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Feature Story

A squash sits in a garden.
March 10, 2023 - Filed Under: Lawn and Garden, Vegetable Gardens

BELZONI, Miss. -- A team whose mission is to “Keep Belzoni Beautiful” has earned national recognition for its work.

Keep America Beautiful, a nonprofit organization committed to community improvement and beautification, presented the Mississippi State University Extension Service a Keep America Beautiful State Agency Partnership award for 2021. Only 13 such awards were presented nationwide. Keep Belzoni Beautiful -- KBB for short -- is a chapter of Keep Mississippi Beautiful.

A group photo of the Rural Medical and Science Scholars Class of 2022.
March 8, 2023 - Filed Under: Food and Health, Rural Health

MISSISSIPPI STATE, Miss. -- High school juniors can explore health and science careers and get a jump on college during the Rural Medical and Science Scholars program this summer at Mississippi State University. The June 10-29 program is now accepting applications until April 1.

Sandy field where pine tree stand has been recently harvested
March 6, 2023 - Filed Under: Trees, Forestry, Forestry Impacts, Forest Management, Forest Soils

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- When planting loblolly pine trees on well-drained soils, landowners should heed two basic rules: Don’t do it during a freeze, and make sure to plant roots and seedlings deep.

To increase the chance of survival on well-drained soils, some Southern regeneration foresters suggest planting loblolly pine in a deep hole with the root collar several inches below the soil surface.

A tractor with a boom arm sprays crops.
March 6, 2023 - Filed Under: Agricultural Economics, Crops, Soil Fertility

STONEVILLE, Miss. -- Agricultural producers hoping for some relief from recent high fertilizer prices are not likely to find it in 2023.

Brian Mills, Mississippi State University Extension Service ag economist at the Delta Research and Extension Center in Stoneville, said fertilizer prices are expected to remain at 2022 levels.

“We do have good, high crop prices, and with high crop prices, you usually see input costs stay high and go up,” Mills said.

Chickens feed inside of a pullet barn.
March 1, 2023 - Filed Under: Poultry, Avian Flu

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- The Mississippi Board of Animal Health reported Feb. 23 that a backyard poultry flock in Copiah County tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza, often referred to as HPAI or H5N1.

This is the second backyard flock to test positive for HPAI. The first confirmation was in Lowndes County in November 2022. There have also been two detections in commercial broiler flocks, one in Lawrence County in November 2022 and the other in Leake County in February. All affected facilities were quarantined, and the birds were depopulated to prevent spreading.

A group of people listen to a public speaker.
February 28, 2023 - Filed Under: Agriculture, Other Aquaculture Species, Crops, Commercial Horticulture, Cotton, Soybeans, Sweet Potatoes, Beef, Dairy, Goats and Sheep, Swine

VERONA, Miss. -- Producers come across issues each season that need to be addressed, whether they require new research on a problem or a commodity specialist who can help identify timely solutions.

For those people, February is the month to speak up. Specialists and scientists with the Mississippi State University Extension Service and Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station are available specifically for them at three different MSU Research and Extension Center locations throughout the state during annual Producer Advisory Council meetings.

Close up of black-eyed Susans
February 28, 2023 - Filed Under: Lawn and Garden, Landscape Architecture, Landscape Design and Management, Smart Landscapes

Native plants have garnered a lot of attention, especially because of their relationship to pollinators, but these plants are valuable for many other reasons. In addition to pollen, they provide food and shelter for birds and other wildlife, as well as creating biodiversity in the ecosystem.

A man and a woman stand together in a meeting space.
February 28, 2023 - Filed Under: Agriculture, Advisory Council

Dozens of agricultural producers met Feb. 21 with Mississippi State University professionals to offer direction on priorities MSU research and outreach should pursue in 2023 and beyond.


The event was the annual Central Mississippi Producer Advisory Council meeting, held at the MSU Central Mississippi Research and Extension Center in Raymond. The half-day event was a listening session for MSU and an advising session for producers and those interested in starting ag businesses.

February 23, 2023 - Filed Under: Beef

NEWTON, Miss. -- Livestock industry professionals looking to learn more about grazing and forage management practices are invited to a beef cattle field day hosted by the Mississippi State University Extension Service.

Beef cattle producers and hay growers will be two target audiences for the field day, which will be at the Coastal Plains Branch Experiment Station March 30 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Attendees will be provided a tour of the 1,172-acre facility. The station is located at 51 Coastal Plains Road in Newton.

White eggs fill a metal bowl on a countertop.
February 23, 2023 - Filed Under: Poultry

Shoppers facing sticker shock at the grocery store know that eggs are part of the cost increase, but they may not know why.

Josh Maples, an agricultural economist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said egg prices over the Christmas holiday were more than double what they were at the same time in 2021.

A man pours a bag into a yellow hopper on a tractor.
February 23, 2023 - Filed Under: Crops, Insects-Crop Pests

When managing insects and diseases in row crops, growers typically act after a problem appears, but there are no reactive treatments for some pests, including soil insects that attack seeds and developing seedlings.

Management such as seed treatments or in-furrow insecticides for these pests has to be applied at the time of planting. Mississippi State University researchers say seed treatments make good sense for many crops.

February 22, 2023 - Filed Under: Research and Extension Centers, Agriculture, Food, Food Safety

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.

February 22, 2023 - Filed Under: Beef

Brandi Karisch, Mississippi State University Extension Service beef specialist, has been named to a national board for the American Simmental Association, or ASA. Karisch was elected to this organization’s board of trustees to represent the eastern region.

A stand of timber.
February 17, 2023 - Filed Under: Natural Resources, Forestry, Forest Economics, Taxation

RAYMOND, Miss. -- Private timberland owners spend countless hours caring for and maintaining their property, and many are unaware that this investment can help lower their tax bills. One of the most overlooked timber activities that qualifies for a tax reduction is reforestation, said Curtis VanderSchaaf, forestry specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service.

A young man holds three plaques.
February 10, 2023 - Filed Under: 4-H, 4-H Livestock Program, Youth Livestock

JACKSON, Miss. -- Since the age of 7, Smith County 4-H’er Chase Boone has been showing mostly Simmental cattle in the Dixie National Junior Round-Up each year.

He is now a high school senior who will soon be moving on to college but not before a final appearance in one of his favorite livestock show events. He ended up exhibiting two supreme champion livestock -- the supreme beef female and the supreme beef bull -- and was named one of six premier exhibitors.

It was a successful send-off, if not a bittersweet one.

A woman stands in a field with a colt.
February 1, 2023 - Filed Under: Equine

Horses have been part of Mississippi State University programs for years in teaching, research and the student equestrian team, but breeding has not been a significant aspect until recently. In the eight years he has been with MSU, Clay Cavinder, Extension equine specialist, has made equine breeding and sales a priority. The average price for yearling and 2-year-old horses has increased steadily over the years to $8,600 in 2022.

January 31, 2023 - Filed Under: Lawn and Garden, Cut Flowers and Houseplants, Floral Design, Flower Gardens

BILOXI, Miss. -- Gardening and floral design enthusiasts and professionals can enjoy a public lecture by Martha Whitney Butler, a Bay St. Louis floral designer. Butler will deliver a floral design demonstration that includes techniques based on sustainable floral design practices, as well as her experience in art history and the use of antique and vintage floral containers.

Group photo
January 27, 2023 - Filed Under: Thad Cochran Agricultural Leadership Program TCALP, TCALP Class News

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Members of the second class of the Thad Cochran Agricultural Leadership Program have completed the curriculum and assembled one last time Jan. 23 to receive their graduation certificates.

Known also as TCALP, the program provides 22 months of training for emerging leaders in Mississippi agriculture.

Close up of tomatoes and yellow squash in farmers market baskets.
January 25, 2023 - Filed Under: Local Flavor, Farmers Markets, Local Food System Economies, Marketing and Business Planning, Community, Small Business

POPLARVILLE, Miss. -- Current and prospective market vendors can learn valuable marketing skills in a Feb. 9 workshop in Poplarville. Farmers Market Vendor Workshop: Boosting Your Revenue will teach participants valuable skills to help them increase sales. The workshop is open to vendors who sell at festivals, farmers markets and other similar venues.

January 20, 2023 - Filed Under: Irrigation, Natural Resources

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Delta-based agricultural producers in a four-state region are invited to participate in a survey designed to gauge opinions and identify current practices related to water use.

The online “Delta Region Irrigation Producers’ Survey,” or DRIPS, also includes questions related to how producers prefer to receive educational information, which will help the Mississippi State University Extension Service design future programs. Survey results are confidential, and participants remain anonymous.

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