Feature Story

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- As the holidays approach, consider three ways to share the joys of the season by supporting local food pantries. Gifts of money, time and food items are all welcome.

RAYMOND, Miss. -- Frustration is mounting for deer hunters across Mississippi whose cool-season food plots died or never got planted because of drought conditions. Although it’s November, hunters still have time to replant.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- A Mississippi State University Extension professor of wildlife sciences has earned the top individual honor for excellence in Extension.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Agricultural producers and consultants are encouraged to register for the annual Mississippi State University Row Crop Short Course.

Hosted by the Mississippi State University Extension Service and the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, the 2024 Row Crop Short Course will be held Dec. 9-11 at the Mill Conference Center in Starkville.

PICAYUNE, Miss. -- History enthusiasts of all ages can try their hand at traditional skills and crafts at a festival hosted by the Crosby Arboretum.

The 22nd Annual Piney Woods Heritage Festival will take place on Nov. 9, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Crosby Arboretum, located at 370 Ridge Road in Picayune. This yearly event celebrates traditional skills and crafts, providing a platform for artisans to show their expertise in various heritage activities.

Retired state specialist Larry Alexander was honored by being inducted into the National 4-H Hall of Fame for his career spent serving young people through the Mississippi State University Extension Service 4-H Youth Program.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- A Mississippi State University associate Extension professor of water and wastewater systems is one of nine recipients of annual awards presented by the Universities Council on Water Resources, or UCOWR.

Jason Barrett, interim director of the Mississippi Water Resources Research Institute, or WRRI, was honored with the UCOWR Institute Mid-Career Award for Extension, Outreach and Engagement. The award acknowledges outstanding contributions to water-related efforts in each of these areas.

Rural water systems in Mississippi face some daunting challenges when it comes to upgrades and improvements. Funding ranks at the top of those challenges.

PICAYUNE, Miss. -- The Crosby Arboretum was recently designated an Outpost Business by the Mississippi Gulf Coast National Heritage Area, opening the door to future funding opportunities.

The 104-acre plant conservatory managed by the Mississippi State University Extension Service, was eligible for the award through its participation in Gulf Coast Outpost -- a business recognition program launched by the Mississippi Gulf Coast National Heritage Area, or MGCNHA, for nature-based tourism business owners. The Arboretum’s designation was made Sept. 20.

Knowing that the severity of a drought is more than a measure of weather data, Mississippi State University Extension Service agents across the state gather photos and data weekly to document actual conditions.
Mike Brown, MSU professor of geosciences and state climatologist, helped develop and now oversees an app that allows him to submit detailed, highly localized information to the U.S. Drought Monitor. The Drought Monitor is a publication provided by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and is the basis of much drought-relief efforts nationwide.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Hurricane Francine was reduced to a tropical storm by the time it reached Mississippi, and its rainfall and wind were not enough to cause major damage to the state’s cotton crop despite two-thirds of it having opened beforehand.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service estimated just under 70% of the cotton bolls around the state had opened as of Sept. 9, three days before Francine reached the state.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Amy Knight has seen her 13-year-old son, Cameron, make substantial strides in his speech and core strength since he began horse riding three years ago.

GLUCKSTADT, Miss. -- Children, parents and child care providers in the Gluckstadt area now have a new learning center with free resources. The Mississippi LIFT Resource and Referral Network at the Mississippi State University Extension Service provides mini-learning stations throughout the center with themed hands-on, play-based educational activities each month. Various free services are available through the center, including an educational lending library, referrals for teacher training, and family support services training.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Mississippi 4-H is developing new programs incorporating ScratchJr, an introductory computer programming application for children ages 4-7, and an instructor with the research group that created the software recently visited Mississippi State University to train educators on its curriculum.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Those interested in learning about the use of unmanned aircraft systems as row crop application sprayers are invited to a seminar at Mississippi State University.

The MSU Spray Drone/UAS Seminar will be held at the Bost Extension Center Oct. 9 from 9 to 11 a.m. This meeting will be presented in person and available online. Topics include regulatory updates, the current Federal Aviation Administration-approved spray drone list, current and potential spray drone restrictions and ongoing spray drone research at MSU.

RAYMOND, Miss. -- Extracurricular activities offer many benefits for children and teens, but parents should help young people set important boundaries when it comes to these activities.

“Participating in sports, music, dance and other activities not only helps children learn life skills, like time management and interpersonal skills, but also teaches them about themselves -- what things they are good at and what things they enjoy,” said Lori Elmore-Staton, a human development and family science specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Farms are the most prominent symbol of agritourism, but the industry contains numerous types of enterprises and entertainment.

The agritourism sector also creates additional income streams for producers and entrepreneurs and has been a proven community development tool in Mississippi, especially in rural areas.

Floral enthusiasts and professionals can learn how to make tussie-mussie floral arrangements and the history of these bouquets during an Oct. 10 workshop in Hernando.

October marks an exciting milestone for Mississippi tourism professionals who will complete training in a one-of-a-kind program. Trainees in the second annual Excellence in Tourism Leadership Program will receive their certificates of completion at the 2024 Governor’s Conference on Tourism, an annual event hosted by the Mississippi Tourism Association. Registration is now open to those that want to be part of the next class, which begins in January 2025.

PICAYUNE, Miss. -- School groups, nature enthusiasts and the public can enjoy two fun-filled days of celebrating the environment, ecosystems, wildlife and insects at the Mississippi State University Crosby Arboretum in Picayune. BugFest is set for Sept. 20 and 21. The event offers insect-related displays, interactive exhibits, games and crafts. Biologists, naturalists, entomologists and other experts from Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama will host booths and give presentations on butterflies, bats, caterpillars, pollinators, spiders, crayfish, native plants, native and exotic arthropods and more.