News

Cooking Matters program guides adults to better meals

Adults across the state are learning about cooking and nutrition through some hands-on training provided by the Mississippi State University Extension Service.

Cooking Matters for Adults is a six-week program that helps adults eat better and make food budgets last longer. It launched in 2018 as an educational complement to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – Education, or SNAP-Ed, and the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program, or EFNEP. It is continuing despite recent federal budget cuts.

State rice crop struggled through tough crop year

Harvest ended a year of ups and downs for Mississippi’s rice producers, with acreage up but average yield down because of numerous challenges.

Nearly all of the state’s rice crop was harvested by late September. Mississippi growers harvested about 156,000 acres of rice this year, up about 25,000 acres from 2024.

Tractor seat plant is a tough shade performer

There is an unusual looking plant with a descriptive name that performs well in shade gardens in the state.

The tractor seat plant has oversized, thick and leathery foliage shaped like the curved iron seats once found on old tractors. Known also as leopard plant, the Farfugium japonicum is native to the stream banks, moist woodlands and coastal regions of Japan and eastern Asia.

MSU Extension Head Start to hold Hancock Co. job fair

HANCOCK COUNTY, Miss. -- The Mississippi State University Extension Service is holding a job fair for individuals interested in working with young children and families at its new Hancock County Head Start location.

Simple steps can deter kissing bugs around homes

RAYMOND, Miss. -- Triatomine insects are not new to the United States, but they’ve recently gotten a lot of attention because of their ability to transmit a rare, but serious disease. 

Invasive pest confirmed in Mississippi cotton

RAYMOND, Miss. -- Specialists with the Mississippi State University Extension Service are monitoring the spread of a newly detected invasive pest in the state that has the potential to severely impact future cotton yields.

Big state corn harvest in 2025 is nearly complete

Mississippi’s corn crop is much bigger than expected this year, and favorable conditions in the Delta are producing a very good crop on many acres.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, or NASS, increased its estimation of state corn acres in September to 880,000 acres.

MSU field day hosts turf professionals

The 2025 Turfgrass Research Field Day was held Sept. 18 at the R.R. Foil Plant Science Research Center. The MSU Extension Service, Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, and the MSU College of Agriculture and Life Sciences showcased their ongoing research projects to turfgrass managers, lawn care operators, golf course superintendents, sod producers, turf and landscape students, and landscape architects during the event.

Thoughtful planning makes garden slope a major asset

Sometimes what moves a landscape from interesting to outstanding is a change in elevation.

What impressed me the most when I visited Gary Thompson’s garden in Meridian was his smart use of elevation. The shady space beautifully blends structure, texture and color. Natural stone steps lead down the slope, guiding visitors through layers of greenery and bursts of brilliant blooms.