Feature Story

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- If egg prices have seemed higher than ever lately, it’s because they are, and consumers can place much of the blame squarely at the feet of the ongoing bird flu outbreak.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported the national average for a dozen eggs was $6.70 on Jan. 31 -- more than 60% higher than just six weeks before on Dec. 20, 2024, when the average was $4.07 per dozen. The average fluctuated mostly between the $1 to $3 per dozen range in 2024 until mid-October.

Mississippi high school juniors have a summer opportunity to learn about medical and science careers while earning 3 hours of college credit at Mississippi State University.
The Rural Medical and Science Scholars, or RMSS, program will be held in Starkville June 8-20 this year. It is designed to introduce academically qualified students to careers in health or STEM fields.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Yahala Devine has been an in-home childcare provider in Mendenhall for two and a half years, but her career trajectory changed when she joined the Nurturing Homes Initiative, or NHI, program. The NHI program is dedicated to enhancing the quality of early education experiences in family childcare homes. By offering resources, training and support, NHI equips providers with the tools they need to improve child development outcomes and advance their own careers.

Insect pests are ongoing issues in row crop farming, and deciding when, how and whether to treat is never a simple decision.
Offered by the Mississippi State University Extension Service, the Row Crop Short Course in December featured sessions informed by MSU’s ongoing research that helps growers make management decisions. Several sessions addressed insect control from a variety of angles.

With highly pathogenic avian influenza, or HPAI, in the environment in Mississippi, owners of backyard flocks have to take extra steps to keep their chickens healthy.

Avian influenza poses an extremely low risk to human health and none to food safety in Mississippi, but its presence poses a risk to backyard flocks and the state’s $3 billion commercial poultry industry.

Landowners working to improve game bird habitat can sign up for Feb. 28 and March 1 weekend events that provide practical information for property management.
The Mississippi State University Extension Service is hosting the turkey and quail management social and workshop in Shannon, Mississippi.

BILOXI, Miss. -- A large group of agricultural producers gathered at the 2025 Producer Advisory Council meeting Jan. 14 at the Coastal Research and Extension Center in Biloxi. The annual meeting serves as a forum for agricultural producers to discuss their needs with Mississippi State University personnel, including administrators, researchers, specialists and Extension agents with the MSU Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station and MSU Extension Service.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Growers in south Mississippi recently shared their research and programming needs with Mississippi State University’s agricultural specialists, and producers in the state’s central and northern areas will soon have their turn.

The MSU Extension Service and Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station will host Producer Advisory Council meetings at three of their research and Extension centers across the state.

Crop dusters are a familiar sight in the skies over agricultural regions, but much smaller versions, unmanned aerial vehicles, are joining them.
Unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs, are commonly called drones. Unmanned aerial systems, known as UAS, include the vehicle itself, payload, operator and control modules.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Remembering the “four P’s” of freeze safety -- people, pets, plants and pipes -- is an adage heard constantly this time of year, but doing so will be even more critical than normal during the week of Jan. 20-24 as temperatures are projected to dip below freezing and stay there for several days in Mississippi.

Caring for pets in prolonged cold weather will not involve many adjustments for owners of indoor pets, but protecting outside pets and livestock in these conditions requires extra attention.

PICAYUNE, Miss. -- The Crosby Arboretum has rescheduled its annual Forge Day to Feb. 8 due to expected inclement weather.

HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- Mississippi blueberry producers have two opportunities to learn more about production of the state’s largest fruit crop. The Mississippi State University Extension Service is hosting an in-person workshop in Hattiesburg and a virtual workshop.

RAYMOND, Miss. -- An instructor with the Mississippi State University Extension Service was recently recognized by the Mississippi Public Health Association for her commitment to helping Mississippians live healthier lifestyles. Qula Madkin, a dietitian nutritionist in the MSU Department of Biochemistry, Nutrition and Health Promotion, was awarded the Vonda A. Webb Nutritionist of the Year Award at the association’s fall conference.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- The Mississippi State University Extension Service will have a new soybean specialist in February.

Justin Calhoun, a soil and cropping systems specialist and assistant Extension professor in the University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, is returning to MSU to serve the state’s soybean producers.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Mississippi’s newest 4-H program truly is being built from the ground up.

Agents with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, which oversees the state’s 4-H youth development program, are holding interest meetings across the state to start county “Geo-Arch” clubs. The program targets young people with an interest in collecting Mississippi’s geological treasures and pre-historic artifacts such as fossils, arrowheads and rocks.

STONEVILLE, Miss. -- After harvest each year, university research and Extension entomologists from across the Cotton Belt states collect and submit data regarding cotton crop losses from insects.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- A Mississippi State University Extension professor has been recognized for his contributions to wildlife conservation with the Clarence W. Watson Award.

RAYMOND, Miss. -- Space heaters and fireplaces can help keep temperatures comfortable during cold weather. However, all types of heating equipment can be fire hazards if safety precautions are not taken. According to the National Fire Protection Association, home heating fires happen most often in December, January and February, accounting for almost half of all home heating fires.

RAYMOND, Miss. -- Mississippi’s agriculture industry remains vibrant with an overall production value estimated at $9 billion, despite a drop in row crop prices.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- 2024 marks the 30th consecutive year for poultry to outperform every other agricultural commodity in Mississippi, and for the second time in three years, its farm gate value fell just shy of $4 billion.

“We have seen a ramp-up in both broiler and table egg production in 2024 compared to production rates seen in 2023,” said Jonathan Moon, poultry specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. “This increase in meat and egg production directly impacts the value of the state’s commercial poultry industry.”