News From 2015

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- One of the most difficult tasks a parent or provider will face is guiding children through the grief and instability brought on by tragedy.

Natural disasters, terrorism, mass shootings, deaths of loved ones, or acts of domestic or physical violence are traumatic for everyone. When faced with these events, children and adults alike experience feelings of fear, helplessness and anxiety. However, children have very little, if any, experience in properly dealing with those feelings.

It’s that time of year when medical experts recommend we all get flu shots to minimize the chance of influenza causing us to get really sick or, in extreme cases, even die. Believe it or not, wildlife can get the flu, too. 

RAYMOND, Miss. -- Despite a wet spring followed by a dry summer and fall, Mississippi should have average pecan yields in 2015.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Mississippi sweet potato growers will benefit from Mississippi State University’s work in a U.S.

Some of the best choices we can make for reliable late fall and winter color are cabbage and kale. I’m not talking about the regular vegetable garden varieties, though these are quite pretty in their own right. The cabbage and kale you need are the ornamental types, and the time to plant is now.

By Karen Templeton
MSU College of Veterinary Medicine

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- The Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine is celebrating National Veterinary Technician Week October 11-17 by recognizing this growing program and the graduates who have found careers in the dynamic animal health field.

BILOXI, Miss. -- The Atlantic hurricane that sunk the cargo ship El Faro in early October highlights the need for sailors to be trained in how to react in an emergency.

Dave Burrage, Mississippi State University Extension professor of marine resources at the Coastal Research and Extension Center, is trained to certify marine safety instructors who are sailors on commercial vessels. Two Mississippi sailors he trained survived an on-the-water collision that sunk one boat in the Gulf of Mexico last year.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- If inquiries about new or expanded businesses are the heartbeat of Mississippi horticulture, then agricultural economist Alba Collart knows 2015 is a healthy year for the industry.

Collart, assistant professor of agricultural economics with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said horticultural crops are important to Mississippi’s agricultural economy. These specialty crops include fruits, vegetables, tree nuts and products grown for environmental horticulture, also known as the green industry.

BROOKHAVEN, Miss. -- Mississippi tea drinkers are one step closer to experiencing a locally grown product.

The Great Mississippi Tea Company began harvesting a small quantity of leaves from its 2-year old plants in mid-September and will soon share samples with prospective vendors.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- As the leaves begin to change colors, Mississippi State University experts have several suggestions for getting children more involved in outdoor activities.

Leslie Burger, assistant Extension professor in the Mississippi State University Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture, said kids copy the actions of their parents. If parents want their children to go outside this fall season, they must lead the way and become active and connected with nature themselves.

In my position with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, I tend to look at myself as a problem solver. I recently had the opportunity to evaluate some less-than-optimal tree pruning.

The question at hand was whether the pruned trees were irreparably damaged or if some corrective actions were needed. In my opinion, while the pruning in this case was sloppily performed, the trees will survive and should be OK.

BILOXI, Miss. -- Mississippi State University’s Coastal Research and Extension Center launched a new web site Oct. 5.

The updated site is mobile friendly and gives clients of the MSU Extension Service and Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station access to the region’s research-based educational resources with a modern look.

“All of the same information is available to our customers; it just looks fresher and is easier to navigate than the former site,” said Andy Collins, web developer with the center.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Mississippi 4-H members and volunteer leaders are active every month, but the State Fair in October usually signals the pinnacle of their year.

“The State Fair provides many opportunities for our 4-H members to show off their livestock projects, as well as other projects and activities they have been working on during the last year,” said Paula Threadgill, associate director of the Mississippi State University Extension Service. “The 4-H Village at the fair also highlights the opportunities available through the youth development program in Mississippi.”

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- A great deal of my time with the Mississippi State University Extension Service has been spent raising public awareness about wild pig problems, and I have encountered quite a few myths and half-truths about these often destructive pests.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Erratic yields in Mississippi’s early-planted soybean crop reflect the extremes of temperature and rainfall farmers faced during the spring and summer of 2015.

“This season was one of extremes,” said Trent Irby, soybean specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. “We went from cool, wet conditions in early spring to hot and dry during a critical point of the season, and that has taken a toll on yield for some of our acres.”

CRYSTAL SPRINGS, Miss. -- The Alliance for Sustainable Agricultural Production will hold its second statewide field day in conjunction with Mississippi State University’s Fall Flower & Garden Fest in Crystal Springs on Oct. 16.

The Fall Flower & Garden Fest is set for Oct. 16 and 17 at the MSU Truck Crops Branch Experiment Station in Crystal Springs. This collaboration is part of the agricultural alliance’s efforts, with its partners, to hold field days across the state at local demonstration farms.

STARKVILLE, Miss. --The executive vice president and provost of the University of Western States in Portland, Oregon, has been named head of the Mississippi State University Department of Food Science, Nutrition and Health Promotion.

Marion Willard “Will” Evans begins his position December 1. A master certified health education specialist and certified wellness practitioner, Evans brings experience and leadership in health promotion and wellness.

POPLARVILLE, Miss. -- Early childhood education proponents pulled together to establish Mississippi’s 17th resource and referral center on the Pearl River Community College campus.

The Early Years Network, a program of the Mississippi State University Extension Service, partnered with Excel By 5 and the community college to open the new center.

CHOCTAW, Miss. -- The 2015 Choctaw Challenge Mud Run and Health Fair will be held Oct. 31 at Lake Pushmataha in Choctaw.

The Mississippi State University Extension Service, along with other state and federal agencies, is partnering with the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians to organize the event.

The mud run is open to anyone age 10 and up. Registration begins at 7 a.m., and the race begins at 8 a.m. Cost is $15 per person.

The health fair is free. It opens at 8 a.m. and closes at noon. Informational booths will be located at the starting line of the race.