Feature Story from 2015

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Two critical 2014 farm bill deadlines are approaching fast, and Mississippi State University experts encourage producers to take action now.

Landowners must update yield history and reallocate base acres by Feb. 27. By March 31, producers must decide between two new programs designed to help manage risk: Agricultural Risk Coverage, known as ARC, and Price Loss Coverage, known as PLC.

HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- Growers across 13 counties in southeast Mississippi have an upcoming opportunity to learn about the challenges and benefits of fruit and vegetable enterprises.

The informational meeting will take place from 8:30 a.m. until 3 p.m. Feb. 21 at the Forrest County Extension Office, located at 952 Sullivan Drive.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Noted conservationist Reed Noss will present a lecture at Mississippi State University on Feb. 17.

Noss is a provost’s distinguished research professor at the University of Central Florida and president of the Florida Institute for Conservation Science.

The public lecture begins at 3 p.m. in the Tully Auditorium of Thompson Hall.

Noss will speak on concepts and themes of modern conservation with examples from his recent book, “Forgotten Grasslands of the South: Natural History and Conservation.”

JACKSON, Miss. -- When the Dixie National Quarter Horse Show kicks off during the 2015 Dixie National Rodeo Feb. 16, a group of young horse enthusiasts will have already made it through a round of competition to participate in an unusual career development program.

The Mississippi 4-H Dixie National Equine Shadow Program connects 4-H’ers from across the Southeast with a variety of horse show professionals who convene at the State Fairgrounds for several days of competition and exhibition.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Gary Bachman, host of the multimedia series Southern Gardening, began a one-year term as president of the Southern Region of the American Society for Horticultural Science on Feb. 1.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Two weed science graduate students from the Mississippi State University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences earned top honors at the 2015 Beltwide Cotton Conference held Jan. 5-7 in San Antonio, Texas.

Beltwide, a forum coordinated by the National Cotton Council, is considered one of the best cotton technical conferences worldwide. It is a consortium of 11 concurrent cotton technical conferences.

MSU agronomy doctoral student Chase Samples and agronomy master’s student Andrew Denton placed highly in the conference’s visual display competition.

RAYMOND, Miss. -- Greenhouse tomato growers and other interested individuals can learn all aspects of production during the 25th annual Greenhouse Tomato Short Course March 3 and 4 in Raymond.

Experts from the tomato industry, the Mississippi State University Extension Service, the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, and Auburn University will present the latest production information.

The workshop will be held at the Eagle Ridge Conference Center at 1500 Raymond Lake Road in Raymond.

JACKSON, Miss. -- Exhibitors in the annual Dixie National Sale of Junior Champions learn important lessons about livestock through their projects, but one family discovered just as much about people.

Tyler Owen, 13, and Jacob Owen, 10, of Jones County qualified to participate in the sale with their reserve champion light heavyweight goat, Splits. Their journey to this coveted sale of market animals began when each was about 5 years old and their parents, Jennifer and Matt Owen of Moselle, encouraged them to show livestock.

RAYMOND, Miss. -- The Mississippi State University Extension Service recently launched a new video series to help Mississippi families make informed choices about food, nutrition and healthy lifestyles.

“The Food Factor” offers research-based information on topics such as home canning, food safety, emergency preparedness and nutritional science.

Host Natasha Haynes, an Extension food and nutrition educator for 15 years, also provides viewers with healthy recipe ideas and family friendly tips on food preparation.

BILOXI, Miss. -- A national organization dedicated to improving the beef industry will hold its annual meeting on the Mississippi Gulf Coast in June and bring together cattle producers from across the world.

The 2015 Beef Improvement Federation Convention, themed “Rebuilding a Cowherd,” will take place June 9-12 at the Beau Rivage Hotel and Conference Center in Biloxi. The annual conference allows participants to discuss issues involving genetic improvements, new technologies, and management practices to aid profitability in beef production.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The heart is the most vital organ in the body, and keeping it healthy can mean a better and longer life.

STONEVILLE, Miss. -- Corn, cotton and soybean producers have to strike a balance between risk prevention and wise spending to achieve good profits each year.

Insects that feed on recently planted crops can substantially reduce yields, but planting seeds pretreated with insecticides is one method of controlling these early-season pest problems.

VERONA, Miss. -- Agricultural producers from 27 counties and 16 commodity groups in north Mississippi met with Mississippi State University representatives Feb. 19 to discuss research and outreach needs.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Deep into the winter months, the sunny days of summer seem so far away, but growing a garden doesn’t have to be a warm-weather-only activity in Mississippi.

David Nagel, vegetable and home garden specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said the state’s climate allows some plants to be grown throughout the winter.

“Now is the time to start monitoring soil temperatures and watching weather forecasts,” he said.

RAYMOND, Miss. -- Central Mississippi agriculture producers and industry professionals met with Mississippi State University experts Feb. 17 to provide guidance for 2015 educational programming and research.

More than 120 participants attended the annual Central Mississippi Producer Advisory Council meeting in Raymond to discuss priorities and ideas with the MSU Extension Service and Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station specialists, researchers and agents.

STONEVILLE, Miss. -- The benefits for conserving water for farmers are the reduction of costs and the retaining of a higher yield, and Mississippi State University is promoting tools to help them achieve that goal.

Jason Krutz, an irrigation expert at the MSU Delta Research and Extension Center, said certain irrigation decisions can benefit the agricultural economy.

Starkville, Miss. -- Beginning March 24, Mississippi State University experts will offer a course designed to help potential business owners plan for success.

The nine-week Kauffman FastTrac NewVenture program will be held Tuesday evenings from 5:30-8:30 p.m. at the university’s Franklin Furniture Institute.

The FastTrac NewVenture course, designed to support aspiring entrepreneurs in the early stages of business development, is open to anyone interested in any type of business.

PARCHMAN, Miss. -- A chicken flock at the state’s largest correctional facility is uniting the Mississippi State University Extension Service, Mississippi Department of Health and Mississippi Department of Corrections.

Jeffrey Brown, state medical entomologist with the Mississippi Department of Health, visited the Mississippi State Penitentiary, also known as Parchman Farm, to address a growing fly and mosquito problem. He observed the flight patterns of the flies and determined they were originating from the facility’s egg-producing poultry houses.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Winter storms make pretty landscapes, but many homeowners wonder what impact the ice and snow will have on plants that already started preparing for spring.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Teenagers with an interest in animals and veterinary medicine are invited to apply for a camp offered by the Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine.

The MSU Veterinary Camp will provide this hands-on experience on the Mississippi State campus in Starkville. Campers will participate in interactive labs and learn about veterinary medicine from MSU instructors and students. Young people considering careers in veterinary medicine, scientific research or animal-related fields are encouraged to apply.