News

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Many couples look for ways to reduce wedding costs, but cutting out a professional florist should not be an option.

Lynette McDougald, an instructor in plant and soil sciences at Mississippi State University and manager of the University Florist, said professional florists can guide couples to effective floral displays within any budget.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The cake may be beautiful, the table gorgeous and the appetizers terrific, but if the food hasn't been handled and stored properly, guests can go away from the wedding reception with a very bad experience.

Food-borne illnesses are a serious issue, causing more than 80 million illnesses and 5,000 deaths nationwide each year. Symptoms of a food-borne illness can be similar to indigestion, heartburn, a stomach bug or the flu, so many people don't realize what made them sick.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Figuring out how much to serve at the wedding reception can be just as hard as coming up with a guest list, but a few tips can take some of the guesswork out of the equation.

Wedding planners know that a reception can be a significant part of the total cost of a wedding. While cake and punch receptions in a church hall are typically not very expensive, costs rise dramatically when a full menu is served.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Chemical usage, disaster issues and wildlife are among the topics that will be discussed in the upcoming Integrated Pest Management workshop in Raymond on Feb. 21.

Mississippi State University’s Extension Service is sponsoring the General Pest Management Workshop at the Central Mississippi Research and Extension Center. Registration is $10 and begins at 8 a.m. for the full-day event to be held in the auditorium.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Fruit and vegetable growers can learn how to produce the safest food possible during an upcoming workshop in north Mississippi.

The workshop is slated for Jan. 27 in Hernando at the public library. Participants will review food safety issues including good agricultural, handling and manufacturing practices that will meet food safety requirements during production, harvesting and grading. The afternoon session will be devoted to each producer developing an individualized manual and documentation needed for their food safety programs.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

As I was buttoning my favorite pair of pants this morning, it became evident the high Southeastern humidity in my closet had caused them to shrink. Unfortunately, it looks like the same New Year's resolution will be at the top of my list again.

Speaking of resolutions, there are several New Year's gardening resolutions we all need to make to have a better and more environmentally friendly garden this year.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The Boll Weevil Eradication Program and worm-controlling varieties have allowed tarnished plant bugs to skip to the top spot as cotton's No. 1 pest.

Once growers removed boll weevils from their lists of pests, they began planting transgenic Bt cotton to control tobacco budworms and cotton bollworms. Producers reduced sprays for those insects, and this allowed tarnished plant bug numbers to grow.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

One common request I hear is from people wanting to create some privacy between them and a neighbor, to quiet a noisy street, or to soften a fence. These are all good reasons for planting a screen of plant material.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

This is one of the plants where legends have been passed down. The word, holly, is believed to be derived from holy, for in several parts of Europe sprigs were used in decorating to commemorate the birth of Christ. The legend continues that the berries were yellow, but being part of the crown of crucifixion, were stained with the wounds of Christ and have since remained red.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

I just placed a poinsettia in my living room called Orange Wonder. It is incredibly beautiful and what I tell you about it will most likely stretch your poinsettia comfort zone a little.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- It wasn't long ago that spotting the word “soy” on a food label meant a shopper had drifted into the health food section of the grocery store, but the ingredient shows up in mainstream products throughout those same stores today.

The humble soybean is grown mostly for its protein and oil. Mississippi producers plant more than 1.5 million acres of farmland to soybeans each year, and the crop is used in everything from catfish feed to biodiesel and ham.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi's crops endured major hurricanes and may not repeat their record yields, but economists are predicting that the state's agricultural value of production just topped 2004 levels to break the historic $6 billion mark.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Cotton farmers could explain Murphy's Law by describing their 2005 growing season, but despite everything going wrong that could have, they managed to produce above-average yields.

Mississippi's total cotton crop has a projected value of $697 million. The total production forecast is 2.1 million bales of cotton. With this crop value, cotton maintains its place as the state's most significant row crop and its third largest agricultural commodity. Mississippi's top two crops are poultry then forestry.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Hurricane Katrina slammed two year's timber harvest volume to the ground, but the forecast for the industry value still shows a slight increase over 2004.

Bob Daniels, forestry professor with Mississippi State University's Extension Service, is predicting the forestry value of production for the state to be $1.27 billion, a 1 percent increase over the previous year's value. This estimate is based on timber severance tax collections and timber prices through October.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi's poultry industry was poised to see another increase in value before Hurricane Katrina came through and set the whole industry back significantly, but producers have regrouped and are planning on expansion next year.

Poultry's estimated value fell 6 percent to an estimated $1.98 billion in 2005, mostly caused by hurricane losses. The industry's value topped the $2 billion mark for the first time last year, and had been in a modest expansion before the hurricane hit.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- George M. Hopper has been voted president-elect of the National Association of University Forest Resources Programs.

STONEVILLE -- The research of two Delta professors has the potential to save Mississippi catfish producers an estimated $5 million to $8 million annually. Now the researchers are being awarded for their contributions.

Ed Robinson and Menghe Li are research professors in catfish nutrition at the Mississippi State University Delta Research and Extension Center's National Warmwater Aquaculture Center in Stoneville. They recently received the “most relevant publication to Mississippi” award from the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Experiment Station.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Record-setting sales were posted at the 2005 Mississippi State University livestock auction, which featured two interactive video bidding sites.

The 23rd annual Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station Production Sale was held Nov. 17 at the Mississippi Horse Park in Starkville and featured 107 lots of Angus, Charolais and Hereford bulls, commercial bred heifers, Quarter Horses and Thoroughbreds.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

The winter landscape can look breathtakingly beautiful by choosing the right plants, such as the smooth Arizona cypress.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

This year was my first time to take part in the Black Friday Christmas shopping chaos. From now on, I'll just stay at home and plant bulbs. I am not talking about daffodils, although I suppose if you found a good buy you could certainly do that. What I am really talking about are tulips and hyacinths purchased back in October.