News

MISSISSIPPI STATE – A department head with the Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine was selected to fill a national role with the American Association of Veterinary Clinicians.

The AAVC has elected Dr. Ron McLaughlin, head of the college’s Department of Clinical Sciences, to serve as president. In this role, McLaughlin works with the organization to enhance the quality of veterinary instruction in the United States.

I think all gardeners love to see butterflies visit their gardens in the summer months. If you want more butterflies this year, start planning now what to plant this spring to attract them.

I want to tell you about two of my favorite plants that are guaranteed to attract these garden visitors.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – An experienced communications professional and administrator recently joined the Mississippi State University Extension Service.

Elizabeth Gregory North became the department head for MSU’s Office of Agricultural Communications February 1.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – About 200 volunteers who care deeply about the state’s young people will gather in Starkville for leadership training Feb. 22 and 23.

The annual 4-H Volunteer Leaders Conference will be held at the Bost Extension Center at Mississippi State University. Mississippi 4-H is the youth development program of the MSU Extension Service.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Horticulture students at Mississippi State University recently brought home multiple awards from the Southern Region meeting of the American Society for Horticultural Sciences.

Seven undergraduate students competed in commodity evaluation and plant identification in four categories: woody ornamentals, greenhouse crops, vegetable crops, and fruit and nut crops.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi State University showcased top graduate students in a competition described by organizers as “American Idol for agriculture.”

Jason Bond, associate Extension and research professor at MSU’s Delta Research and Extension Center in Stoneville, said the recent “Future of Agriculture Graduate Student Competition” was a win-win-win for students, industry representatives and farmers.

By Kaitlyn Byrne
MSU Office of Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE – The path to healthy teeth begins in childhood, and two Mississippi State University programs are working to teach proper dental hygiene.

The Mississippi Childcare Resource and Referral Network, part of MSU’s Extension Service, trains childcare providers to teach healthy dental practices through the Cavity Free Kids program.

Cabin fever seems to hit me earlier each year, and it doesn’t help that we haven’t had much of a winter the past couple of years.

I already have tomato transplants ready to put in the ground even though it’s still two months from the traditional last frost date here on the coast. I saw blooming annuals for sale this weekend at a local garden center. I think I’m feeling a little warm.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – A Mississippi State University graduate student in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences continues to bring home awards for research he conducted on chemical control of an invasive weed.

Zach Reynolds of Starkville recently won first place in the Master of Science Poster section at the 2013 Southern Weed Science Society annual meeting. His poster was titled “Control of Palmer amaranth with sequential herbicide applications.” Coauthors in MSU’s Department of Plant and Soil Sciences were Darrin Dodds, Tyler Dixon and Chase Samples.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Registration for the Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine’s annual open house is under way.

School groups are invited to attend the open house on Friday, April 5 from 8:30 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. at the Wise Center in Starkville. In the past, pre-registration was optional. This year, school groups are required to sign up for the event in advance.

Registration is free. CVM staff will send registered groups parking, schedule and rain date information. Teachers and administrators may order lunches for groups through CVM.

By Alicia Barnes
MSU School of Human Sciences

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Aiming to better prepare children for kindergarten, the Starkville Rotary Club is providing literacy assessments to local early care and education programs.

Working with an audience much younger than their usual lunch crowd, Rotary members introduced the Between the Lions Preschool Literacy Initiative to 3- and 4-year-olds at Emerson Preschool, the Brickfire Project and First Presbyterian Church Childcare.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Wildlife, fisheries and aquaculture students at Mississippi State University recently received top honors from the Southern Division of the American Fisheries Society.

Members of MSU’s student organization affiliated with the American Fisheries Society received the 2012 Outstanding Subunit Award during the society’s regional meeting held February 7-10 in Nashville. To be considered for the award, student chapters throughout the Southeast submitted a list of activities and community service projects performed throughout 2012 and a letter of recommendation.

STONEVILLE – A long-time researcher with Mississippi State University recently received recognition for outstanding career achievements by the Southern Branch of the American Society of Agronomy.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Body Walk, a larger-than-life model of human body systems, got its first new major components since the program started teaching elementary school children in 2005.

Katie Bouchillon, Body Walk coordinator with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, wrote a grant to fund the facelift for the popular children’s health education exhibit.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Two Mississippi State University row crop researchers recently received recognition at a national conference.

MSU weed scientist Jason Bond was named the 2013 Rice Researcher of the Year at the 2013 Conservation Tillage Systems Cotton and Rice Conference in Baton Rouge, held Jan. 31 and Feb. 1. Bond has conducted research with an emphasis on rice, corn and cotton at MSU’s Delta Research and Extension Center in Stoneville for six years.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – A veteran agricultural economist and administrator at Mississippi State University was recently honored for his achievements and distinguished service to his profession.

Bill Herndon, who serves as the associate vice president of MSU’s Division of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine, received the 2013 Southern Agricultural Economics Associate Lifetime Achievement Award.

The award recognizes significant and enduring contributions in scholarship or public service to southern agricultural economics.

Mississippi is going "app" when it comes to attracting tourists to our state's historical and cultural treasures.

Many Mississippians are choosing to stay close to home and explore, while others from outside the state are choosing to visit for our natural resources and literary heritage, as well as to discover the birthplace of America’s music. It is easy in the hustle and bustle to forget the hidden gems just up the road from us.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- As if Mississippi did not already have enough bugs, three new insect pests became established in the state in 2012.

Blake Layton, entomologist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said the newest insect residents are two flies and one bug: the spotted wing drosophila, the Bermudagrass stem maggot and the kudzu bug.

“All three pests came from Asia and are here to stay,” Layton said. “They are expected to cause significant economic losses in the crops they affect.”

Spotted wing drosophila …

Many Mississippians are anticipating the first signs of the spring show put on in our landscapes by the popular, but nonnative Southern Indica azaleas. These shrubs hide behind their evergreen foliage, waiting to dazzle us with color.

Some gardeners consider native azaleas hard to grow, so we don’t see these varieties as much in Mississippi landscapes. Several species of native azaleas thrive in the Southeast. They may not be as showy as their evergreen cousins, but native azaleas are stunning in their own right.