Feature Story from 2010

By Justin Ammon
Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station

MISSISSIPPI STATE – In 1999, a Madison boy lay bed-ridden for more than two weeks, and breathing treatments, inhalers and bronchitis medication all failed to treat his mysterious flu-like symptoms and high fever.

“It was just a total energy drain,” said Joe Short, the once-sick junior high student who graduated from Mississippi State University last spring with a degree in marketing.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Mississippi State University researchers added two rice varieties this year to the university’s growing list of intellectual property holdings that generate revenue and benefit consumers.

As a major research institution, MSU holds a number of commercially valuable patents and other forms of intellectual property protections.

This summer, researchers at MSU’s Delta Research and Extension Center in Stoneville released a new conventional rice variety named Rex. They also submitted a Clearfield variety to a company for potential commercial release.

By Karen Templeton
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Mississippi State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine’s new veterinary medical technology program is preparing students for a dynamic field full of career options.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- A U.S. Department of Agriculture conservation practice designed to increase the population of northern bobwhite and other grassland birds appears to be working in Mississippi and elsewhere.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Mississippi State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine has planned a celebration in October to examine the special relationship between humans and animals.

The Human-Animal Bond Lecture Series will explore various facets of this relationship with the goal of raising awareness of the bonds between humans and companion animals, production animals and wildlife. Event organizers hope to educate and entertain audiences with information on the bond that exists between humans and animals.

By Kaitlyn Byrne
MSU Ag Communications

JACKSON – More than 500 students paired science and entertainment at the third annual 4-H National Youth Science Day on Oct. 6 at Oak Forest Elementary School in Jackson.

“This event encouraged kids to value their education and realize science is fun,” said Rocheryl Ware, Mississippi State University Extension 4-H agent in Hinds County. “They were learning while enjoying themselves. We wanted it to be hands-on for the kids so they could understand school can actually be interesting. The kids had a blast.”

MISSISSIPPI STATE – The summer’s drought has made lawns, woods and grassy areas into fire starters, creating ideal conditions for wildfires across Mississippi.

On Oct. 6, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour issued a statewide ban on all outdoor burning in response to “extremely dry conditions and fire danger.” The ban will remain until the conditions improve and the danger is abated. This action came less than a week after the Mississippi Forestry Commission issued a statewide Wildland Fire Alert.

PICAYUNE – The arts, history and music of the past will come to life at the eighth annual Piney Woods Heritage Festival at Mississippi State University’s Crosby Arboretum Nov. 12-13 in Picayune.

Preregistered school groups will visit from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Nov. 12. The cost is $2 per child, and the admission is waived for teachers, chaperones and bus drivers. The general public is invited to attend Nov. 13 from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. The general public admission is $2 for children and $5 for adults.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Weighty woods, trained termites and oak bubbling bazookas will be among the many highlights at Mississippi State University’s Wood Magic Science Fair.

The Oct. 18-22 event will introduce students to the benefits of forestry, forest products and wildlife. The Wood Magic Science Fair is sponsored by MSU’s Department of Forest Products, College of Forest Resources and wood product industries. It will be held at MSU’s forest products complex at 100 Blackjack Road in Starkville.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- An administrator with more than 25 years experience in agricultural education has been named director of the Mississippi State University Extension Service.

Gary Brown Jackson will assume his duties as head of the statewide educational outreach system Jan.1, 2011, pending formal approval of the Board of Trustees, State Institutions of Higher Learning.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Mississippi State University researchers found it takes a special kind of turf to keep a cemetery looking nice without frequent maintenance.

Wayne Philley, an agronomist with the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, was the lead researcher on a three-year study that examined turf’s performance and maintenance requirements in a cemetery setting.

By Karen Templeton
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Mississippi’s specialty businesses are finding a quick and easy virtual connection to consumers through a newly expanded computer mapping tool.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Darren Miller was 13 when he experienced the heart-thumping, adrenaline-flowing excitement of his first squirrel hunt.

Miller, manager of Southern Environmental Research for Weyerhaeuser Co., has good memories of the first time his father took him squirrel hunting. Now a father himself, Miller enjoys taking his daughters hunting.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – The headline speaker for the Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine’s Human-Animal Bond Lecture Series will help participants envision a world where humans and wildlife can better coexist.

Dr. Michael Hutchins, director and CEO of The Wildlife Society, will give his keynote address, “Adventures at the Human-Wildlife Interface,” at 7 p.m. on Oct. 28 in the CVM auditorium on MSU’s main campus.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Homecoming activities at Mississippi State University Oct. 23 included a dedication ceremony for a recently renovated campus landmark, which now has both a new look and a new name.

The event celebrated the addition of the name of retired MSU administrator Vance H. Watson to the campus' home of agricultural programs since 1929.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Young hunters will learn about quail hunting and conservation at an upcoming daylong event in Lowndes County.

Quail Forever is organizing the Nov. 13 event with help from the Mississippi State University Extension Service and the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks. Applications for the limited openings are due by Nov. 1.

Participation is free and open to youth ages 12 to 18. Lunch will be provided.

POPLARVILLE – The Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station will host a field day Nov. 9 to provide information to help beef producers improve their business opportunities.

The White Sand Beef Cattle Field Day will be held from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the White Sand Experiment Station. There is no cost to attend, and anyone involved with the beef cattle industry is invited to attend. Lunch will be provided.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Agricultural consultants, certified crop advisers and others working in the field of agronomy can take part in an upcoming free educational meeting led by Mississippi State University researchers, faculty and Extension personnel.

Continuing education credits will be available at the Mississippi meeting of the American Society of Agronomy on Nov. 17 in the Grenada County Extension Office. Registration is due by Nov. 12.

By Patti Drapala
MSU Ag Communications

PITTSBORO – Sewing is no longer passé for Calhoun County youth after Extension 4-H agent Trent Barnett discovered both boys and girls were intrigued by the craft.

Several 4-H members had seen sewing items displayed at the county fair and wanted to explore the lost art further. Livestock exhibitors, frustrated by the lack of blankets available for show goats, wanted to learn how to make the blankets themselves.

By Cheree Franco
MSU Ag Communications

POPLARVILLE - Dan Batson and Mississippi State University have been collaborating on horticulture projects for more than 30 years, beginning in the late 1970s when Batson entered the university as an undergraduate horticulture student.