Feature Story

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Growers in south Mississippi recently shared their research and programming needs with Mississippi State University’s agricultural specialists, and producers in the state’s central and northern areas will soon have their turn.

The MSU Extension Service and Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station will host Producer Advisory Council meetings at three of their research and Extension centers across the state.

Crop dusters are a familiar sight in the skies over agricultural regions, but much smaller versions, unmanned aerial vehicles, are joining them.
Unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs, are commonly called drones. Unmanned aerial systems, known as UAS, include the vehicle itself, payload, operator and control modules.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Remembering the “four P’s” of freeze safety -- people, pets, plants and pipes -- is an adage heard constantly this time of year, but doing so will be even more critical than normal during the week of Jan. 20-24 as temperatures are projected to dip below freezing and stay there for several days in Mississippi.

Caring for pets in prolonged cold weather will not involve many adjustments for owners of indoor pets, but protecting outside pets and livestock in these conditions requires extra attention.

PICAYUNE, Miss. -- The Crosby Arboretum has rescheduled its annual Forge Day to Feb. 8 due to expected inclement weather.

HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- Mississippi blueberry producers have two opportunities to learn more about production of the state’s largest fruit crop. The Mississippi State University Extension Service is hosting an in-person workshop in Hattiesburg and a virtual workshop.

RAYMOND, Miss. -- An instructor with the Mississippi State University Extension Service was recently recognized by the Mississippi Public Health Association for her commitment to helping Mississippians live healthier lifestyles. Qula Madkin, a dietitian nutritionist in the MSU Department of Biochemistry, Nutrition and Health Promotion, was awarded the Vonda A. Webb Nutritionist of the Year Award at the association’s fall conference.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- The Mississippi State University Extension Service will have a new soybean specialist in February.

Justin Calhoun, a soil and cropping systems specialist and assistant Extension professor in the University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, is returning to MSU to serve the state’s soybean producers.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Mississippi’s newest 4-H program truly is being built from the ground up.

Agents with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, which oversees the state’s 4-H youth development program, are holding interest meetings across the state to start county “Geo-Arch” clubs. The program targets young people with an interest in collecting Mississippi’s geological treasures and pre-historic artifacts such as fossils, arrowheads and rocks.

STONEVILLE, Miss. -- After harvest each year, university research and Extension entomologists from across the Cotton Belt states collect and submit data regarding cotton crop losses from insects.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- A Mississippi State University Extension professor has been recognized for his contributions to wildlife conservation with the Clarence W. Watson Award.

RAYMOND, Miss. -- Space heaters and fireplaces can help keep temperatures comfortable during cold weather. However, all types of heating equipment can be fire hazards if safety precautions are not taken. According to the National Fire Protection Association, home heating fires happen most often in December, January and February, accounting for almost half of all home heating fires.

RAYMOND, Miss. -- Mississippi’s agriculture industry remains vibrant with an overall production value estimated at $9 billion, despite a drop in row crop prices.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- 2024 marks the 30th consecutive year for poultry to outperform every other agricultural commodity in Mississippi, and for the second time in three years, its farm gate value fell just shy of $4 billion.

“We have seen a ramp-up in both broiler and table egg production in 2024 compared to production rates seen in 2023,” said Jonathan Moon, poultry specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. “This increase in meat and egg production directly impacts the value of the state’s commercial poultry industry.”

Although prices for timber were lower in 2024, harvest on the state’s forest land was up about 8%, giving forestry an expected value of $1.5 billion, similar to what it had in 2023.

Coastal wetland conservation and restoration projects along the Mississippi Gulf Coast and beyond are running into a distinct challenge: there often aren’t enough locally sourced native plants readily available to complete these efforts.
The Mississippi State University Extension Service is meeting this problem head-on by enlisting plant enthusiasts to grow and sell these marsh plants. The effort is organized as the Native Plant Producer Network, or NPPN, and it was started in 2023.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Hunters and birders in Mississippi who spot ducks wearing backpacks in the next five years do not need to get their eyes checked.

A new Mississippi State University Extension Service waterfowl study aims to arm landowners with practical habitat management recommendations that will support mallard populations in the Southeast. MSU Extension is teaming with the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, or MDWFP, to track the movements and migration patterns of female mallards for the research.

early 100 professionals from across Mississippi met for two days in late October to build Trust-Based Relational Intervention, or TBRI, skills used in their daily work with trauma-exposed children and families. Participants at the Building Bridges Conference work with children and youth who come from hard spaces such as the foster care system.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- A federal raw milk testing mandate has been issued to address bird flu outbreaks in U.S. dairy herds.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, or APHIS, declared the federal order Dec. 6 in response to more than 700 herds in 16 states having tested positive for H5N1. The agency billed the announcement as the start of its National Milk Testing Strategy program.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Agricultural specialists with Mississippi State University will share updates and forecasts for 2025 on the state’s largest industry during a conference in January.

The 2025 Mississippi Agricultural Outlook Conference will be held Jan. 14 at the Mill Conference Center in Starkville from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Producers, ag lenders and farm managers are encouraged to attend.

Community groups with a passion for stewarding their local water resources have the opportunity until Jan. 31, 2025, to apply for a mini-grant to help with their efforts.