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Feature Story from 2008

Lincoln County Master Gardener Homer Richardson, Karen Peresich and Steve Edge of Gautier plant trees at Pineville Elementary on Menge Road in Pass Christian as part of the Mississippi Master Gardeners Operation Rejuvenation on the Gulf Coast.  (Photo By Marco Nicovich)
January 31, 2008 - Filed Under: Master Gardener

By Patti Drapala
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Sixteen projects were completed across three counties in less than 72 hours when Mississippi Master Gardeners set Operation Swarm in motion last October.

Most of the public landscapes in Hancock, Harrison and Jackson counties were damaged or destroyed after the onslaught of the waves and winds of hurricanes Katrina and Rita. This time, however, the weather cooperated for positive change on the Gulf Coast.

February 4, 2008 - Filed Under: Family Financial Management

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- With identity thieves lurking for treasure among household trash, Mississippians are being urged to turn to the shredder rather than the garbage when throwing away junk mail and personal documents.

Bobbie Shaffett, family resource management specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said each person should protect all personal information to prevent identity theft.

February 7, 2008 - Filed Under: Wildlife Economics and Enterprises

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Some housing prices are sagging, but Mississippi landowners may need to look no further than their backyards to find hidden property value, according to a recent Mississippi State University study.

The study found that properties throughout the state with outdoor recreational opportunities increased in value, particularly in the Mississippi Delta. The results indicated that recreational uses increased land prices by an average of $333 per acre or 36 percent of the property value.

Lane Valentine, 12, of Bay Springs, sold his reserve champion Brahman steer Thursday at the Dixie National Sale of Junior Champions in Jackson. (Photo by Bonnie Coblentz)
February 8, 2008 - Filed Under: 4-H, Youth Livestock

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Buyers set two records Thursday as they purchased at auction the 37 sale animals raised last year by 4-H and FFA youth in Mississippi.

The Dixie National Sale of Junior Champions raised $242,234 for the youth. Buyers broke the previous price per pound records by a dollar each for hogs and lambs, and matched the record for steers.

February 8, 2008 - Filed Under: Plant Diseases

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- When there is a sick plant in the state, Mississippi State University's state-of-the-art Plant Pathology and Nematology Lab can determine the problem and its solution.

February 8, 2008 - Filed Under: Nutrition

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Chocolates and roses are good gifts for Valentine's Day, and as long as the chocolate is not eaten all at once, it can be good for the heart, too.

Brent Fountain, human nutrition specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said chocolate contains compounds known as flavenoids that are basically phytonutrients, or nutrients produced by plants.

February 14, 2008 - Filed Under: Family Financial Management

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Who does not want “quick cash?”

The offers sound enticing, but financial counselors encourage people to do their research before taking out a payday loan, also known as a cash advance.

Bobbie Shaffett, family resource management specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said finance charges for these short-term cash loans may result in interest rates from 390 percent to 780 percent.

February 14, 2008 - Filed Under: 4-H

By Patti Drapala
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- For two Mississippi women, 140 years of combined service to the state 4-H program is not enough.

Lucille Williams, 89, of Canton and Thelma Wood Harris, 90, of Natchez, are among the 7,500 adult volunteer leaders serving 101,000 youth enrolled in Mississippi 4-H. Even at their age, these women have no intention of slowing down.

February 21, 2008 - Filed Under: Family

By Patti Drapala
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Senior citizens are more likely than people in other age groups to report fraud, but they remain attractive targets because of life situations that scam artists can exploit.

Trey Koger
February 21, 2008 - Filed Under: Soybeans, About Extension

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi State University’s Extension Service has named Trey Koger as the state specialist to assist Mississippi’s soybean growers.

Koger most recently served at MSU’s Delta Research and Extension Center in Stoneville, where he operated cotton research program focusing on weed control, herbicide resistance, agronomic systems, and growth regulator and defoliation practices for Mississippi cotton production systems. His new job responsibilities will include coordinating educational programs for soybeans and other oilseed crops.

February 28, 2008 - Filed Under: Soybeans

By Robert H. Wells
Delta Research and Extension Center

STONEVILLE -- With soybean seed in short supply in 2008, Mississippi soybean growers are facing increased production risks including unproven varieties and poor-quality seed.

Mississippi State University Extension Service specialists recommend producers research available varieties to minimize these risks.

Lionel “Bo” Beaulieu
February 28, 2008 - Filed Under: Community

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Lionel “Bo” Beaulieu, director of the Southern Rural Development Center at Mississippi State University, is the first recipient of a special award presented at an annual conference hosted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s  Economic Research Service.

February 28, 2008 - Filed Under: Animal Health

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- For more than two decades, Mississippi State University’s veterinary college has welcomed thousands of school children to its annual open house, and people of all ages will enjoy the 2008 event.

MSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine will open its doors from 8:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. on April 4 and 5 for the 24th annual open house at the Wise Center, located on the south side of campus off Spring Street.

February 28, 2008 - Filed Under: Crops, Commercial Horticulture, Livestock

VERONA -- On Feb. 20, the nation’s oldest group of its type met for the 55th time at the North Mississippi Research and Extension Center in Verona.

The North Mississippi Producer Advisory Committee has met every year since 1953 and its purpose has remained the same -- to tell Mississippi State University Extension Service and the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station personnel the research and education needs of agricultural producers in 27 north Mississippi counties.

Dr. Vance Watson, MSU Extension Director, presents a used computer to Bolton Police Chief Michael Williams. Watson presented the equipment with Jay Ledbetter, director of the Mississippi Department of Homeland Security. (Photo by Ned Browning)
February 28, 2008 - Filed Under: About Extension

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- A donation of old-but-functional computers from the Mississippi State University Extension Service will soon give local law enforcement, intelligence and public safety agencies connectivity for sharing information.

MSU Division of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine Vice President Vance Watson said many emergency management agencies in small towns lack adequate computers. Extension’s donation will give these agencies additional communication tools to respond to criminal activities, natural disasters and emergencies.

Mississippi bats are mosquito-eating machines and good to have around houses, but they are a problem when they find a home in attics.
March 6, 2008 - Filed Under: Urban and Backyard Wildlife

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Bats in the backyard are a good way to keep mosquito numbers down, but bats in the attic are a problem.

Ben West, wildlife specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said Mississippi is home to eight of the 40 kinds of bats native to the United States.

“Bats are great mammals to have around your property because they really help control mosquitoes,” West said. “Bats are so effective at mosquito control that many people place bat houses on their property to encourage bats to live nearby.”

Invasions by imported fire ants are painful experiences for commercial agriculture and private individuals across the state. (Photo by Marco Nicovich)
March 6, 2008 - Filed Under: Fire Ants

By Patti Drapala
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The Mississippi State University Extension Service has launched a one-stop information shop on the MSUcares.com Web site focusing on imported fire ants.

March 6, 2008 - Filed Under: Family Financial Management

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Few events focus the need for saving money like a sudden job loss or a personal catastrophe. Unfortunately, by then it is too late.

“Most people know they need to save money for retirement or for their child's college education, but any number of crises that require emergency funds can occur before those anticipated needs arrive,” said Bobbie Shaffett, family resource management specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service.

March 13, 2008 - Filed Under: Community

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- An upcoming workshop will offer hope and guidance to entrepreneurs with a variety of business interests that they want to base in their homes.

The home-based business workshop will be linked with video conferencing technology and will take place April 16 in Biloxi, Cleveland, Raymond, Verona and on the Mississippi State University campus. The registration deadline is April 7. The fee is $20 per person.

March 13, 2008 - Filed Under: Wildlife Economics and Enterprises

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Fee fishing, fee hunting, agritourism, trail riding and wildlife watching are examples of outdoor recreational businesses based on natural resources commonly found on Mississippi private lands.

A one-day workshop for farmers, landowners and resource managers will provide attendees with the resources to start and manage a natural resource enterprise. This April 24 event will be held in Benndale  in George County. Benndale is located at the intersection of Highway 26 and Highway 57, just west of Lucedale.

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