Feature Story from 2012

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Extension specialists are studying water wells in Mississippi to develop educational information on maintenance and water quality for well owners, drillers and others.

BRANDON – First responders and others with an interest in agriculture are recognizing its vulnerability to disasters by taking part in statewide awareness training.

The National Center for Biomedical Research and Training is overseeing a three-year pilot program in Mississippi, Louisiana and New Mexico. The Extension Service in each state will train 900 people per state annually to respond to intentional, accidental and naturally occurring disasters. Mississippi State University’s Extension Service held its first training recently in Brandon.

BILOXI – Coastal producers and growers shared their concerns and needs at a Mississippi State University listening session Feb. 28 in Biloxi.

The fifth annual Producer Advisory Council meeting was held at MSU’s Coastal Research and Extension Center. Eleven commodity groups attended the meeting. They represented commercial ornamental horticulture, home horticulture, fruits, vegetables, livestock, horses, cotton, corn, soybeans, peanuts, forestry, seafood and aquaculture, and bee keepers.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Many Mississippians wonder whether the mild winter will increase the insect pest populations in their gardens and fields this year. However, spring weather could be the more significant factor, said Mississippi State University experts.

MSU Extension Service entomologist Angus Catchot said he is asked about the impact of the winter weather on insect populations everywhere he goes.

By Kaitlyn Byrne
MSU Ag. Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi State University is part of an effort to connect restaurants with Mississippi producers to get fresh local produce to consumers.

MSU’s Extension Service is promoting Eat Healthy Mississippi, a campaign sponsored by the Mississippi Hospitality and Restaurant Association. The program unites restaurant chefs seeking local foods for their menus and growers who can supply fresh fruits and vegetables. In turn, restaurant patrons will have access to healthier foods.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi State University’s program aimed at getting high school students interested in medical careers is taking applications until March 21.

The Rural Medical Scholars program is a five-week, residential program for rising high school seniors. Other than the $60 registration fee, there is no cost to attend the program. Those who successfully complete the program will have taken two college pre-med courses and learned more about the medical field while shadowing professionals on the job.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- A veterinarian at Mississippi State University has been named the state’s top veterinarian, an honor that has now come to MSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine three times.

Dr. Carla Huston, associate professor in the Department of Pathobiology and Population Medicine, was named the Mississippi Veterinarian of the Year by the Mississippi Veterinary Medical Association. The award was announced at the 2012 MVMA winter meeting in Starkville.

MISSSSIPPI STATE -- Community gardens have gained popularity in Mississippi recently because they can improve health and environmental sustainability.

By Kaitlyn Byrne
MSU Ag Communications

MMISSISSIPPI STATE -- Tunica County 4-H is striving to help kids and teens achieve healthier lifestyles through a new program called Move to Lose.

Ebony Jones, Tunica County 4-H agent, started the Move to Lose program in September after she saw an interest in a healthier lifestyle among her 4-H’ers.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- A fibrous plant researched at Mississippi State University may end up at the Olympics in the form of a specialty gun stock.

“We’re exploring how to make a commercial product out of an agricultural byproduct and kenaf, a quick-growing plant,” said Dan Seale, forest products professor in MSU’s Forest and Wildlife Research Center.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- A storm-resistant landscape design and consistent tree health monitoring can save cities and property owners time and money.

“Well-designed landscapes are easier to maintain and reduce the risk of damage from a fallen tree or limb,” said John Kushla, a Mississippi State University Extension Service forestry specialist and associate research professor in the Forest and Wildlife Research Center.

Good design helps trees weather storms more easily.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture honored Mississippi State University associate professor Michael Seymour with the national 2012 Excellence in Teaching Award.

Seymour has taught in MSU’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences in the Department of Landscape Architecture for seven years. He has distinguished himself as an outstanding educator, researcher and colleague, said Sadik Artunc, head of the landscape architecture department.

JACKSON -- The Crosby Arboretum Foundation will host authors Susan Haltom and Jane Roy Brown beginning at noon on March 31 to discuss the restoration of the Eudora Welty garden.

Haltom and Brown co-authored “One Writer’s Garden: Eudora Welty’s Home Place” in which they discuss the restoration of the garden at Welty’s home and the garden’s historic importance to landscaping. They will speak as part of the Jean Chisholm Lindsey Lecture in Landscape Design.

STARKVILLE -- The Mississippi Horse Park at Mississippi State University hosted nearly double the number of last year’s contestants at the American Quarter Horse Association’s Quarter Horse show March 10 and 11.

The oldest Quarter Horse show in the state of Mississippi has grown quickly over the past two years. In its 53rd year, the AQHA is still going strong, and contestants have been reaping the benefits of the new, more affordable flat entry fee.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Parental monitoring is critical to the health and well-being of adolescents, whether the issue is Internet use or behavior in general.

Tommy Phillips, assistant professor in Mississippi State University’s School of Human Sciences, said although parents do not want to look over their teen’s shoulders constantly, a reasonable level of supervision is essential.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Local municipal governments are providing insight into their use of the Internet so the Extension Broadband Education and Adoption Team can develop recommendations to improve services to residents and businesses.

Roberto Gallardo, assistant Extension professor at Mississippi State University’s Southern Rural Development Center, said the survey results are a gold mine of helpful information about the state’s municipalities, one of e-BEAT’s core audiences.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The Rose Hill Cemetery in Meridian is not only the final resting place of the renowned Gypsy Queen, it is also the first site in North America where a particular type of sedge from Eurasia was found.

A four-man team spent five years gathering data for a floristic survey of Lauderdale County. They discovered the sedge during the study, and now, anyone wanting to know if a certain plant is found in the Meridian area can get their answer in the current issue of the journal Rhodora.

BILOXI -- An eight-week Mississippi Master Naturalist course will educate citizens about local natural resources and promote environmental stewardship.

Offered by the Mississippi State University Extension Service, the class will be held from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. every Thursday from April 26 to June 14. Classes take place at the MSU Coastal Research and Extension Center in Biloxi. Field trips are also planned.