News From 2000

By Suzanne Berry

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Modern technological advances have provided today's farmers with many tools to enhance productivity and perhaps their bottom line, but one tool that could be the most important decision-making aid is a budget.

JACKSON - Mississippi's Extension county agricultural agents asked for it, and they got one of the biggest conventions ever held in the capital city.

In 1996, Mississippi delegates to the annual meeting of the National Association of County Agricultural Agents competed against Kentucky for the opportunity to host the 2000 meeting in Jackson. About 1,450 members and their families attended this year's meeting Aug. 6 through 10.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

One of the best flowering performers in my garden these last two hot, dry summers has been the ixora. From late spring through the first of August and counting, ixora produces almost nonstop bold, colorful flowers. If the color alone isn't enough, the deep green, glossy foliage serves as the perfect contrast for these large clusters of color.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- To call Mississippi summers hot is accurate, but they can also be dangerous as heat and humidity combine to create a deadly threat of heatstroke.

Mississippians saw record-breaking temperatures in July, and while August started cooler, more heat is in store. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Jackson saw five days in July where temperatures reached 100 degree or more, setting one new record and tying another.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi's dairy herd is bucking the national trend by reducing farm and cattle numbers while a national production increase is helping to hold prices down.

"We have a lot of milk available, so prices are not likely to improve much anytime soon," said Bill Herndon, agricultural economist with Mississippi State University's Extension Service.

Numbers of dairy cattle are up nationally, especially in western states such as Idaho, California and New Mexico. However, like most Southeastern states, Mississippi has significantly fewer farms and cattle.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

Fragrance that entices you to stay, swallowtail butterflies by the dozens and flowers of rare, exotic beauty are all traits of a group of plants blooming across our area known as clerodendrums, or clerodendrons.

MISSISSIPPI STATE --The tool that made the automobile an extension of the home and office is being threatened as several states consider laws limiting the use of cellular phones for safety reasons.

Some communities have banned the phones from vehicles entirely, while others have required the use of hands-free devices for the phones. Mississippi currently has no laws governing the use of cell phones in vehicles.

By Crystel Bailey

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Internet users should not be fooled by false information on the World Wide Web and e-mail if they keep a few tips in mind.

Most people who use the Internet have probably come across scams or rumors when searching the Web or checking their e-mail. Some hoaxes have caused problems when people took them seriously.

By Crystel Bailey

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippians are finding home-based businesses a successful trend if they include the right person, a marketable product or skill and helpful resources.

"Not just anyone can start a home-based business. There are three requirements a person must possess: an entrepreneurial spirit, family-support and good business skills," said Beth Duncan, Extension small business specialist at Mississippi State University.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Heat has traditionally threatened Mississippi's catfish, but this year's hot temperatures have not been an issue as most producers are equipped for the challenge.

Algae in catfish ponds supply the oxygen catfish require during the day, but at night the catfish rely on aerators. With high temperatures, catfish require more oxygen in the water. July's near record nighttime temperatures meant catfish producers had to run aerators all night every night and even some cloudy days.

MEMPHIS -- Mississippi State University co-hosted a conference in late July that plans to brighten the outlook for agriculture in the Midsouth.

About 175 agricultural leaders from Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas and Louisiana gathered in Memphis to study the current situation and look ahead to what the future of agriculture may hold. Farmers, lenders and suppliers were joined by Extension Service professionals, agriculture specialists and researchers.

JACKSON -- Mississippi will entertain about 1,500 county agents and their families from across the nation in early August as it hosts the 85th annual National Association of County Agricultural Agents Professional Improvement Conference in Jackson.

The event is scheduled for Aug. 6 to 10 and will be headquartered at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. A day of tours will take the group across Mississippi to see cultural attractions, as well as agricultural and manufacturing industries in the state.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

The air was so hot and muggy that I could hardly breathe, and trying to look dapper, I found myself glistening (sweating) profusely. But there they were Dancing Girls performing to the utmost in a climate that seems so extreme this summer.

By Crystel Bailey

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Recent college graduates must compete for jobs, but a new program may ease job-searching for those interested in a career in furniture management.

"Professionals in furniture industries in Mississippi and North Carolina realized that the management level was filled by older employees. They wanted to attract younger business people to the furniture industry by providing a program of study at the college level," said Teressa Hooper, coordinator for the Furniture Management Program at Mississippi State University.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Insects and weather are usually willing accomplices in their attempt to rob cotton growers of maximum yields, but most pests this year have left the weather to do the bulk of the dirty work.

Blake Layton, cotton entomologist with Mississippi State University's Extension Service, said insect damage has been sporadic across the state but generally lighter than normal.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi State University is researching ways to make a new cultivation practice used by many Mississippi rice farmers more profitable.

About 50 percent of Mississippi's rice acreage is farmed using precision leveling and straight levees as farmers have moved away from the traditional levees that curve to follow the natural contour of the land. These new rice paddies follow a constant slope of the land, with straight levees cutting through the land at right angles to the slope of the field.

By Norman WinterMSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

The Brazilian Plume Flower had been grown for years in the coastal counties of the South, but it was sold only sparingly above Hattiesburg. At long last some more serious quantities have started showing up in area garden centers further north. All I can say is a resounding "Hallelujah!"

By Crystel Bailey

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Health officials expect more people to survive a heart attack when changes are made to simplify cardiopulmonary resuscitation by inexperienced bystanders.

"Since most cardiac arrests take place in the home, a trained CPR provider is not usually available. For this reason, most victims in need of CPR do not receive immediate help," said Linda Patterson, a registered nurse and health education specialist with Mississippi State University's Extension Service.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Two relatively dry years are enabling loggers to reach less accessible trees, creating an oversupply of timber during a season that traditionally has sluggish markets.

"The extended dry weather is compounding the problem with prices, especially pulpwood," said Bob Daniels, forestry specialist with Mississippi State University's Extension Service. "Pulp mills are only buying the wood needed immediately, so inventories back up in the woods."

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

At this time of the year when you start to pay attention to those plants that thrive with little care, there is a verbena that stands head above all other verbenas in more ways than one. The verbena I am referring to is verbena bonariensis.

The botanical name comes from its discovery in Buenos Aires, Argentina. However, it is known commonly as the Brazilian verbena, which further indicates that it is from South America.