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News From 2013

A friendly garden gnome brings year-round interest to your landscape, and if their lore is true, a dose of good luck and a little garden help, too. (Photo by MSU Extension Service/Gary Bachman)
December 30, 2013 - Filed Under: Lawn and Garden, Flower Gardens

Even though the weather in the middle of winter prevents much gardening with plants, dedicated and enthusiastic gardeners find ways to keep fun and interest in the yard all year long.

You may have seen garden art in other people’s yards, but have you considered bringing it into your own? A whimsical way to jump right in is to bring home a gnome.

Cyclamen is a great indoor plant for the Christmas holidays because it has a long blooming period that produces loads of colorful flowers. (Photo by MSU Extension Service/Gary Bachman)
December 23, 2013 - Filed Under: Lawn and Garden, Flower Gardens

Let me offer a suggestion if you have looked around your house this Christmas season and enjoyed the poinsettias but wished for a little variety. Next year, bring home some cyclamen to decorate your living area over the winter.

Cyclamen is a great indoor plant with a long blooming period that produces loads of colorful flowers.

Dr. Stephen Dicke
December 20, 2013 - Filed Under: Forestry

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Three Mississippi State University faculty in the College of Forest Resources and the Forest and Wildlife Research Center were named distinguished professors for exceptional teaching, service and research accomplishments.

Forestry Extension professor Stephen Dicke was named the George L. Switzer Extension Professor of Forestry. Dicke, based at the Central Mississippi Research and Extension Center in Raymond, specializes in urban forestry and timber taxation.

Corn in 2013 brought in less money than it did the year before, but the crop still posted an estimated value of $631 million. It also set a new record in average yield, with an estimated 180 bushels produced per acre in Mississippi. (Photo by MSU Ag Communications/Kat Lawrence)
December 19, 2013 - Filed Under: Corn, Agricultural Economics

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Corn retained its No. 4 spot in Mississippi agriculture with an estimated value of $631 million, despite a 31 percent decrease in value caused mostly by reduced commodity prices.

Forest products reclaim the No. 2 spot in Mississippi's list of agricultural commodities, with a preliminary year-end harvest value estimated at $1.17 billion, a 14.6 percent increase from 2012. (Photo by MSU Office of Ag Communications/Keri Collins Lewis)
December 19, 2013 - Filed Under: Forest Economics, Wood Products

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Mississippi’s forest products bounced back into the No. 2 spot in the state’s list of agricultural commodities based on annual production values.

James Henderson, associate Extension professor in the Mississippi State University College of Forest Resources, estimated the state’s forest products 2013 harvest value to be $1.17 billion, compared to the 2012 value of $1.02 billion. That is a 14.6 percent increase over the 2012 harvest. Final figures will be available in February.

Poultry remains Mississippi's No. 1 agricultural commodity, with a preliminary estimated value of $2.7 billion. Broilers brought higher prices in 2013, bumping the industry's overall value by about 10 percent compared to 2012. (Photo by MSU Ag Communications)
December 19, 2013 - Filed Under: Agricultural Economics, Poultry

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Poultry ranked No. 1 among Mississippi’s commodities for the 19th straight year, with a preliminary estimated value of $2.7 billion.

The total estimated value of poultry increased by about 10 percent from 2012. Broilers gained about 10 percent in value. Eggs and chickens saw a gain of 4.5 percent and 6.6 percent, respectively.

John Michael Riley, agricultural economist with Mississippi State University’s Extension Service, said the rise in values is largely attributed to higher bird prices because production is mostly steady with 2012.

Although the value was down in 2013, Mississippi soybeans netted an estimated $993 million for state producers and remained the state's biggest row crop. (Photo by MSU Ag Communications/Kat Lawrence)
December 19, 2013 - Filed Under: Soybeans, Agricultural Economics

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Soybeans continued their reign in 2013 as the state’s biggest row crop, posting an estimated value of $993 million, down 21 percent from 2012.

Mississippi 2013 Estimated Value of Ag Production
December 19, 2013 - Filed Under: Catfish, Crops, Agricultural Economics, Forages, Livestock, Poultry

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi’s top two agricultural commodities -- poultry and forestry -- maintained their strength in 2013, but most agronomic crop values took a hit from significantly lower prices than those earned in 2012.

John Michael Riley, agricultural economist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said agronomic crop prices were a major drag in the state’s total agricultural commodity value despite good-to-great production levels.

Agricultural producers from 11 Mississippi counties brought old tires, empty chemical containers and about 38,000 pounds of waste pesticides to a safe-disposal event in Sharkey County on Dec. 12. The Mississippi State University Extension Service coordinated the event. (Submitted photo)
December 19, 2013 - Filed Under: Agriculture, Pesticide Applicator Certification, Agricultural Engineering

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Producers accumulate a variety of unused materials on the farm over time, and some of them require special handling for disposal.

A pesticide disposal program has been making clean-up on the farm easier since 1994 by providing a way to get rid of waste pesticides and potentially hazardous materials.

December 18, 2013 - Filed Under: About Extension, Turfgrass and Lawn Management

MISSISSIPPI STATE – The Mississippi State University Extension Service and Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station welcome a new state turf specialist on Jan. 1.

Jay McCurdy is a native of Dyer, Tenn. He worked on his family’s farm, where they raised row crops, cattle and sod. He worked as a golf course superintendent in Hong Kong, China, where he performed research and designed and implemented turf grass evaluation and management techniques.

Dr. James Henderson
December 18, 2013 - Filed Under: Forestry

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi State University faculty in the College of Forest Resources and the Forest and Wildlife Research Center were recently recognized for exceptional teaching, service and research accomplishments.

The following were honored during a ceremony at the college’s annual advisory banquet.

Consistent exercise and a balanced diet can keep family pets slim. Veterinarians advise pet owners to avoid feeding table scraps to pets to keep them from gaining weight that can lead to chronic illnesses, such as diabetes and joint disease. (Photo by Jupiter Images/Thinkstock)
December 18, 2013 - Filed Under: Community, Pets

JACKSON – Holiday leftovers often end up in Rover’s dish, but those tasty morsels can lead to more than just an upset stomach.

Dr. Sarah Garcia, veterinarian in the Department of Clinical Science at the Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine, said veterinary professionals advise against feeding table scraps to any pet because they can cause health problems.

Jason Krutz, an irrigation specialist with Mississippi State University, holds a portable soil moisture meter, one of the tools needed to help producers make irrigation decisions with scientific accuracy. (Photo by MSU Ag Communications/Bonnie Coblentz)
December 17, 2013 - Filed Under: Irrigation, Technology

MISSISSIPPI STATE – If Jason Krutz could put one item on the Christmas list of every row crop farmer in Mississippi, Santa’s elves could not make enough soil moisture sensors to keep up with demand.

Victoria Williams races around a barrel at the 2013 Rotary Classic Rodeo, held in February at the Mississippi Horse Park. The Mississippi State University facility near Starkville, Miss., recently earned a "best footing" award from the Women's Professional Rodeo Association. (Submitted Photo)
December 16, 2013 - Filed Under: Equine, Community

MISSISSIPPI STATE – To find out how important packed dirt is on a rodeo floor, just ask a barrel racer whose horse has just fallen in a timed event.

Dr. Rubin Shmulsky
December 16, 2013 - Filed Under: Wood Products

MISSISSIPPI STATE – A Mississippi State University department has been renamed to reflect the renewable, natural and sustainable resources used in the industry.

The MSU Department of Forest Products is now the Department of Sustainable Bioproducts.

The Hilo Holiday Rex begonia has coarse-textured leaves with colorful streaks and splashes of silver, cream and burgundy. It has the potential to become a cornerstone of Christmas decorating. (Photo by MSU Extension Service/Gary Bachman)
December 16, 2013 - Filed Under: Lawn and Garden, Flower Gardens

As much as I like decorating with colorful poinsettias during the Christmas season, I’m always on the lookout for nontraditional plants that can add interest and be just as effective in spreading holiday cheer.

One of the most unusual plants I’ve seen is miniature cherry tomato, in full fruit, displayed for holiday sales. While I didn’t run out and buy one of those, a plant I have admired for many years for the shady summer garden is Rex begonia.

The rice water weevil, such as this adult on a rice leaf, is one of the most troublesome insect pests in rice, but seed treatments have proven to be effective in controlling them. The scars on the leaf are evidence of the rice water weevils' feeding. (Photo by Delta Research and Extension Center/Jeff Gore)
December 13, 2013 - Filed Under: Rice

MISSISSIPPI STATE – After testing scores of samples taken from rice fields across the state, Mississippi State University scientists found that seed treatments are effective in managing the crop’s most troublesome insect pests.

Paige Nicholson of Lawrence is the new Miss Rodeo America for 2014. A recent Mississippi State University agricultural information sciences graduate, Nicholson grew up showing livestock in the Newton County 4-H program and taking part in rodeo competitions. (Submitted photo)
December 13, 2013 - Filed Under: Community

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Paige Nicholson has a new personal illustration to use in speeches about dusting yourself off and getting back on the horse, and she will have many opportunities to use it as she travels the country as the 2014 Miss Rodeo America.

Nicholson, who recently graduated in agricultural information science from Mississippi State University, earned the national crown Dec. 9 in Las Vegas. She was the reigning Miss Rodeo Mississippi.

Mississippi forestland can produce trophy bucks when land managers control deer density, create a good buck age structure, manage deer habitat and then selectively harvests bucks. (File photo by MSU Ag Communications)
December 12, 2013 - Filed Under: Environment, Natural Resources, Wildlife

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Mississippi is one of the best places in the country for deer hunting because of excellent natural habitat and good management by landowners and hunters.

Bronson Strickland, wildlife specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said bagging a trophy buck is the successful result of time and careful implementation of a management plan.

Within the first hours of their lives, fawns can be vulnerable to wild hogs. (File photo by MSU Ag Communications)
December 12, 2013 - Filed Under: Environment, Wildlife, Nuisance Wildlife and Damage Management, White-Tailed Deer

PONTOTOC – Most deer hunters will not encounter wild hogs, but if they do, wildlife biologists want them to be prepared.

At a recent wild hog seminar in Pontotoc, wildlife biologists emphasized the trouble these disease-carrying pests can cause human and wildlife populations. Speakers addressed the environmental impacts, the threats to fawns and ground-nesting birds, hunting decisions and field-dressing precautions.

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