News

There’s nothing like preparing a meal using vegetables that were picked only five minutes earlier. That goal drives the efforts of many home gardeners.

But many people, especially those new to gardening, are under the misconception that a vegetable garden is a lot of work. Who wants to go out and take care of the weeding after you’ve worked all day and it’s 90 degrees outside? Besides, who has the room needed for a garden?

Truth be told, you only need a small garden or even a patio to enjoy fresh-grown vegetables in the summer and year-round.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Unseasonably cool temperatures in the wake of historic tornado activity could be a boon for the state’s strawberry growers.

“The weather over the past few days has been tough, but it’s still early in the strawberry season,” said Brooks Brownlee of Brownlee Farms in Red Banks, Mississippi. “This year has been the latest start we’ve ever had -- we just started picking on April 24. But the cool weather that delayed the crop may be a good thing and prolong our season.”

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- You hardly ever see them, but their small, cylindrical bodies can wreak havoc on your lawn. Each year, Mississippi homeowners spend countless hours and hundreds or thousands of dollars attempting to rid their yards of these solitary insectivores.

The inviting, safe environment of residential lawns and gardens may create an annual mole problem. Understanding mole behavior, trapping early and vigilantly, and modifying landscapes to discourage digging will mean less time dealing with moles and more time enjoying your backyard.

LOUISVILLE – Long before the dark clouds rolled across the state on April 28, the Mississippi State University Extension Service had been prepared to provide a silver lining for children displaced by disaster.

Louise Davis, Extension professor of child and family development, said “safe spaces” are set up at shelters in Tupelo and Louisville. Extension staff with the Mississippi Child Care Resource and Referral Network will oversee these sites.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Animal lovers can turn to a trusted organization to help pets and livestock that need relief after the recent storms in Mississippi.

The Mississippi Animal Disaster Relief Fund was established after Hurricane Katrina. For the past nine years donations have supported animals devastated by natural disasters in the state. The funds help cover veterinary costs, animal-related supplies, shelter, emergency hay and feed needs. The relief fund also pays for training emergency responders.

JACKSON – A 4-H’ers lifetime dedication to “making the best better” resulted in a non-profit organization that intends to make Mississippi a better place.

Sanford Johnson, a native of Starkville, spent eight years in 4-H and said the skills he learned in the Mississippi State University Extension Service youth development program improved his life.

Five years ago Johnson and Rachel Hicks Canter, another former 4-H’er, created Mississippi First, a non-profit organization that aims to improve the state’s graduation rates and teen health with public education reforms.

Flowers are always high on the gift list for Mother’s Day, and rose plants for the garden are a great way to remember the day year after year.

There are lots of roses from which to choose. Shrub roses are really popular and pretty easy to grow and maintain in the landscape. Knockouts may be the most well-known of this group.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Spring rains are delaying the state’s corn planting much as they did in 2013, but growers will not complain if the season ends with another record harvest like last year’s.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimated the crop was just 64 percent planted by April 20, putting it farther behind than it was at this time last year and well behind the five-year average of 87 percent planted. It takes five to 10 days after a rain before growers are able to resume planting in saturated soils, and frequent rains have kept most growers from planting as intended.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Dr. Richard M. Hopper, professor with the Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine, has been awarded the El Toro Award for Excellence in Food Animal Medicine at Auburn University’s College of Veterinary Medicine.

Hopper, who teaches in the Department of Pathobiology and Population Medicine and is an MSU Extension Service veterinarian, received the award during Auburn’s 107th veterinary annual conference.

The birds are singing, the flowers are blooming, and yes, the weeds are starting to grow in your fishing pond. Don’t let them get out of hand! Start your weed management program early, before the problem becomes too difficult to treat.

Prevention is the best way to avoid weed problems. Shallow areas where light reaches the pond bottom are ideal for the growth of rooted aquatic weeds. Deepening pond edges so that the water depth quickly reaches 3 feet helps reduce weeds. For safety, make the slope 3:1, or one foot deeper for every three feet farther from shore.

COLLINS – When Jo Lynn Mitchell started an agritourism business to add income to the family farm, she had no idea she would end up proving that people can still farm for a living.

Mitchell fell in love with farming as a way of life after marrying her husband Don, and she wanted to introduce farm life to children and adults. In 2006, she planted pumpkins and invited schools and churches to visit for an educational experience on how crops grow. The children each received a pumpkin to carry home as a reminder of what they learned at the farm.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- One of local government’s oldest and most essential jobs is being recognized for its services during an upcoming week of local, national and international activities.

The 44th annual Municipal Clerks Week will be observed May 5-11. During this week, municipal clerks in many of Mississippi’s cities, towns and villages will take part in activities to increase the public’s awareness of municipal clerks and the vital services they provide for local government and the community.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Getting and keeping a job often depends on an individual’s ability to use basic computer programs and social media applications.

The Mississippi State University Extension Center for Technology Outreach provides a variety of training workshops on common software programs for word processing, spreadsheets, and graphic design. Staff members also teach classes on using tablets and smartphones, digital cameras and GPS systems.

By Brittnie Burton
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Learning opportunities for teens do not end when school lets out for the summer in communities across Mississippi.

The Mississippi State University Extension Service is recruiting students in six counties for the inaugural Mississippi Youth Preparedness Initiative, or MyPI.

YAZOO CITY -- Mississippi Women for Agriculture will kick off a new lunch-and-learn program May 2.

The first meeting of the “Farm Women Friday” series will be hosted by the Mississippi State University Extension Service at the Yazoo County Extension office and broadcast to county Extension offices across the state.

By Brittnie Burton
MSU Ag Communications

CLEVELAND -- Horse lovers may think of horses as family, but they should always handle the large animals with caution.

Laura Giaccaglia, Bolivar County coordinator with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said safety comes first in horse handling.

“Horses are massive animals, and when you are around them, you have to keep your guard up at all times,” Giaccaglia said. “We teach our 4-H members that respect is the foundation for safety for the animal and the people around it.”

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Most centenarians are slowing down and avoiding modern technology, but the Mississippi State University Extension Service is doing neither as it approaches its 100th birthday.

With the chance of any more spring freezes getting lower by the day, the typical home gardener is out looking for plants for when the summer temperatures start to rise. Annual flowering vinca is one that really brightens up our Mississippi summer landscapes.

Annual flowering vinca has attractive foliage and gorgeous flowers. The foliage is a glossy, dark green and has a prominent rib in the middle of the leaf. This coloration makes for a fantastic background to show off its purple, red, pink and white flowers.

JACKSON – Hay producers need warmer temperatures and drier ground to catch up with production this spring.

“Everything is shaping up to be late with all the wet, cool weather we’ve had,” said Charlie Bush, Mississippi State University Extension Service agent in Simpson County. Simpson was one of the counties where some fields flooded after most areas in central Mississippi received between three and 10 inches of rain between April 5 and 7.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Soybeans have been an important commodity in Mississippi for more than 50 years, but recent advances have pushed the crop’s value above $1 billion.

Mississippi soybeans had a value of $267 million in 2006, $1.27 billion in 2012 and $1.17 billion in 2013. Prices have been high for the past several years, but state producers put more effort into management and increased yields to a record average of 45 bushels an acre in 2012 and 2013.