News From 2020

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Two online workshops this fall will help floral enthusiasts create seasonal designs for their homes.

Jim DelPrince, horticulture specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, will present the “Fresh Fall Floral Design” course Nov. 19 from 10 a.m. to noon and “Deck the Halls! Swag, Centerpiece and Garland” Dec. 4 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Protecting providers of the world’s food includes looking out for their mental well-being.

To address this, the Mississippi State University Extension Service has certified over 20 personnel to facilitate a skills-based, online training program: Adult Mental Health First Aid. This curriculum teaches participants how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental health disorders and crises in their communities.

I like growing snapdragons when the seasons shift to cool weather. The colorful flowers are like a floral kaleidoscope in the landscape.

Some fields benefited from timely rains, while others either received not enough or too much.

In an effort to expand Mississippi Coastal Cleanup activities inland, the Environmental Protection Agency’s Gulf of Mexico Program recently awarded the Mississippi State University Extension Service a grant to start a Mississippi Inland Cleanup Program. This effort will complement and build upon many of the initiatives throughout the state to reduce litter issues.

Mississippi State University’s state-of-the-art meat processing facilities drew Mississippi Agriculture and Commerce Commissioner Andy Gipson and a small group of influential lawmakers to campus for a personal tour Sept. 16, 2020.

Every year, lawns and pastures become targets for late-summer grass-eating caterpillars, making it important to watch for the usual suspects and some culprits that are less common.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will accept applications for assistance from agricultural producers who continue to face market disruptions and associated costs because of COVID-19.Sign-up for the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program 2 -- CFAP 2 -- begins Sept. 21 and runs through Dec. 11, 2020. The program is open to producers of row crops, livestock, aquaculture, dairy and specialty crop commodities.

What a rollercoaster last week was for Southern Gardening!

My column highlighted the steps gardeners should take ahead of a tropical storm. We cancelled Southern Gardening TV production, as coastal Mississippi was in the crosshairs of Hurricane Sally on Monday and the weather folks were assuring us of a Mississippi landfall.

The Mississippi State University Extension Service is offering weekly training on disaster preparation for the food and agricultural sectors.

A constantly updated map showing the spread of crape myrtle bark scale helps Mississippians stay aware of this treatable pest that threatens the beauty of one of the state’s most common landscape shrubs.

Many of Mississippi’s annual traditions were interrupted this year due to COVID-19, but the Mississippi State Fair Livestock Show will go on.

I write this while contemplating what a wild year 2020 has been. There’s no need to remind anyone about the pandemic that has literally changed our landscape.

The next big thing is Hurricane Sally making landfall on the Mississippi Gulf Coast this week. Every tropical storm or hurricane creates landscape and garden chores that need to be finished before the storm arrives.

My biggest concern is always for the wind blowing loose objects around and causing damage.

Cottage food laws enacted to allow new entrepreneurs to start small-scale food businesses in their homes were updated recently to stay current with the business climate.

Increased littering of single-use items related to the novel coronavirus pandemic, including masks, gloves, and disinfecting wipes, has troubling consequences for the environment.
When trash is not properly disposed of, it makes its way into watersheds, where it travels by water flow from rivers and streams into the ocean.

Many of my gardening friends are already on the lookout for the annual migration of Monarch butterflies on their way to their Mexico wintering grounds. Witnessing this migration is awe-inspiring.

Last year towards the end of September, clouds of Monarchs made their way through Mississippi.

Mississippi has a good-looking cotton crop in most places, but acreage is down to 520,000 acres because of a rainy planting season and unfavorable market conditions.

Parents welcoming a newborn in the COVID-19 era face potentially tough decisions regarding family visits after delivery.

With dove season opening Sept. 5 and the first deer season opening Oct. 1, many would-be hunters are gearing up and making sure everything is safe and legal for the upcoming hunts.