News

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Mississippi’s soil and climate are ideally suited to producing sweet potatoes, a crop that gives the state a No. 2 national ranking.

Harvest began about Aug. 20 on Mississippi’s 22,500 acres of sweet potatoes. North Carolina comes in first with 64,000 acres. Acreage in both states varied little from last year. The Mississippi crop was valued at nearly $66.5 million in 2011.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Timely rains followed by sunny days provided optimal growing conditions for Mississippi’s grain sorghum crop, and yields may be higher than anticipated.

Mississippi producers planted about 63,000 acres in grain sorghum in 2012, up from 50,000 acres in 2011. The state ranked No. 8 nationally in grain sorghum production in 2011.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Landowners interested in increasing the return on their investment through recreational business can learn more about habitat management and new income opportunities at an upcoming workshop.

Specialists from Mississippi State University, state and federal agencies, and the private sector will share information about starting and managing a natural resource enterprise, such as wildlife watching, fee fishing, fee hunting and horse trail-riding. The workshop will be Nov. 13 at the Quail Hollow Ranch in Purvis.

CRYSTAL SPRINGS – The largest home gardening event in the Southeast will focus on more than healthy plants during the festivities in Crystal Springs on Oct. 5 and 6.

“Healthy Living – Healthy Gardening” is the theme for the 2012 Fall Flower and Garden Fest at Mississippi State University’s Truck Crops Branch Experiment Station. The 34th annual fall fest will take place from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Admission and parking are free.

The Let’s Go Walkin’ Mississippi initiative will kick off this year’s event at 9:30 a.m. Friday with a 1-mile fun walk.

Anyone living with students knows the challenge of creating a science fair project. For those of us who procrastinate, the challenge is even bigger.

When I was growing up, students had to do a science project every year starting in first grade. By the time I got to high school, I was a pro. I knew what I was going to do my project on; I would even do the project weeks ahead of time.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Finding fall fun at a pumpkin patch or corn maze may be easier this year as new signs point the way to Mississippi’s agritourism operations.

Agritourism businesses combine agriculture and tourism to offer fun to visitors and additional revenue to the family farm.

PASCAGOULA -- Barakat Mahmoud is one of many Mississippi State University scientists whose work improves the safety and security of the global food supply.

The world population topped 7 billion in March 2012 and is expected to exceed 9 billion by 2050. Feeding this many people puts tremendous pressure on the food industry.

By Rebekah Ray
MSU Delta Research and Extension Center

STONEVILLE – About 80 farmers gathered for two North Mississippi peanut field days in late summer to learn how to cash in on one of Mississippi’s increasingly popular crops.

Mississippi State University Extension Service and Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station scientists gave producers research updates and introduced new field harvesting techniques.

As we move into fall I’ve been paying attention to the combination containers that have looked so good through the summer months. Many of the flowering plants have started to fade. Colorful foliage plants can now transition from supporting roles to the stars of the containers.

One foliage plant in particular has been a standout lately. Persian shield, which is known botanically as Stobilanthes dyerianus, is typically considered a houseplant. But when added to a combination container, it has a lot of potential as a landscape plant.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Mississippi veterinarians and livestock officials will address new swine flu concerns with increased educational messages and surveillance during the upcoming State Fair in Jackson.

Mark Crenshaw, swine specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said like humans, pigs occasionally get the influenza virus. Typical pig influenza viruses do not cross over to humans, but a new strain is proving to be an exception. As with all flu strains, frequent hand washing and other good hygiene practices are the best defense.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Mississippi producers have the bulk of the state’s rice crop safely in storage, and yields may approach the record set in 2007 of 160 bushels an acre.

Nathan Buehring, rice specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said September’s weather was nearly ideal for rice harvest.

“Isaac slowed us down and put a little bit of rice on the ground that was ready to harvest, but overall, the harvest season has gone pretty well,” he said.

Many things have changed since Hurricane Katrina hit our beautiful state seven years ago, including how we communicate with one another. Since Katrina, many private companies and federal agencies have developed smartphone apps to help with natural disaster preparations and recovery.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – A new app is being written to help farmers properly calibrate sprayers, an involved process with the potential for making mistakes.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Mississippi State University students recently discovered making paper is a noisy, messy and creative activity.

Internationally known fiber artist Mary Hark, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, came to MSU’s campus to teach art and fashion students about the beauty and versatility of handmade paper.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Long before scientists created commercial fertilizers, farmers used cover crops to increase soil health and productivity and many of today’s producers are returning to those roots.

Mississippi State University professor Jac Varco, a researcher with the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, said a cover crop is one planted during the off-season to benefit the soil. Common cover crops include clover and vetch.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – When someone asks the Mississippi State University Extension Service for information, the answer soon might be, “There’s an app for that.”

Kelli McCarter joined the Extension Center for Technology Outreach in March as an applications developer. Her primary job is to write apps, which are computer programs that run inside another service. These apps will run on Apple Operating System, or iOS, devices such as the iPhone and iPad. Later, she hopes to develop apps for the Android platform.

POPLARVILLE – The hot, humid climate of South Mississippi can make it challenging for home gardeners and landscape professionals to choose plants that will perform well under additional pressures from diseases and pests.

All gardeners are invited to the annual Ornamental Horticulture Field Day on Oct. 4 at Mississippi State University’s South Mississippi Branch Experiment Station in Poplarville to hear about the latest research on plants in South Mississippi.

MISSISSIPPI STATE — Lights, camera, action! The Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine is inviting children to submit artwork that showcases animals on the “silver screen.”

PICAYUNE – School groups, 4-H groups and families are invited to Bugfest, a two-day event at Mississippi State University’s Crosby Arboretum in Picayune.

The hands-on learning event will be held from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sept. 21 and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sept. 22. Participants can collect and identify insects, make crafts and play games.

MSU professor John Guyton and entomology student Breanna Lyle will bring a traveling classroom and a portable scanning electron microscope for an up-close look at Mississippi’s insects.

You may have heard me talk over the last couple of years about my interest in using ornamental peppers in Mississippi landscapes. That’s because I am a true “chili head.”

I have a passion for hot peppers. Besides the culinary heat many of these hot peppers bring, they are colorful and have great potential for use in the landscape. There are many to choose from: some are big, others small; some come with green foliage, while others have purple; many offer multicolored fruit.

Using ornamental peppers can be unique way to add interest to your garden.