Feature Story from 2012

MISSISSIPPI STATE – To celebrate National Veterinary Technician Week, Mississippi State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine has announced its Veterinary Technician of the Year.

Lisa Pritchard, the primary caregiver for MSU’s mascot Bully XX, is this year’s honoree. She may be MSU's most famous veterinary technician, but being the mascot coordinator is just part of her job.

When Pritchard first started working at MSU’s CVM nearly 20 years ago, she was the only veterinary technician on staff in Internal Medicine/Critical Care services.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Just in time for Halloween and Election Day, fall decorations are available in red, white and warty.

David Nagel, horticulturist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said shoppers for fall arrangements are finding much more than the traditional jack-o’-lantern pumpkins. Designer breeders are giving growers selections of pumpkins that come in a wide variety of colors, shapes, textures and sizes. Other new varieties offer disease resistance, which is especially important in Mississippi’s humidity.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Just a few years ago, peanut production in Mississippi was mostly confined to home gardens, but this year growers planted an estimated 47,000 acres, placing the state No. 7 in the nation in peanut acreage.

Mississippi’s move into the top 10 peanut-producing states has caught the attention of at least one peanut equipment manufacturer. Georgia-based Kelley Manufacturing Company has donated a two-

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Bats, an organic method of pest control, may become rare in the United States and Canada.

The primary predators of night-flying insects, bats reduce the need for chemical pesticides and save the agriculture industry an estimated $3 billion per year in pest-control costs. But bat populations across the Eastern United States are decreasing at alarming rates because of a fungus thought to be imported from Europe.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Thirty-eight photographs of life and agriculture in Mississippi form an exhibit on display through November at Mississippi State University’s Cullis Wade Depot Gallery.

Most of the photos are the work of Scott Corey and Kat Lawrence, photographers for MSU’s Office of Agricultural Communications. The exhibit, Images of Mississippi, was drawn from thousands of photos Corey and Lawrence have taken in support of the mission of the MSU Division of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Financial professionals and community leaders interested in maximizing tax credits are invited to attend a special statewide workshop Nov. 7.

The Mississippi State University Extension Service is hosting “The Great American Treasure Hunt: Finding and Using Tax Credits to Maximize Your Return.” The workshop is from 8:30 a.m. to noon. Locations include Room 409 in the Bost Extension Center on MSU’s Starkville campus and Extension offices in the following counties: Alcorn, Amite, Forrest, Grenada, Hinds, Lafayette, Newton, Tunica and Washington.

POPLARVILLE -- Researchers at Mississippi State University’s White Sands Research Unit will showcase current beef cattle projects and offer hands-on demonstrations during a Nov. 13 field day.

The event will begin at 9 a.m. and end at 2 p.m.

RAYMOND -- Forage experts from seven states will present current research and best management practices during a combined field day and conference Nov. 29 and 30.

The event will kick off at 1 p.m. Nov. 29 with the Brown Loam Field Day at the Brown Loam Branch Experiment Station in Raymond. The field day will dismiss at 4 p.m.

The 2012 Mississippi Forage and Grassland Conference will begin at 7:30 a.m. on Nov. 30 at the McKenzie Arena in the T.H. Kendal Agriculture Complex in Raymond. The conference will dismiss at 3 p.m.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – For children with food allergies and sensitivities, Halloween dangers can be lurking in their candy sacks, not just in their imaginations.

Brent Fountain, nutrition specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said people with diabetes or allergies and sensitivities to such things as peanuts and gluten must be extra careful about snacks.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – With persistence, hard work and a little help from technology, one Mississippi sweet potato farmer has created an unusual maze.

“My farm is not that big, and after the disaster in 2009 when we lost about 90 percent of our sweet potato crop, we were looking for something else to do to make a little bit of extra money,” said Andy Clark of Clark Farms near Vardaman.

Clark and his wife Laura planted their first corn maze in 2010. Hot, dry weather prevented the corn from growing well in 2011.

JACKSON – Mississippi’s fruit and vegetable growers can learn from experts and experienced producers at the annual Mississippi Fruit and Vegetable Growers Conference and Trade Show in Jackson Nov. 28 and 29.

This year’s conference is cohosted by the Mississippi Agritourism Association.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – A Mississippi State University agricultural economist will be a featured speaker at a special workshop on laws and regulations affecting row crop producers.

John Michael Riley, agricultural economist with the MSU Extension Service, will speak at “What You Should Know: Laws and Regulations Affecting Row Crow Producers,” an event focused on crop insurance, the Farm Bill reauthorization and environmental regulations. The workshop, hosted by the National Agricultural Law Center, will be from 10 a.m. to noon Nov. 1 at the Clarksdale Train Station in Clarksdale.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Mississippi State University named John Blanton Jr., a researcher with 20 years of experience in animal and food science, head of the Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences.

He has been as a research program manager at the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation in Ardmore, Okla., since 2008. He gained faculty and administrative experience at Texas Tech University and the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, along with industry experience from KVS Service in Georgetown, Del., and Intervet Inc., now Schering-Plough, in Millsboro, Del.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – The highest bidders will take away top-quality horses and beef cattle from the Mississippi State University research herds after a public auction on Nov. 15.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Ten years of research indicates that a water management strategy can save rice producers money on fuel and conserve water without hurting yields.

Joe Massey, a scientist with the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station and professor in Mississippi State University’s Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, has focused his career on water conservation in agriculture.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Experts from across the United States gathered recently to share their insights with Mississippi’s growing group of commercial and hobby beekeepers at a conference held at Mississippi State University.

Beekeeping in Mississippi is a booming trend. In 2011, revenues from honey production in the state had increased to almost $3.2 million -- an increase of 152.15 percent since 2007. A survey of the state’s beekeepers showed the average respondent had less than three years of experience keeping bees.

By Kaitlyn Byrne
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE – National Guard troops stationed in Afghanistan enjoyed a taste of home when the Mississippi Beef Council sent them a special care package.

The council supported the production of beef jerky by the Mississippi State University Meat Laboratory to send to National Guard units engaged in helping native farmers improve agricultural practices.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – The Mississippi State University Extension Service recently gained national recognition for a program designed to protect the state’s timberlands from an insect pest.

By Kaitlyn Byrne
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Each year, cold and flu season threatens to steal holiday happiness, but a healthy immune system can prevent sickness from ruining the most wonderful time of the year.

Brent Fountain, registered dietician and associate Extension professor in Mississippi State University’s Department of Food Science, Nutrition and Health Promotion, said a healthy diet can strengthen the immune system.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Holiday snacks can tempt anyone to let good intentions go, but for those with food allergies or special dietary needs, these treats can cause serious problems.

Brent Fountain, a registered dietitian and nutrition specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said planning ahead is the best way to handle the challenge of holiday cooking and eating for those with dietary limits.

For diabetics, Fountain said the best course of action is to not stray far from the recommended eating pattern, even in holiday and party situations.