News

Crosby Arboretum readies for BugFest Oct. 13-14

PICAYUNE, Miss. -- School groups, nature enthusiasts and the public can enjoy two fun-filled days of exciting, hands-on learning about the environment, ecosystems, wildlife and insects at the Mississippi State University Crosby Arboretum in Picayune. BugFest offers insect-related displays, interactive exhibits, games and crafts. Biologists, naturalists, entomologists and other experts from Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama will host booths and give presentations on butterflies, bats, caterpillars, beetles, crayfish, ladybugs, hissing cockroaches, dancing praying mantises, native and exotic arthropods and more.

MSU Verona center hosts Fall Garden Day Oct. 21

Garden enthusiasts of all ages are welcome Oct. 21 to Fall Garden Day at the North Mississippi Research and Extension Center in Verona. The event will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Mississippi State University facility.

MSU hiring childcare professionals statewide

RAYMOND, Miss. -- Individuals interested in working with young children and families are encouraged to apply for job openings with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. Mississippi Child Care Resource and Referral at MSU Extension is hiring program associates and office associates in several counties statewide.

Goeppertia are ideal plants for indoor use

During a recent visit with a friend, I admired her stunning indoor plants. She mentioned some of their names, and I realized that a couple of them had outdated names that have been recently updated. Plants, like all living things, are constantly evolving and changing.

Rural tourism conference set for Cleveland Oct. 23-25

RAYMOND, Miss. -- Tourism employees, city council members, elected officials and others interested in growing tourism in rural areas are invited to attend an upcoming tri-state conference. The Alabama-Mississippi-Tennessee Rural Tourism Conference will be held Oct. 23-25 in Cleveland, Mississippi. The conference is open to anyone who works in tourism, economic development or public service. Attendees will have the opportunity to network with professionals in the tourism industry and attend multiple educational sessions.

MSU Extension helps build digital resources inventory

RAYMOND, Miss. -- In Mississippi, 230,000 residents lack access to high-speed internet and the many benefits it offers, but the Mississippi State University Extension Service is working to help change that. Devon Mills, an assistant Extension professor of agricultural economics, is leading an effort to build an inventory of all the organizations in the state working to promote digital skills and literacy. This effort, called the Mississippi Digital Asset Mapping Project, is helping spread the word about a survey to help construct that inventory.

Corn can benefit from managed cover crops

Despite several recognized benefits of growing winter cover crops, this conservation system has limited acceptance, something Mississippi State University researchers are trying to change by identifying and better managing risks.

Among the significant benefits of planting a green crop on farmland otherwise exposed to winter elements are improved soil health, water quality and erosion control. But cover crops grow into the optimal spring planting times for summer crops. This complicates their use and can reduce productivity of the summer crop.

For the last several years, MSU research has addressed various aspects of this issue, primarily focusing on cover crop management and cover crop species.

Highly variable cotton crop reaching harvest

High temperatures and drought since early July left some cotton acreage not worth harvesting, while others with irrigation may still make an excellent crop in Mississippi.

“Statewide, cotton yields are highly variable depending on where you’re standing,” said Brian Pieralisi, cotton specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service.

4-H’ers win first place in national competition

WAYNE COUNTY, Miss. -- A team of Mississippi 4-H’ers brought home a first-place award this summer in a national wildlife habitat management competition. The three-member team competed in the National Wildlife Habitat Education Program contest in Milford, Iowa, July 31-Aug. 2.