News

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

While the hot muggy dog days of summer make you want to forget gardening and board an Alaskan cruise, it should signal you to get out and plant. The planting I refer to is sowing seeds of some great fall-blooming plants, namely zinnias and marigolds.

MISSISSIPPI STATE - Nature gave corn a hand this year with moderate temperatures and scattered rains, and Mississippi producers are expecting to harvest near record-high yields.

Erick Larson, grain specialist with Mississippi State University's Extension Service, said the crop should be ready for harvest on schedule by mid-August. Favorable weather and low insect and disease pressure mean harvests should approach the record high 117 bushels an acre set in 1999.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

The old fashioned looks often catch the eyes of new gardeners. Such was the case at the Truck Crops Branch Experiment Station last October during the Fall Flower and Garden Fest. One of the plants that kept visitors gawking was the summer poinsettia.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Five years of eradication efforts are making the boll weevil a scarce pest in Mississippi cotton.

The most recent counts show the state has less than 1 percent of the boll weevils it had in fields last year. By late July 2000, about 1.1 million boll weevils had been trapped in Mississippi's cotton fields. This year, 10,442 have been captured. Last year's numbers were down more than 50 percent from the previous year.

By Carrie Reeves

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Swimming provides a great way to relax and have fun during the summer, but swimmers should be aware of pool-related infections and ways to prevent the spread of these in public pools.

The most serious germs which might be found in swimming pools are cryptosporidiosis, also known as crypto; giardiasis; and Escherichia Coli 057:H7, also know as E-Coli 057:H7. All of these infections are passed through feces.

VERONA -- Dr. Lester Spell, Mississippi's Commissioner for Agriculture and Commerce, will be the featured speaker along with other activities at the upcoming North Mississippi Research and Extension Center Agronomic Row Crop Field Day.

Farmers can learn the latest research results and recommendations at the Aug. 8 event from 8 a.m. until 1:30 p.m.at the Lee County AgriCenter on Highway 145, south of Verona.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Hay producers across most of Mississippi could not have timed the rains any better if they controlled the weather themselves.

Summer thunderstorms are bringing enough moisture to most parts of the state to grow good summer grasses. The rain is stopping to let farmers cut, dry and bale the hay before starting again.

"The rain comes at just the right time and quits at just the right time," said Malcolm Broome, forage specialist with Mississippi State University's Extension Service.

By Charmain Tan Courcelle

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Vaccine and pharmaceutical combinations are being used in aquaculture production as the first line of defense against disease-causing organisms.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Earning a college degree is a rather traditional pursuit, but Mississippi State University offers several degrees in some fairly non-traditional fields.

In addition to engineering, education, mathematics and science, MSU students can earn degrees in such varied areas as sports turf, precision agriculture, cotton ginning, landscape architecture, retail floristry and food science.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Cooking skills are bringing some widespread attention to a Mississippi volunteer organization.

Three recipes from the Mississippi Homemaker Volunteers' own cookbook, "Down Home Dining in Mississippi," were featured in a new cookbook, "America's Best Recipes -- A 2001 Hometown Collection." This cookbook is produced by Oxmoor House Inc., the parent company of Southern Living magazine.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

If I were to list the things I love about Mississippi such as spring, fall, the people and my church, it would take up the whole column. But if you step outside this evening and listen, you will hear one of the most wonderful songs in nature, a nighttime melody coming from the green tree frogs. This is on my list of the things I love about Mississippi.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The recent market's demand for larger catfish has helped the industry become more efficient, but it also increases the risk to producers.

Harvest-ready catfish today weigh between 1 1/4 to 3 pounds and average 1 1/2 pounds. Until recently, catfish averaging 1 1/4 pounds were considered market-size fish.

By Charmain Tan Courcelle

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The search for an economical means to produce a parasite vaccine for livestock led a Mississippi State University researcher to look at the guts of the problem.

Cody Coyne, a researcher with MSU's College of Veterinary Medicine, has developed a method for growing intestinal cells from nematode parasites for use in vaccines.

By Linda Breazeale

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi State University researchers are working to reduce the health challenges mass production of catfish can bring, which are similar to the issues faced by other food animals such as poultry and swine.

"Anytime you have intensive management situations, you can have various outbreaks of disease or parasite problems," said Dr. Linda Pote, parasitologist with MSU's College of Veterinary Medicine.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

No plant can impart the grace, elegance and lushness for the poolside or patio like a fern. While I love the perennial ferns that we grow with such ease in the garden, I also have a passion for the more tropical ferns.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Some people ride horses for relaxation, others for sport, but a conference coming in August to Mississippi State University is training people how to use horses as treatment tools.The North American Riding for the Handicapped Association is holding its Region 5 conference in Starkville Aug. 3 through 5. The NARHA conference is being hosted by the MSU Extension Service, and much of it will be held at the Mississippi Horse Park, Agricenter and Fairgrounds.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Rice farmers have a very good reason for hoping temperatures don't get any hotter than they are now: rice pollination is reduced when it's much above 95 degrees.

Joe Street, rice specialist in Stoneville with Mississippi State University's Extension Service, said the crop was progressing well by the second week of July despite recent heat.

"We're actually a little ahead of schedule in a lot of cases," Street said. "Everything is looking good right now."

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Kids may think a lunch box's primary purpose is to look cool while holding food, but parent's should be sure the lunch box is actually a safe place for food.

Dr. Melissa Mixon, human nutrition specialist with Mississippi State University's Extension Service, said packing a safe, healthy lunch for school children can be a bit tricky. Whatever is packed must be able to survive several hours without refrigeration before lunchtime.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- High expectations for a new school year and dreams for a fresh start can evolve into the same old frustrations and despair when a student's reality is not academic or social stardom.

Louise Davis, family and child development specialist with Mississippi State University's Extension Service, said adults should watch for signs of frustration over behavior problems and academic challenges that prompt students to withdraw from school, even before they drop out.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- August can feel like December to family budgets strained by back-to-school purchases, but planning and careful shopping can ease the crunch.

Jan Lukens, Extension consumer management specialist at Mississippi State University's Coastal Research and Extension Center in Biloxi, said how much a parent spends on supplies varies by teacher, grade and school. It is also affected by whether or not the school has uniforms.