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MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Virginia Mathews enjoys horses so much that she gladly took on a full-time job to allow her to keep them.

Mathews, known as Gigi to her friends and family, is a Yazoo County woman who owns Mathews Farms in Benton with her husband, Hugh Leigh Mathews III. She now cares for 11 horses and teaches riding lessons, but at one time she had as many as 76 mares.

“One time I added up all the time I spent working with the horses and figured I was making 2 cents an hour,” Mathews said. “I went to work full time with the U.S. Postal Service to support my habit.”

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- An academic advisor with the Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine has received two awards for excellence in student advising.

Julie “Missy” Hadaway, admissions and student affairs coordinator, has been awarded the 2014 Irvin Atly Jefcoat Excellence in Advising award at MSU. She was also selected for an Outstanding Advising Certificate of Merit in the primary advising role category by the National Academic Advising Association.

PICAYUNE -- When Navy Petty Officer First Class Andrew Ribar realized the Mississippi State University Crosby Arboretum could use a little help, he mustered all hands on deck.

Ribar, a military community outreach coordinator for the U.S. Navy’s Fleet Survey Team located at NASA’s John C. Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, brought about 20 Navy chiefs and first class petty officers to work on the arboretum in Picayune on May 8.

Did you know bells work well in the landscape?

For years, one of my favorite landscape plants has been Heuchera, commonly called coral bells. I don’t think you can beat the landscape punch of texture and color these plants bring. Coral bells bloom, but I grow them strictly for the foliage.

I’m gaining appreciation for another “bell” in my garden called Heucherella, or foamy bells. These plants are hybrids, the result of crossing Heuchera and the closely related Tiarella (foam flower).

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Two Mississippi State University administrators are helping shape natural resources education and policy in a recently released national report.

Rubin Shmulsky, head of Sustainable Bioproducts, and Bruce Leopold, executive director of the Center for Resolving Human-Wildlife Conflicts were part of a team of 35 scientists who authored “Science, Education, and Outreach Roadmap for Natural Resources.”

LOUISVILLE -- In the wake of the tornado that tore through Louisville on April 28, overwhelmed storm victims had to make tough choices about caring for people, property and pets.

But one pet owner found a way to help his dog, ironically named Twister, when a Mississippi State University Extension Service disaster assessment team visited his property. Twister had survived the tornado but had injuries that needed immediate attention.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – The poultry industry is riding a wave of success, propelling it from a strong 2013 into another year with promises of favorable market prices and lower production costs.

John Michael Riley, an agricultural economist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said several issues will influence poultry profits in 2014.

LOUISVILLE – Poultry growers are reeling from the April 28 tornadoes that caused tremendous damage on farms and the loss of more than a million birds in four Mississippi counties.

The Mississippi Board of Animal Health reported that 1,044,800 birds died from the tornadoes or subsequent power outages. Winston, Wayne, Newton and Scott counties reported 58 houses with major damage and 17 houses with minor damage.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Spring is the time to get outside and enjoy soft, warm breezes and glorious sunshine before summer’s heat forces us to seek shelter indoors. One way to connect with nature and awaken your winter-weary soul is getting to know your feathered neighbors.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi families and communities will have a chance to thank the people who care for and educate their children when the state celebrates Provider Appreciation Day on May 9.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – A Starkville eighth-grader won first place at the state level and second place at the national level of a 4-H writing competition with his essay about beekeeping during colonial times.

Garrett Smith, a 4-H member and student at Starkville Academy, said he was inspired to enter the 4-H Honey Bee Essay Contest after he toured Mississippi State University’s entomology lab with his little brother’s Clover Dawgs 4-H club.

GOODMAN – Fruit and vegetable producers can learn online marketing techniques and networking strategies during the Alliance for Sustainable Agricultural Production Demonstration Farm field day on May 16.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Registration is open for three summer camps for young people interested in wildlife, natural resources and outdoor recreation.

The Mississippi State University Extension Service and the MSU Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture are hosting two residential camps and one day camp.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Recent high profits in farming have made it possible for many Mississippi growers to install irrigation systems, and Mississippi State University researchers are urging the producers to install soil moisture sensors at the same time.

MEADVILLE – A Meadville farmer is building her dream job a few animals at a time.

Anita Leonard, a native of Enid, Oklahoma, married her husband Harold and relocated to Mississippi just more than five years ago. Together, they began building the farm Anita had longed for since she was a child.

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.