Extension Matters: Volume 3 Number 2
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Working in America
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Working for Generations
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Farm Fresh
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Strengthening Communities
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Doing the “Heart” Work
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Leadership with Legislators
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Strong Bones, Strong Women
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Offering Something Different
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Coming of Age
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In Season
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4-H: Where Are They Now?
Extension serves Spanish-speaking population
Sometimes, starting somewhere new is the best way to make a life change. In 2006, that’s exactly what Melania Roque did.
Four-generation farm family trusts MSU Extension
Four generations of Steeles have graduated from “our dear ol’ State.” While the university has certainly changed over the years, for the Steele family, one thing remains constant: they trust the land-grant institution’s research and outreach.
Producer teaches about food and farming practices
Rowell Farms is doing much more than supplying cooks with fresh, local foods. The Heidelberg truck-crop farm is growing into an educational outlet for the Clarke and Jasper County communities it serves.
Teens learn emergency prep and leadership
Shay Collins and Kamrie Upchurch were not expecting to use the skills they gained in MyPI training just months after they learned them, but medical emergencies have never waited for anyone to be ready.
Teens discover “Keys to Community”
Introduce an adolescent to the local sheriff, tax assessor, and county clerk, and that young person may run for elected office someday. At least, that’s what one northwest Mississippi state representative is hoping.
Leadership with Legislators
The State 4-H Council features the best and brightest 4-H’ers, elected by their peers to represent 4-H around Mississippi, as well as at the annual 4-H Legislative Day.
Extension program keeps Wiggins residents moving
People know they can maintain healthy, active lifestyles with regular movement, and women in Stone County have been following that advice for years. When Barbara O’Hara moved to Wiggins from the Gulf Coast, she wanted to continue participating in an exercise class. She was delighted to find an announcement for the Strong Bones, Strong Women program in the local newspaper.
Extension helps veteran transition to a new role
The Mississippi State University Extension Service was a constant presence for Leroy Alford when he was growing up in Clay County. Now, Extension is again playing a role in his plans as he transitions toward moving back home.
4-H builds teen's life skills
On first glance, she seems an ordinary teen, but Oktibbeha County 4-H’er Millie Thompson has an exceptional work ethic, and she’s achieved success at the national level. Everything she does is inspired by Ecclesiastes 9:10, she says.
Extension helps maintain family's dove habitat
Hunting has been an important part of BJ Skinner’s life since he was a child
Merry Johnson, former 4-H’er from Tishomingo County, explains how her experiences in the 4-H youth development program help her excel in the courtroom
Along with numerous county-level leadership roles, Merry served on the State 4-H Leadership Team. She served as a delegate for National 4-H Congress in Atlanta and National 4-H Conference in Washington, D.C. She also received her bronze and silver Congressional Awards through 4-H involvement. Merry is a 2016 graduate of the University of Mississippi School of Law and currently works at McDavid and Associates, a business litigation law firm in Oxford.
Message from the Director
Jackson
In 2016, the Mississippi State University Extension Service made more than 4 million individual contacts with state residents. As spring unfolds around our beautiful state, Extension continues its mission of offering educational opportunities to help people solve problems.
Our clients trust their county Extension agents and specialists; Mississippians know they can come to us and get the research-based education they need to make informed decisions. This issue of Extension Matters features a range of clients who have benefited from Extension programs and outreach in each of our five program areas: agriculture, natural resources, 4-H youth development, government and community development, and family and consumer sciences.
Extension agents and specialists have worked with generations of Mississippi agricultural producers. Two examples include Delta rice producer Gibb Steele and Northeast Mississippi cattle producer Leroy Alford. Also, the family owners of Rowell Farms in Southwest Mississippi share how Extension is partnering with their farm-to-table agribusiness to teach people about eating healthy, and read about how the Skinner family relies on Extension for up-to-date information about hunting and dressing game.
Young people are also featured prominently in this issue. 4-H Legislative Day 2017, held in early February, brought the best and brightest Mississippi 4-H’ers and award-winning clubs to the state’s capitol. Also, a group of young people from Southwest Mississippi explain how their participation in Extension’s MyPI program taught them disaster-preparedness techniques that enable them to respond with confidence when natural disasters strike. Longtime 4-H’er Millie Thompson shares how competing in 4-H horse shows has shaped her values as a young woman. Finally, former 4-H’er Merry Johnson explains how 4-H prepared her to become the attorney she is today.
Other stories in this issue feature women who, through Extension’s family and consumer sciences programming, are improving their lives. Learn more about the Strong Bones, Strong Women group in Southeast Mississippi. Extension personnel on the Coast are connecting with Spanish-speaking women:read Melania Roque’s story about coming to the U.S. and learning about Mississippi culture through Extension instruction.
Extension’s role is to educate. As changes come, we are forced to be creative, to work smarter not harder, and to use modern technology so that we can, as a state, collaborate to extend knowledge and change lives for the better.
Sincerely,
Gary Jackson
Director, MSU Extension Service