News From 2015

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Low voter turnout may not be a big deal to some Mississippians, but for a group of concerned experts with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, a lack of interest in the election process signals an educational opportunity.

Jason Camp, an Extension associate with the Center for Government and Community Development, said he and his colleagues wanted to boost involvement and interest in local government.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- So, you have finally worked up the nerve to ask that landowner for permission to hunt his property for the upcoming hunting season, and he said yes.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- A longtime department head at Mississippi State University has been named the new director of the Southern Rural Development Center.

Steven Turner, who has served as head of the MSU Department of Agricultural Economics for 12 years, will officially begin as the center’s director Jan. 1.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Two Mississippi State University faculty members are participating in an executive leadership program to gain enhanced management skills and a broader perspective on food systems.

Mike Phillips, head of the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, and Mary Beck, head of the Department of Poultry Sciences, began the Food Systems Leadership Institute program in the fall of 2015.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- A proven ability to work with producers, university professionals and industry representatives has earned Steve Martin new responsibilities with the Mississippi State University Extension Service.

Korie Stallings, 8, gets her hair pinned by Mississippi State University senior Claudia Robinson of Jackson, Mississippi. Robinson and other School of Human Sciences students made dresses for girls in the Starkville Boys and Girls Club as part of an apparel design class service-learning project. Participants modeled new dresses in a fashion show on Dec. 5, 2015. (Photo by MSU Extension Service/Kat Lawrence)

Driving around Mississippi’s coastal counties has reminded me that we are in the middle of the red berry season. Yaupon hollies have translucent red berries that sparkle like landscape jewels, and Nellie R. Stevens have dark, glossy-green foliage that provides the perfect background for bright-red berries.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Wild animals are amazing for many reasons. Whether it’s flying high in the sky, singing beautiful songs or simply displaying the amazing colors and patterns of their feathers or fur, wild creatures attract people. So, when we come upon an injured or sick animal, in most cases, we want to help it any way possible.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Mississippi State University’s horse judging team continues to earn honors in its first year of competition.

Clay Cavinder, equine specialist with the MSU Extension Service and associate professor in the MSU Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences, coached the team for the recent American Quarter Horse Association World Championship Show in Oklahoma.

CEDAR BLUFF, Miss. -- High Hope Farm in Cedar Bluff is set to host the year’s final field day organized by the Alliance for Sustainable Agricultural Production on Dec. 11.

Experts will present information on timely issues, including presentations from David Nagel Mississippi State University Extension Service horticulture specialist; Eric Stafne, Extension fruit specialist; William Kingery, an agronomist in the MSU Department of Plant and Soil Sciences; and Nancy Woodruff, a member of the Mississippi Food Policy Council.

LEXINGTON, Miss. -- A new Mississippi Homemaker Volunteer Club spread some holiday cheer with a set of quilts they made throughout the summer and fall.

On Nov. 24, residents at Lexington Manor Senior Care facility received 67 lap quilts made by the recently formed Holmes County club.

Mississippi Homemaker Volunteer Clubs, called MHV clubs, are supported by the Mississippi State University Extension Service and provide a variety of educational opportunities and services to their communities.

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, I had the chance to get back into my garden and landscape after what seemed like a horticultural marathon that began in mid-July. While I hadn’t totally neglected my chores, there was still plenty to do.I harvested the remaining fall crop of heirloom tomatoes and removed the plants growing in my self-watering patio containers. I then proceeded to my citrus grove; understand that I use the term “grove” lightly, as it consists of two Satsuma oranges, two Meyer lemons and a kumquat.

YAZOO CITY, Miss. -- Mississippi farmers can safely remove leftover pesticides from their property during a free disposal event on Dec. 16 in Yazoo City.

Insecticides, herbicides, fungicides and other pesticide products can be dropped off at the former Tal Port building located at 2003 Gordon Avenue between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m.

No household waste, tires, rinsates, empty containers or products in bulk containers will be accepted.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Two employees with the Mississippi State University Extension Service received a national award from the National Association of County Agricultural Agents.

Amy Taylor Myers, an Extension associate in the Office of Agricultural Communications, and Gary Bachman, associate Extension and research professor at the Coastal Research and Extension Center, received an achievement award for their Southern Gardening radio segments in the “Communications: Audio Recording” category.

STARKVILLE, Miss -- It’s a duck, it’s a goose...no, it’s a Cormorant?

The double-crested cormorant is a 4- to 6-pound bird with black or dark plumage. Often cormorants are mistaken for common waterfowl because they are seen swimming on ponds and lakes throughout Mississippi from late fall to early spring. Cormorants migrate each year from the Great Lakes region of the U.S. and Canada to spend their winters on the warm waters of the South. They really are snow birds!

 STARKVILLE, Miss. -- A health specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service has been certified in public health by the National Board of Public Health Examiners.

David Buys earned this certification after demonstrating mastery in several key components of public health, including biostatistics, health policy and management, and environmental health sciences through coursework completed during his public health training and by completing the Certified in Public Health examination.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- The thrill may be in the hunt, but unless the game is kept clean and processed well, the meat won’t bring pleasure to the palate.

Mississippi has a rich diversity of game animals for hunters to bag. As a result, many freezers across the state are full of venison, turkey, duck, squirrel and more, and recipes for how to prepare them are often are passed down through families.

Mark Peterman, on right, an aquaculture associate with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, shows a catfish to Weir Elementary students Taylor Hunt and Derrick Floyd at FARMtastic in Starkville on Nov. 20, 2015. FARMtastic is an experience-based Extension program that teaches kids where food, fiber and fuel come from. (Photo by MSU Extension Service/Kat Lawrence)