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STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Specialty markets in pork production are cropping up across the U.S. in response to a growing interest in pasture-raised pigs.

Before the 1960s, most U.S. pork was raised in outside lots or on pasture systems. Commercial pork production today generally relies on large warehouse-like buildings or barns that house sows and pigs in stalls or pens.

Palo Alto Farm near West Point grew this and many other pasture-raised pigs to meet the increasing demand for locally grown foods. (Photo by MSU Ag Communications/Kevin Hudson)
Scott Ross, right, talks with B.J. McClenton, an agent with the Mississippi State University Extension Service in Clay County, about his 50-acre pasture pig operation. (Photo by MSU Ag Communications/Kevin Hudson)

By M.K. Belant and Keri Collins Lewis
MSU Ag Communications

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Nature offers a narrow and unpredictable window for breeding fish, and Mississippi State University scientists are studying ways to help hatcheries stock the state’s lakes.

What if conditions could be controlled within hatcheries so the intense seasonal workload could be dispersed over time? This ability would be especially beneficial for the popular black, white, and hybrid triploid Magnolia crappie.

Charlie Culpepper, a graduate student in the Mississippi State University Forest and Wildlife Research Center, is studying methods to better manage and optimize crappie reproduction. (Photo by MSU Ag Communications/Kat Lawrence)

NEWTON, Miss. -- Mississippi State University’s Coastal Plain Branch Experiment Station is completing a transformation from the state’s premier dairy research facility to a site that focuses on land management.

Educational signs, such as this one on properly managing riparian forest buffers, are placed at each demonstration area at the Coastal Plain Branch Experiment Station in Newton, Mississippi. Three of the planned five demonstration areas are complete, including the backyard habitat, the nature trail and lake, and an 80-acre mixed pine and hardwood timber stand. (Photo by MSU Ag Communications/Kevin Hudson)
Canola grown at the Coastal Plain Branch Experiment Station in Newton, Mississippi, is part of a national variety trial, and the southernmost plot in the test. It is a potential biofuel crop and could be used as a cool-season rotational crop like wheat. (Photo by MSU Ag Communications/Kevin Hudson)

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Mississippi farmers planted more peanuts in response to economic factors that made the crop an attractive choice this year, but a lack of rain now has them expecting average yields.

Mississippi has 42,000 acres of peanuts this year, up 45 percent from what was planted in 2014. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates 84 percent of the crop is in fair to good condition.

Mississippi State University researcher Jason Sarver, right, examines the condition of peanuts in a Leflore County, Mississippi, field on Sept. 10, 2015. With him, from left, is consultant Bruce Pittman and grower Justin Jeffcoat. (Photo by MSU Extension Service/Chad Abbott)
These peanuts in Monroe County, Mississippi, on Sept. 9, 2015, exhibit signs of early leaf spot disease. A lack of rain has produced an average crop across the state. (Photo by MSU Extension Service/Jason Sarver)

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Mississippi summers bring unbearable heat and humidity, but they also bring many treasures, like longer days, more vacation time and hummingbirds.

Many Mississippi residents can’t wait to fill up their feeders with a sugary concoction and wait for the buzzing of those amazing little wings. These tiny birds migrate south before cold weather arrives in the fall. Hummingbirds winter in Central and South America, and they return to Mississippi in early spring.

Hummingbirds are responsible for pollinating at least 150 plant species. Many hummingbird enthusiasts hang out feeders from March through November, when the birds migrate south. It is best to leave feeders out until no hummingbirds are seen for two weeks. (Photo by MSU Ag Communications)

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Grandparents provide a loving, low-cost and flexible alternative to center-based child care for many families across Mississippi. The benefits to the parents, children and grandparents in these situations are significant for many reasons.

Nearly 11 million children under the age of 5 in the United States go to some type of child care for an average of 36 hours each week. Some children are in multiple child care settings because of their parents’ nontraditional working hours.

Katherine Weatherby is surrounded by her 2-year-old grandchildren (from left) Zirean Davis, G’Niereya Alston and Bryson Ward at her home in Sallis, Mississippi, on Aug. 20, 2015. (Photo by MSU Human Sciences/Amy Barefield)

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Mississippi State University experts found an invasive insect that attacks crape myrtles on the coast this spring and now have spotted the pest in two cities on opposite ends of the state.

The insects are crape myrtle bark scale, or CMBS, and they were found March 15 in Ocean Springs in Jackson County. In August, the insects were detected at five locations in Olive Branch and Southaven in DeSoto County.

This crape myrtle branch is encrusted in the white felt of crape myrtle bark scale, an invasive insect that damages the once low-maintenance trees. (Photo by MSU Extension/Blake Layton)
This heavy accumulation of black, sooty mold and patches of white, felt-like material are evidence that this crape myrtle has a heavy infestation of the invasive crape myrtle bark scale. (Photo by MSU Extension/Angie Rogers)

Many homeowners consider it a point of pride to have a nicely manicured landscape. Southern Gardening is one of many sources of information to help gardeners with maintenance tips and plant selection.

But sometimes, especially at the end of a long, hot summer, the home gardener loses landscape momentum. As I admitted in last week’s column, I’ve found myself in this position. To tell you the truth, it bothers me even though I downplayed the situation.

Ornamental kale and cabbage provide easy fall and winter color. (Photo by MSU Extension Service/Gary Bachman)
Violas, such as this Sorbet Raspberry selection, are smaller than pansies and a great fall choice for landscape beds and containers. (Photo by MSU Extension Service/Gary Bachman) by MSU Extension Service/Gary Bachman)
Dianthus tolerates cool weather and partners well with pansies or violas, providing garden color from fall through spring. (Photo by MSU Extension Service/Gary Bachman)

By James E. “Jim” Miller
Professor Emeritus, Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture
MSU Extension Service

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- The thrill of the chase and the urge to be a steward of wild things and wild places are vital to many hunters. I am one of the 19.3 million hunters in the United States who appreciate and enjoy fair-chase hunting, and it has enriched my life for more than 60 years.

During lean times, food plots provide nutrients to help with antler development. (Photo submitted by MDWFP/Scott Edwards)
Food plots provide supplemental feeding options for Mississippi’s deer and other wildlife. (Photo submitted by MDWFP/Scott Edwards)

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