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MISSISSIPPI STATE – Three intensive days of courses in early December will give Mississippi farmers significant information they need as they prepare for the 2013 production season.

The Mississippi State University Extension Service is offering the annual Row Crops Short Course Dec. 3-5 on campus at the Bost Extension Center. Producers can attend free of charge if they complete registration by Nov. 30. Registration is $40 after Nov. 30 and at the door.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – The Mississippi State University Extension Service will focus on food supply safety in free workshops for individuals and businesses in the food industry.

Five separate, day-long food defense workshops around the state will be offered to farm owners and managers, feed suppliers, processing plant managers, ingredient suppliers, and people in other farming, production and processing support industries. Lunch and materials will be provided. Pre-registration one week in advance is required.

The sessions will be from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.:

With Thanksgiving upon us, that means Black Friday chaos is soon to follow. Big box stores are chasing every dollar, and many are even choosing to open on Thanksgiving rather than wait until Friday’s wee morning hours.

There is another option to consider if you are looking to save money this holiday season, and this option will help your local economy. Many businesses take part in a national event known as Small Business Saturday.

By Dr. Rebekah Ray
MSU Delta Research and Extension Center

STONEVILLE – The rice breeding program at Mississippi State University’s 4,800-acre Delta Research and Extension Center is part of a regional program that tests the viability of experimental rice varieties.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – With Mississippi’s bumper corn crop on target to break records, proper post-harvest handling is essential, especially efforts to prevent deaths by grain entrapment.

As farmers plant more grain crops, on-site storage bins are popping up all over the state.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Many Mississippians own a fireplace for the pleasure and comfort it provides on cold winter nights, but if they’re not careful, the firewood can harbor unwanted guests.

In the winter, the desire to have a handy woodpile can open the door for termite problems. Blake Layton, entomologist with the MSU Extension Service, urged those with fireplaces not to stack wood against the outside wall of the house.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – An advanced database training project conducted by the Mississippi State University Extension Service is saving the state millions of dollars, improving skills and making jobs easier.

JACKSON -- Service is a popular way to celebrate the holidays, but volunteerism is a year-round matter for many.

Members of programs such as the Mississippi Homemaker Volunteers, or MHV, and the Mississippi Master Gardeners volunteer in their communities every day.
Mississippi State University’s Extension Service facilitates both programs.

If you haven’t started planting your winter color, rest assured that it’s not too late. But when shopping at the garden center, resist the temptation to head straight to the pansies and violas. Consider adding some colorful ornamental kale and cabbage to your garden and landscape.

With today’s increased reliance on technology, many insurance companies are moving their services online and making them available to customers on their mobile devices.

Having gone my entire life without so much as a speeding ticket, the past few months have proven very trying. In fact, I’m now on a first-name basis with my insurance agent’s assistant, and I’m pretty sure we will be exchanging Christmas cards this year.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has awarded the Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine a grant to support the college’s Mobile Veterinary Clinic.

The $65,000 grant will cover some of the expenses incurred as the Mobile Veterinary Clinic travels to 15 North Mississippi animal shelters, where students spay and neuter homeless animals. The program is funded solely by grants and donations.

By Kaitlyn Byrne
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Each year, cold and flu season threatens to steal holiday happiness, but a healthy immune system can prevent sickness from ruining the most wonderful time of the year.

Brent Fountain, registered dietician and associate Extension professor in Mississippi State University’s Department of Food Science, Nutrition and Health Promotion, said a healthy diet can strengthen the immune system.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Holiday snacks can tempt anyone to let good intentions go, but for those with food allergies or special dietary needs, these treats can cause serious problems.

Brent Fountain, a registered dietitian and nutrition specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said planning ahead is the best way to handle the challenge of holiday cooking and eating for those with dietary limits.

For diabetics, Fountain said the best course of action is to not stray far from the recommended eating pattern, even in holiday and party situations.

JACKSON -- Christmas gifts have begun to fill the secret hiding places of shoppers everywhere, and unfortunately, thieves know it.

Ted Gordon, safety and risk management director for Mississippi State University’s Extension Service, said shoppers should take precautions to avoid becoming victims of crime this holiday season.

“It is a fact that crime increases during the holiday season,” Gordon said. “So everyone should be even more mindful of personal safety.”

Gordon said shoppers should go with a companion and avoid shopping after dark.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Warm-hearted Mississippians often turn their attention to their furry and feathered neighbors when temperatures get cold, putting out feeders to care for them over the winter.

Birds are the most commonly fed wildlife, and stores stock a variety of feeders, seed mixes and houses for them.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – For many Mississippi families, the holidays are about hunting and eating home-cooked meals, and safety should be as high a priority as sweet potato pie.

“No one wants to spend their holidays in the hospital or at home recovering from an injury, so hunters need to practice common-sense safety precautions,” said Bronson Strickland, a wildlife management specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service and associate professor in MSU’s Forest and Wildlife Research Center.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Many children dream of finding a sweet pony or their first horse on Christmas morning, but parents need to be aware of the ownership commitment and cost before granting that wish.

“Most first-time owners do not know how to take care of a horse or what will be required in the years to come,” said Dr. David Christiansen, assistant clinical professor with Mississippi State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. “Many people don’t realize that horses can live 30 years or more, so the purchase could become a very long-term investment.”

It requires planning ahead in the spring, but one way to add color and life to fall gardens is to welcome butterflies.

Butterflies are among the most entertaining creatures. If you plant the right flowers, you leave an open invitation for them to visit your garden. Butterflies are still around as we move into the late fall, and they are hurriedly investigating the flowers blooming in gardens.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – The Mississippi State University Extension Service recently gained national recognition for a program designed to protect the state’s timberlands from an insect pest.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Christmas tree growers were thinking about the holidays when Hurricane Isaac made landfall Aug. 28, knowing the winds and rains would bring additional work before trees would be ready for the 2012 harvest.

Stephen Dicke, Extension forestry professor at Mississippi State University’s Central Mississippi Research and Extension Center in Raymond, said storm damage should not dampen sales of Mississippi’s Christmas trees.