Farming
As the world has become increasingly complex, so has the process of farming. Constant technological developments, from precision agriculture to soil moisture meters, keep Mississippi producers competitive. The MSU Extension Service supports Mississippi growers by offering: economic analysis and tools; education related to farming practices, such as irrigation and farm safety; and advances in engineering and technology to make producers more efficient.
Extension also sponsors Mississippi Women for Agriculture, a nonprofit organization designed to offer women educational and networking opportunities to increase the profitability and success of their agribusinesses.
Publications
News
Slow down, be observant, and give farm equipment some space on the road during harvest season (Photo by MSU Extension)
It’s harvest season, and you’re likely to see large farm equipment on the roads, whether that be bright green combines, red tractors, or anything in between.
COLUMBUS, Miss. -- During a grain bin safety demonstration, Benton Moseley pulled a couple of soft drink crates out of a storage compartment and explained why he carried them.
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Agricultural professionals who have not learned how to use grain bin rescue equipment can do so while learning about emerging precision agriculture applications and seed-applied technologies.
The Mississippi State University Extension Service and Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station invite seed and agricultural industry professionals, stakeholders, producers, crop consultants and research professionals to attend the 2023 MSU Seed and Agricultural Technology Short Course Aug. 1-2.
Technology allows Jeremy Jack to implement management practices on Silent Shade Planting Co. in Belzoni that were impossible 15 years ago, and water use efficiency is just one way his operation has improved.
Agriculture is the world’s single largest consumer of fresh water, making the water shortages expected over the next 10 years in at least 40 states -- Mississippi included -- critically important.
Success Stories
Sledge Taylor is no stranger to cover crops —he first planted vetch on 100 acres of his Panola County farmland in 1979—but he has ramped up his cover crop usage and added other sustainable agricultural practices over the past 15 years.
Brian Andrus irrigated exactly zero times on his Sunflower County farm in 2021. He didn’t even turn on his well.
Mississippi 4-H Introduces New Youth Leadership Positions
Administrators with the Mississippi State University Extension Center for 4-H Youth Development recently announced two new offices for 4-H’ers: president-elect and past president. These new positions will allow the 4-H’ers more training and opportunities, state leaders agree.
Since 1994, she’s worked for Buck Island Seed Co., a business her brother co-founded with two other men in the same year. The company performs custom seed cleaning, treating, and blending for rice, soybeans, wheat, oats, and triticale, a small grain. Booth also raised various row crops with her husband on their Tunica County farm until his death in 2020. She now rents out the land to a producer who grows soybeans, corn, and triticale.
Growers address nutrition and criminal justice shortfalls
Growing vegetables and raising farm animals are demanding endeavors by themselves. Kevin and Teresa Springs are already succeeding at these activities, but their sights are set on combining them with their backgrounds in criminal justice to address greater societal challenges.
