STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Producers got a behind-the-scenes look at the wide scope of agricultural research taking place at Mississippi State University in an Aug. 6 event.
Faculty and specialists with the MSU Extension Service and the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station presented on-farm research projects designed to help growers meet the challenges of row crop production.
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Ashlyn Henderson can now lay claim to two Super Bowl wins -- one as a competitor and another as a coach.
In July, the Mississippi 4-H Forestry Judging Team won its second national championship in three years at the National 4-H Forestry Invitational, also referred to as the Super Bowl of 4-H Forestry.
Team members included Mississippi 4-H president John Clayton Kitchens and fellow 4-H’ers Samuel Davidson, Joy Kitchens and Josie Thompson. The team is based out of Lauderdale County.
Craving a banana split? This makeover recipe includes delicious and nutritious whole fruits and is easy and quick to make.
Beat the heat with these Frozen Banana Splits! They are lower in sugar than a traditional banana split and provide some dietary fiber.
Harvest will begin as soon as early August for soybeans, Mississippi’s largest row crop that is overall in good shape heading into the last weeks of its growing season.
Prices, however, are poor, with supply and demand working to push prices even lower.
I’ve always been a fan of butterfly bushes, so in my garden, I have both regular-sized varieties and a couple of dwarf varieties.
My favorites are the dwarf ones. They are compact and known for their fragrant blossoms and ability to attract pollinators such as butterflies, bees and hummingbirds.
Imagine walking through a tranquil forest in early autumn. The air is crisp, the sunlight filters softly through a canopy of vibrant leaves. Among the trees that paint this picturesque scene, one stands out with its striking, radiant colors—the pin oak.
The pin oak (Quercus palustris) is a member of the Fagaceae family, native to the central and eastern United States. Known for its distinctive pyramidal shape and slender, pin-like branches, this deciduous tree can grow up to 70 feet tall, with a spread of up to 40 feet.
The pin oak (Quercus palustris) is a member of the Fagaceae family, native to the central and eastern United States. Known for its distinctive pyramidal shape and slender, pin-like branches, this deciduous tree can grow up to 70 feet tall, with a spread of up to 40 feet.
RAYMOND, Miss. -- By 2050, the world’s oceans will contain more plastic pollution by weight than fish. It's an alarming statistic. Implementing small lifestyle changes associated with zero waste can help reduce all waste, including plastics, that enter waterways and landfills.
In this conversation, Bronson, Steve, and Mark Turner discuss the relationship between doe body weight and buck antler size. Mark's research at the University of Tennessee aimed to evaluate how deer body and antler size varied across the eastern US and what habitat characteristics were associated with bigger deer. The results showed a consistent relationship between doe body weight and buck antler size, with an 8.5-inch increase in antler size for every 10-pound increase in doe body mass. This relationship provides a predictive equation that can help property managers and hunters assess and improve buck antler size by focusing on increasing doe body weight. The conversation also includes topics like harvest bias, compositional bias, and monitoring techniques.
Check out the MSU Deer Lab’s online seminar series (here) and choose the Natural Resources option from the Categories drop down menu. You will have to create an account to view the seminars. The seminars are free unless you are seeking professional educational credits.
Also, be sure to visit our YouTube channel (here)
Takeaways:
There is a consistent relationship between doe body weight and adult buck antler size, with an 8.5-inch increase in antler size for every 10-pound increase in doe body weight.
Increasing doe body weight can lead to larger buck antler size, providing a predictive equation for property managers and hunters to assess and improve antler size.
Harvest bias and compositional bias can affect the accuracy of data collected on deer populations, and monitoring techniques should account for these biases.
Understanding the relationship between doe body weight and buck antler size can help property managers and hunters make informed decisions about deer management and habitat improvement.
Further research is needed to explore the variation in doe body weight and antler size across different regions and climates.
Sound Bites:
"If you can produce 120-inch does, your average mature male is gonna be 139 inches."
"When you give them food and manage the habitat, doe body weights respond, bucks respond, antlers respond."
"If you're not seeing the size of deer that you think you should be seeing, it may be that pulling the trigger is the issue."
Mississippians with a quality food product looking to scale up their business are invited to take advantage of a series of one-hour webinars and a one-day, in-person workshop to learn ways to navigate different markets.
The Mississippi State University Extension Service is offering "Food as Business: Scaling up from the Market - Take Your Food Business to the Next Level” program. It is for anyone who currently operates or is interested in operating an agriculture-based food business, including agricultural and food entrepreneurs, farmers and cottage food operators.
