaker is a tool to link farmers with grocery stores, food processors, specialty outlets, food industry representatives and consumers who want to buy their products. University of Illinois Extension created this software five years ago when specialty beef producers had trouble reaching potential buyers in Chicago.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

It won't be long until you start thinking about designing your mixed containers, and when you do, remember Wojo's Gem. This exceptional variegated vinca gives an incredible performance as a spiller plant.

When we mention the formula of “thriller, filler and spiller” or “tall, small and fall,” I think sometimes we put too much emphasis on the thriller plant and let the filler be treated as an afterthought.

By Karen Brasher
MSU College of Forest Resources

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Intensive commercial forestry and urban development are threatening natural habitats and have put the gopher tortoise on the federally threatened species list for Alabama, Mississippi and southeastern Louisiana.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Growing produce and cut flowers year-round could offer a potentially significant economic opportunity, and Mississippi State University researchers are collecting data to determine if it is a feasible strategy for the state's growers.

Bill Evans is the leader of a team that received a nearly $500,000 competitive grant for a three-year project at two MSU and two growers' sites. This project was supported by the National Research Initiative of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Cattle producers will gather this month in Verona to network and position themselves for possible upswings in the demand for beef. 

The 12th Mississippi Beef Agribition, or MBA, will be held on March 27 and 28 at the Lee County Agri-Center. The event will provide a venue for cattle buyers and sellers to develop new business relationships and learn more about improving their herds.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Those with a love for the outdoors have five conservation camps to take advantage of this summer offered through the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries in Mississippi State University’s College of Forest Resources.

The camps are educational and intergenerational and are geared for anyone interested in the outdoors. They will be especially useful for those who participate in wildlife competitions or on Wildlife Habitat Evaluation Program teams.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Recruitment is under way for people to become Smart Aging: Healthy Futures volunteers to help promote healthy living among seniors in their communities.

Training is scheduled from 9 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. on April 1. The session will be at the Lauderdale County Extension office located on the fifth floor of 410 Constitution Ave. in Meridian. The deadline to apply is March 30.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Two scientists at Mississippi State University’s Thad Cochran Warmwater Aquaculture Center recently received a national technology transfer award for their work with young channel catfish.

Jim Steeby, an aquaculture specialist with the MSU Extension Service, and Les Torrans, a fish biologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service, received the 2008 Technology Transfer Award for Superior Efforts. The award was announced Feb. 10 in Washington, D.C.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – A Mississippi State University student group conducting food drives for area pantries, soup kitchens and shelters unveiled a new spring campaign to show people they can make a difference in the national War on Hunger initiative.

Members of the MSU Committee of 19 will conduct their second annual campuswide food drive April 20-24. The goal is to motivate university students, faculty and staff to donate nonperishable food that is still good but normally discarded or left at semester’s end. The group collected more than 1,500 pounds of food in 2008.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Women, who are often the sole decision makers in their agricultural businesses, and their business partners are the target audience for an upcoming statewide seminar in Jackson.

The April 2-3 program will provide updates on current issues facing agriculture and reinforce information shared at previous workshops. The workshop is open to all women with an interest in farming as well as those who have taken part in previous seminars.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

It's always interesting to see the crowd favorites at garden shows, and the winners at the recent Gulf Coast Garden and Patio Show appear to be Kangaroo Paws and skullcaps. These are the plants the throngs of gardeners were elbowing each other to purchase last weekend in Biloxi.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Two agricultural schools are planning to unite in their common goals despite being a world apart geographically.

A delegation from China's Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences recently visited Mississippi State University, and representatives from both universities discovered interests in many of the same fields of study. Administrators from the universities signed a five-year agreement “to foster international cooperation in education and research.”

By Karen Templeton
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Mississippi may surpass the national average of children living in poverty and the teenage birth rate, but its child advocates plan to refocus their efforts after sharing success stories and ideas at the recent Mississippi KIDS COUNT Summit.

More than 150 attended the second annual Summit at the Mississippi State University Riley Center in Meridian. The purpose was to focus on the progress that Mississippi must make to improve the well-being of its children.

By Karen Templeton
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE – An increase in mortgage foreclosures is spreading fear among homeowners who have suffered a loss of income, but falling behind on payments does not necessarily mean they must give up their homes.

There are many circumstances that can lead to homeowners not being able to make their mortgage payments, such as job layoffs, divorce or death of a spouse. In an uncertain economy, any of these circumstances can be an even more serious blow to families who are struggling to make house payments.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Checks and debit cards are handy ways to pay bills without actually carrying money around, but consumers still must be wise using them.

A check used to be a straightforward document authorizing one person to draw a certain amount of money from a consumer's account. The process took a day or more and required a signature and the transfer of actual pieces of paper. Debit cards simplified that process for consumers, and the digital processing of check information simplified it for businesses.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – A financial literacy program is leaving lasting impressions on high school students as they get a taste of the real world.

“Welcome to the Real World” introduces students to realistic scenarios and the budgeting challenges life can bring.

Teresa Lyle, family resource management area agent with Mississippi State University's Extension Service, brings the program to school groups ranging from 10 students to 300 or more.

By Patti Drapala
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Creditors have a right to seek payment on bills, but they do not have a blank check to use any means necessary to collect.

Congress passed the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act in 1977 to stop creditors and debt collectors from using threats, abusive language, misleading information and illegal tactics to obtain payments. The act was written to promote fair debt collection practices and to make sure people received accurate information about their debts.

VERONA – On Feb. 19, the nation’s oldest group of its type met for the 56th time at the North Mississippi Research and Extension Center in Verona.

The North Mississippi Producer Advisory Council, made up of producers in the northern part of the state, have met annually since 1953 to prioritize their research and educational needs for the coming year. The Council meeting provides a venue in which producers can communicate these needs to Mississippi State University Extension Service and Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station personnel.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Students at Mississippi State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine will welcome thousands of school children to campus on the first weekend in April.

MSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine will open its doors from 8:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. on April 3 and from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. on April 4 for the 25th annual open house at the Wise Center, located on the south side of campus off Spring Street. “Treating the Sick, Teaching to Save” is the theme for this year’s event.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

A lot of gardeners ask me what they can grow in shadier parts of the garden to add color and pizzazz. If you find yourself asking that same question, it's probably time to let Kong loose.

The Kong series of coleus was selected as a Mississippi Medallion winner a few years ago, and it has continued to be one of the largest-leafed selections and tops in color.