News

By Andrea Cooper
MSU College of Forest Resources

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi streams do not offer the fly-fishing opportunities found in the West, but the state's wadeable streams provide good sport fishing of spotted and largemouth bass, longear sunfish and bluegill sunfish.

These streams are not the sport fishermen magnets that streams are in the highland region of the United States, so many wadeable streams in Mississippi and the Southeast are often ignored and unmanaged.

By Courtney Coufal
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- When Covington County cattleman Johnny Pope placed the top bid for a Hereford bull at a recent sale, he was almost 200 miles from the auction.

Pope is one of many animal buyers in the state taking advantage of the interactive video component added to the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station's Annual Livestock Production Sale by the Mississippi State University Extension Service.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

Whenever someone tells me they have quite a bit of shade and want to plant flowers, I always direct them to impatiens. These tropical-looking flowers from East Africa are literally unbeatable for season-long color.

Long before we had all of the dazzling choices today, our grandparents and great-grandparents no doubt felt the same exuberance for their version called Touch-Me-Not.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- This year's watermelons relied on Mother Nature for the sunny skies to make them sweet, but most needed farmers to supply the essential irrigation to make them juicy.

Wayne Porter, area horticulture agent for Mississippi State University's Extension Service, said watermelon harvesting has begun in southern counties. Porter is based in Lauderdale County and also serves Smith County, Mississippi's top watermelon-producing county.

By Courtney Coufal
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- In celebration of the Mississippi 4-H centennial, the organization's members, agents and volunteers re-enacted a decades-old activity using modern technology.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Midsouth homeowners may soon find it easier to locate St. Augustine grass for their lawns.

A new St. Augustine grass cultivar bred for cold tolerance is being licensed by Mississippi State University to sod producers in north Mississippi and other Midsouth locations.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

By Robert H. Wells
Delta Research and Extension Center

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Two weeks of harvests in the southern part of Mississippi indicate a very good year for blueberries, despite an Easter weekend freeze that decimated those in the northern part of the state.

John Braswell, Mississippi State University horticulture specialist at the Coastal Research and Extension Center in Biloxi, said the crop is in pretty good shape.

“Most of the acreage south of Interstate 20 has a good crop,” Braswell said. “There's a lot of fruit coming off right now.”

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi may not be far behind the Georgia and Florida wildfires if people are not careful during hot, dry conditions.

Charles Burkhardt manages Mississippi State University's timberlands located throughout the state.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Many gardeners across the state are shocked by sprawling, bright orange masses that appear quickly in gardens, but this scary looking fungus is quite harmless.

Clarissa Balbalian, plant diagnostic lab manager with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said the fungus is a slime mold that feeds on decaying woody material.

“It doesn't hurt plants or people,” Balbalian said. “Slime molds live on fungi, bacteria and other microscopic creatures that decay organic material.”

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

We can complain about the lack of rainfall this year, but we can't complain about the beautiful and fragrant petunias that are blooming everywhere we turn.

Even though they all have been photogenic, this year's All-America Selections winner Opera Supreme Pink Morn is catching my eye.

If you knew how hard it was for a new petunia or petunia series to get established in today's competitive market, then you would know how special the Opera Supreme Pink Morn is.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi, Arkansas and Louisiana pecan growers can learn more about production and marketing issues at a June 21-22 convention and trade show in Shreveport, La.

Pecan grower associations from each of the three states are sponsoring the event at the Clarion Hotel. Registration begins at noon on June 21 and costs $35.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Laramy Cummings was recently named the first recipient of a new scholarship named in honor of a long-time supporter of equine activities in Oktibbeha County.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi dairy farmers have a reason to celebrate dairy month, but don't expect a big party.

Bill Herndon, dairy economics specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said farm-level milk prices have reached what he described as a “magical $20-per-hundredweight level.” Unfortunately, feed, fuel, energy and fertilizer costs all have increased at about the same rate as milk prices.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- One of the best things about Mississippi summers is the delicious food provided by fresh garden vegetables, a goodness people can enjoy year-round with preserved vegetables.

Brent Fountain, human nutrition specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said fresh may be best, but it isn't the only option. Freezing or canning fruits and vegetables will extend the time in which garden produce can be eaten.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi's youth have seen their share of tornado and hurricane damage, and they know how much donations from others can help.

Mississippi 4-H members celebrated their organization's 100th anniversary by collecting money during the state 4-H Congress the last week of May to contribute to teachers in Enterprise, Ala., the site of a deadly March tornado that killed eight high school students.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

The word chaos is about to have a new meaning in landscapes. Webster's dictionary defines “chaos” as extreme confusion or disorder. This may describe your garden. In my case, it describes my office and garage. You will think differently about chaos after seeing Pink Chaos coleus.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi soybeans had one of the most uneven starts they have had in years, but one constant is the need for rain.

Dan Poston, northwest district soybean specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said Delta soybeans looked pretty good in late May, but time was running out for fields to get a rain.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Chris Bell of Newton County is the latest Mississippian with a disability to benefit from a program designed to maintain agricultural lifestyles despite a life-altering event.

Bell, 57, of Lawrence, is a cattle farmer who uses a wheelchair, the result of a 2005 medical procedure that went wrong. He lives alone and with help from his son and friends, runs a 100-head cow/calf operation, raises hay, produces honey, and raises and trains border collies.