News Filed Under About Extension

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- A Mississippi State University Extension Service administrator with more than 30 years of experience in youth education has been selected to lead Mississippi’s 4-H program.

BILOXI, Miss. -- The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality awarded Mississippi State University $800,000 to begin a three-year project to establish the Mississippi Sound Estuary Program and facilitate future conservation and restoration projects from Escatawpa to the Pearl River.

BILOXI, Miss. -- On April 21, beachgoers in Orange Beach, Ala., were enjoying a pleasant day of sun, sand and surf when they witnessed an incredible event they’ll never forget.

A deceased female great hammerhead shark, the largest of the three hammerhead species occurring in the Gulf of Mexico, suddenly washed ashore.

RAYMOND, Miss. -- A Mississippi State University food safety specialist has been named to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection. Byron Williams, an associate Extension professor of food science specializing in muscle foods processing, regulations and safety, was recently appointed by USDA Secretary Thomas Vilsack. Williams is also a member of the MSU Department of Food Science, Nutrition and Health Promotion.

STONEVILLE, Miss. -- A long-time Mississippi State University entomologist and researcher has been named head of the MSU Delta Research and Extension Center. Jeff Gore assumed the role on Nov. 1.

BILOXI, Miss. -- Each summer, thousands of people flock to the Gulf Coast to soak up some sun and enjoy the water. With extensive beaches and abundant wildlife, there is no shortage of things to see and do here.

If you’re excited about the ocean, you won’t want to miss the park’s annual Shark Week at the Pier.

Angus Catchot assumed the role of interim head of the Mississippi State University Central Mississippi Research and Extension Center Sept. 1. Catchot, who is currently the associate director of operations for the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, will provide temporary leadership for the center’s faculty and staff, as well as the region’s branch experiment stations.

Gary Jackson, who has served as director of the MSU Extension Service since 2011, has been selected to fill a new leadership position focused on university outreach and engagement activities.

Jackson will fill the newly created position of associate vice president for outreach and engagement, effective Sept. 1. Steve Martin, currently associate director for county operations, will serve as interim Extension director.

STONEVILLE, Miss. -- Delta Agricultural Weather Center stations typically record historical weather data and help growers make production decisions, but now they are also key components of a new honeybee study at Mississippi State University.

Esmaeil Amiri, an assistant professor of apiculture with the MSU Extension Service and researcher with the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, is using the facilities and datasets provided by the weather center for his research team’s study on the effect of weather on honeybee health.

STARKVILLE, Miss. – The Mississippi State University Extension Service has a familiar face directing its outreach efforts in the coastal region.

LaTawnya Holliman has been named regional Extension coordinator for the coastal region’s 21 counties effective April 1. She began the role on an interim basis in April 2020.

Theresa Hand has been selected to lead the efforts of the Mississippi State University Extension Service in the central region. Hand assumes the regional Extension coordinator position on April 1. She has served as interim in the position since April 2020.

A beef cattle specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service has been recognized for her service and research with one of the most prestigious honors in the field of animal science. 

Brandi Karisch, associate Extension and research professor in the MSU Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences, received the 2022 Southern Section of the American Society of Animal Science award during the organization’s annual meeting.

STARKVILLE, Miss. – The Mississippi State University Extension Service has been awarded a grant that will help educate, recruit and retain tribal students from the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians (MBCI) to succeed in college and in a career. 

MSU and the Choctaw Division of Education signed a memorandum of understanding designed to strengthen partnerships between the university and the Choctaw tribe. The memorandum is associated with the grant, “New Beginning for Tribal Students,” awarded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- The Mississippi State University Extension Service is modifying its administrative structure to commit more resources for county level staffing.

Upon Steve Martin’s return to his primary role as MSU Extension associate director Nov. 16, his title changed to Associate Director for County Operations.

STONEVILLE, Miss. -- Jeff Gore, a long-time Mississippi State University entomologist and researcher, has been named interim head of the MSU Delta Research and Extension Center in Stoneville.

Gore, an entomologist with the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station and the MSU Extension Service, will begin this position Nov. 16, 2021, serving up to one year in a management and supervisory capacity at the center. He has been stationed at the Delta center since 2007.

Like sea levels, expenses related to flooding in communities and businesses along the Gulf Coast are rising.

One student spent last summer investigating ways to mitigate these costs while enhancing approaches to shoreline protection during her time in the Mississippi State University Extension Undergraduate Apprenticeship program. The program is targeted toward high-achieving undergraduates from across the country to give them firsthand experiences in research and extension to understand how research can be applied.

POPLARVILLE, Miss. — The Mississippi State University Extension Service in Pearl River County has a new temporary location after the building housing its office sustained irreparable damage from an overnight fire.

Located at 204 South Julia Street in Poplarville behind the county courthouse, the facility is scheduled to be operational by April 16. The main office number, 601-403-2280, is still active for clients in need of assistance. MSU Extension operations in Pearl River County will take place at this location indefinitely.

The Mississippi State University Extension Service is launching a new Extension Center for 4-H Youth Development to grow the next generation of leaders. This name change leverages current funding and restructuring of existing positions to allow for greater support and service to Mississippi’s young people. 4-H provides nonformal youth development education across the state for 8- to 18-year-olds through programs delivered locally by Extension agents and registered 4-H adult volunteers.

Longtime Mississippi State University Extension Service administrator and MSU Extension professor Paula Threadgill announced her retirement effective Dec. 31, 2020.