Feature Story from 2020

Three Mississippi State University agricultural economists contributed to a national academic report on the effects of COVID-19 on food and agricultural markets.

Knowing that many Mississippians share a love for home-grown tomatoes, two Mississippi State University Extension Service agents designed programs just for them.

Two simple, daily steps can protect Mississippi’s youngest citizens from lead poisoning. Jason Barrett, an assistant Extension professor in the Mississippi Water Resources Research Institute, said lead in drinking water can harm children’s health. But flushing faucets each morning and using cold water for cooking and preparing baby bottles can greatly reduce exposure.

Parents dealing with COVID-19 closings are working daily to find safe child care for young children when most of the traditional summer options are gone.

David Buys, associate professor in MSU’s Department of Food Science, Nutrition and Health Promotion and state health specialist with the MSU Extension Service, is being honored as a fellow of the Gerontological Society of America.

A Mississippi State University Extension Service food safety specialist has been selected to serve on the Executive Advisory Board of the Food Safety Preventive Controls Alliance.

Cash flow challenges are the latest struggle for Mississippi catfish producers, as product sales to their biggest consumers -- restaurants -- are way down due to COVID-19.

Parents can help children understand how to stay healthy at school amid the COVID-19 pandemic as they prepare for the start of the academic year.

Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Andy Gipson instructs anyone receiving packages of unsolicited seeds from China, or any foreign country, in recent days to immediately contact the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce’s Bureau of Plant Industry by phoning (662) 325-3390. Those receiving the seeds are instructed to hold onto the seeds and packaging, including the mailing label, until someone from MDAC’s Bureau of Plant Industry contacts you with further instructions. Do not plant seeds from unknown origins.

The laid-back way of life in Mississippi has a downside when it leads to very low U.S. Census participation: Inaccurate population counts can cause the state to lose money, political representation and participation in beneficial programs.

Mississippians are urged not to open or plant packets of unknown seeds that are appearing unsolicited in mailboxes, seemingly shipped from China. Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Andy Gipson urged state residents who receive the seeds to report them immediately. The Bureau of Plant Industry’s phone number is 662-325-3390.

Qula Madkin recently joined the Mississippi State University Extension Service as a nutrition instructor.

Mississippi State University Extension professionals offer training and expertise annually at a research field day, and the event will happen in 2020, just differently.

The traditional allergy season will soon start while the COVID-19 pandemic is still underway, likely leading some people to wonder if they are experiencing normal allergic reactions or symptoms of the novel virus.

The Mississippi State University Extension Service will start rolling out tips Monday to help agritourism farms adapt when they face market losses as COVID-19 changed the way schools are operating and how group events are being held this year.

STARKVILLE, Miss.—Staff members in Mississippi State’s Office of Agricultural Communications and Office of Public Affairs are bringing prestige to the university with two Grand Awards and other honors from the College Public Relations Association of Mississippi’s annual competition.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Mississippians now have an online tool for opioid misuse prevention resources and strategies. 

Mississippi State University’s Extension Service and Social Science Research Center developed the webpage in collaboration with the Mississippi State Department of Health and the Fahrenheit Creative Group. This new page is a component of an MSU Extension drug prevention initiative called PReventing Opioid Misuse In the SouthEast, or the PROMISE Initiative.