News

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

Three recent experiences provide evidence that tells me Mississippi growers and garden centers are hitting the mark when it comes to the newest plants.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- National crop yields are expected to be down from last year, but Mississippi row crop-farmers are looking for increases in two major crops.

According to the Sept. 12 U.S. Department of Agriculture crop production report, Mississippi farmers are expected to produce 46.9 million bushels of soybeans, up 27 percent from last year, and 65.6 million bushels of corn, up 31 percent from 2001. Cotton is projected to yield 1.85 million bales, down 23 percent from last year's production.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi's rural health concerns will take center stage during a two-day conference Oct. 10 and 11 on the Gulf Coast.

"Managing in Turbulent Times: Healthcare in Your Community" will begin at 9 a.m. both days at the Grand Casino Hotel in Gulfport. The conference is the seventh annual meeting of the Mississippi Rural Health Association.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi agriculture and horticulture producers are invited to comment on biosecurity issues that might affect their farming operations.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Scientists at Mississippi State University engaged in the battle against mosquitos and mosquito-borne diseases have found clues in the wingbeats of different species.

Primarily, there are three species of the Anopheles quadrimaculatus mosquitos found in Mississippi. One is found in the rice lands of the Delta, while two others typically inhabit the woodlands.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

As you drive around neighborhoods and see gardens, the old-fashioned cosmos stands out like a beacon. I am not talking about the pastel pink and burgundy ones but the brilliant orange and yellow Cosmos sulphureus. This drought-tolerant member of the aster family hails from Mexico and Central America and loves Mississippi, too.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The task of refilling a propane tank may take more planning than it seems it might at first glance.

In Mississippi, state regulations prohibit carrying propane cylinders in the passenger compartment of vehicles, including anywhere inside a sport utility vehicle or van. Liquified propane tanks can be carried in the trunks of cars, in the beds of pickup trucks or strapped to the outside of a vehicle.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Record-low hog prices in August added downward pressure on cattle prices as both industries struggle into the last quarter of 2002.

"As long as we see hog prices at historically low levels or even with a slight recovery, cattle prices will not be able to improve much either," said John Anderson, agricultural economist with Mississippi State University's Extension Service.

By Eva Ann Dorris

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi State University researchers are working to establish the best methods for protecting the state's food supply, even against the threat of terrorist attacks.

VERONA -- Garden and landscape enthusiasts can find answers to all their gardening questions at the upcoming North Mississippi Garden Expo from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Sept. 28. in Verona.

The annual event at the North Mississippi Research and Extension Center on Highway 145 will enable visitors to see how well various fruits, vegetables, flowers and other plants grow in north Mississippi. Plant doctors will be on hand to diagnose problems and to identify unknown plants brought to the expo.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Cooking on a gas grill is so commonplace to many people that they never think of the danger involved in the simple procedure.

Gas grills use propane gas stored under pressure in a tank. This fuel is extremely flammable and can become explosive under certain conditions.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

The gardening world truly is coming of age when a millet or grain is named an All American Selections Gold Medal Winner. Even before the public learned that Purple Majesty was a winner, they were craving it and buying up the limited quantities.

Thousands of shoppers have seen it growing this year at Northpark Mall in Jackson and wondered what it was. In the Northpark garden, it was used with cannas and elephant ears for a really unique, if not exotic, look.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- With cotton harvest just getting underway in Mississippi, farmers are expecting yields that should exceed the five-year yield average.

High temperatures and generally dry weather since the end of August matured the cotton quickly. According to the Sept. 1 U.S. Department of Agriculture crop report, 86 percent of the crop is in good or excellent condition. The National Agricultural Statistics Service estimated in August that state growers would harvest 759 pounds of cotton per acre from 1.17 million acres.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

My choice as the poster child for tough and beautiful plants is the small tropical plant Joseph's Coat, which livens up landscapes with its richly colored foliage.

From late spring until frost, Joseph's Coat performs admirably in the garden, making it a favorite of home horticulturists and commercial landscapers. In fertile well-drained soil, it is a problem-free plant.

By Eva Ann Dorris

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The chapters in the history of American agriculture reveal a phenomenal success story. However, some of the nation's top research scientists believe there is even more potential in the future.

The scientists, an appointed task force of the Experiment Station Committee on Organization and Policy, recently published a handbook titled "A Science Roadmap for Agriculture: Seven Challenges to Meeting our Nation's Agricultural Goals." The handbook is a result of brainstorming sessions among 24 scientists from throughout the nation.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The day 35-year-old Jeff Ruth lost his arm, he took a shortcut with a piece of farm machinery one too many times.

"It was just one of those stupid things," Ruth said of the accident that claimed his left arm to just below the elbow. "Instead of taking two seconds to step over there and turn off the PTO (power take off), I reached up there with my hand while it was still running."

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Garden and landscape enthusiasts will flock to the Fall Flower and Garden Fest at the Truck Crops Branch Experiment Station in Crystal Springs on Oct. 18 and 19 for the latest plant recommendations for Mississippi.

The 24th annual fall festival will take place from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Visitors can tour a three-acre garden with more than 40 vegetables, a raised-bed herb garden, 40 varieties of roses, and hundreds of annual and perennial flowers.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi wheat growers did not have much to brag about after the 2002 harvest, but price potential likely will influence planting decisions in the next few months.

Erick Larson, grain crops specialist with Mississippi State University's Extension Service, said the wheat harvest that growers completed in June averaged 40 bushels per acre, which was about 10 bushels below normal. Wet winter and spring conditions suppressed growth and reduced stands. Of the 225,000 wheat acres planted last fall, only about 180,000 could be harvested.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- What can be done to prevent food-related terrorist attacks? Participants in the Mississippi Food Security Symposium on Sept. 25 hope to find those answers.

The symposium will take place from 8:45 a.m. until 3 p.m. at the Mississippi Farm Bureau building on Ridgewood Road in Jackson.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The Southern Rural Development Center recently received a two-year, $430,000 grant to fund a project in support of community and tribal colleges in rural areas.

The grant came from the Ford Foundation in New York City. It is earmarked for "The Rural Community College Initiative: Building New Partnerships in Support of America's Rural Communities," administered by the SRDC.