Feature Story from 2006

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi poultry companies responded to low broiler prices during the first quarter of 2006 by reducing bird numbers, which may be the reason for slight market improvements in recent months.

Tim Chamblee, poultry specialist with the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, said the number of birds slaughtered was down, but third quarter broiler meat production was up less than 1 percent from the year before. He attributed the total weight increase to the trend toward higher live weights.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- John Holmes dreams of one day shipping entire golf courses from Georgia to anywhere in the world. Holmes, global sales manager for Phillip Jennings Turf Farm in Soperton, Ga., may see his dream become a reality thanks to a product developed at Mississippi State University.

The MSU-developed product is a soilless sod that never touches dirt until it is put into place on a lawn, golf course, sports field or other location. It is grown from sprigs using cotton mats and nutrient-enriched water.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Sweetgum trees are a common sight in forests across the South, but their usefulness in the lumber industry has been limited.

“The sweetgum tree is a species that is underused,” said Rubin Shmulsky, forest products associate professor in Mississippi State University's Forest and Wildlife Research Center. “Sweetgum lumber is prone to warp and the wood color and grain are erratic, which further limits its use for cabinetry and flooring.”

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Consumers may have trouble scaring up pumpkins for holiday decorations this fall.

David Nagel, horticulturist with Mississippi State University's Extension Service, said most growers whose fields were already dry at planting time chose not to plant any pumpkins this year if they did not have access to irrigation. Some growers with nonirrigated farms took the chance if their fields received some rain around the first of July and now are harvesting significantly reduced yields.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Fake spiders receive special attention in Halloween decorations, but Mississippi's real spiders are true sources of tricks and treats all year long.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Halloween is supposed to be a night of fun for kids, but it can turn into a night of fright if people aren't cautious.

Thousands of children across Mississippi will be out on Oct. 31 dressed in costumes and going door-to-door in neighborhoods. Others of all ages will take part in parties and festivals designed with a fall flair. Most will have the opportunity to eat a lot of sweets.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi sweet potato farmers were not expecting a good crop after this year's drought, but producers are pleasantly surprised as harvest nears completion.

Benny Graves, executive secretary of the Mississippi Sweet Potato Council, said the crop should be fair to good overall. The drought should make the potatoes sweeter than normal.

“We're not going to have a bin-buster because of the drought stress, but quality is good,” Graves said.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- A degree program that requires students to spend extensive time on the golf course got an academic boost with the recent donation of a piece of state-of-the-art equipment to evaluate golf swings.

Denver-based GolfTEC Enterprises donated a $22,000 SEVA system in September to Mississippi State University's Professional Golf Management program. GolfTEC founders Joe Assell and Mike Clinton are PGM graduates who are sharing the success of their company with their alma mater.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Universities often offer parenting classes, but Mississippi State University recently held an international workshop focused on rearing the tiniest offspring: insects.

Initiated in 2000, MSU has hosted nine intensive short courses to teach people from all over the world the lessons crucial to rearing insects in a laboratory setting for research and commercial sales. The workshop is the only formal education on insect rearing provided by any university in the world.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- There are always exceptions from one field to another, but Mississippi's cotton should produce near the five-year average despite the summer's drought, mostly because irrigated land boosted yields.

Mississippi farmers will harvest 1.21 million acres of cotton, which is about 10,000 acres more than last year. The predicted yield average is 833 pounds per acre, which is just under last year's yield and the five-year averages of 859 pounds and 869 pounds, respectively.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- With demand for biodiesel on the rise, researchers are looking for ways Mississippi agricultural production can contribute more to this growing market.

Brian Baldwin, a Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station researcher, is identifying alternative crops that can grow in Mississippi and produce large quantities of oil. The highest oil-producing crops are tropical, but there are other plants that can be grown in Mississippi and yield more oil per acre than those currently being grown.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Teaching and research capabilities in Mississippi State University’s Poultry Science Department have been expanded with the opening of a new poultry processing laboratory.

The facility is a scaled-back version of what students will find when they begin working in the poultry industry, said research coordinator Donnie Zumwalt.

“The laboratory contains the same type of equipment that industry is using and some they will use in the future,” he said. “It will give our students real-world experience while they are on campus.”

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- With just the click of a mouse, furniture manufacturers can “test drive” a management system to make their factories more productive. 

A computer simulation training model developed by researchers at Mississippi State University will be demonstrated during a Nov. 15-16 workshop at the Franklin Center on the MSU campus. The Simulating Lean Transformation in the Furniture Industry Workshop will include training with “lean production” principles. Lean production refers to the ability to produce more with less.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- While more than one singer has longed to “go home with the armadillos,” most Mississippians just want the annoying beasts to leave their yards alone.

Jerry Jeff Walker popularized the line in “London Homesick Blues,” but homeowners with a yard full of divots each morning feel no such love.

By Robert H. Wells
Delta Research and Extension Center

STONEVILLE -- A new antibiotic for aquaculture may become twice as useful against deadly bacterial infections plaguing farm-raised catfish if it receives proposed additional labeling.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- A new endowed scholarship has been established at Mississippi State University in honor of Mississippi Farm Bureau president David Waide of West Point.

The scholarship is in recognition of Waide’s commitment to and efforts on behalf of Mississippi agriculture, said Vance Watson, MSU vice president for agriculture, forestry and veterinary medicine.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi’s fruit and vegetable growers can take part in the annual Deep South Fruit and Vegetable Conference and Trade Show Dec. 6-7 in Mobile, Ala.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Gift cards are gaining on clothing as the most popular gift to give at the holidays, but this seemingly fail-proof present often is not as popular with those who receive them.

Consumer Reports found in a recent survey that more than 23 million Americans have unused gift cards from last year worth a total of at least $972 million. Almost 1 in 5 of those who received a gift card in 2005 has not yet cashed it in for merchandise.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Grandparents and even children can feel on the outside of the consumer whirlwind that seems to pick up intensity at the holidays.

Retailers tell consumers that the holidays are about spending lots of money to buy fabulous presents. Mississippians participate in this buying frenzy, and many spend more money than they should but still don't get the peace and goodwill they want on Christmas.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- With attention focused on the many football games played during the holidays, people might not realize they may need their own game plan when it comes to eating.

Brent Fountain, human nutrition specialist with Mississippi State University's Extension Service, said as the number of tempting foods during the holidays increase, so should the effort to make wise food choices. Consider quantities, quality and frequency of foods consumed.