Feature Story from 2014

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Giving to good causes generates a wide range of happy feelings, and it is one reason why charitable organizations put such an emphasis on giving during the holidays.

Rita Green, family financial management specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said studies have shown that giving money to other people makes the givers happier than spending that same amount of money on themselves.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Jamie Earp operates a successful sweet potato farm in Chickasaw County, but he chose to work with a graphic design class at Mississippi State University to develop a new brand image.

Fifteen graphic art students in Suzanne Powney’s advanced print production class got to work with an actual client as they learned their craft. They completed the service-learning project with Earp.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Four young Mississippians will have the opportunity to represent 4-H and the Mississippi State University Center for Government and Community Development as pages in the 2015 State Legislature.

All senior 4-H’ers are encouraged to apply for the positions with the 2015 Lt. Governor Tate Reeves 4-H Senate Page Program. Selected applicants will serve in the Mississippi Senate the week of Feb. 9-13. To be considered, applications must be submitted by 5 p.m. Dec. 3.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Holiday lights brighten the inside and outside of homes during this season, but these decorations should be treated with caution.

Mississippi State University experts have some safety tips every homeowner should know before hanging decorative lights this year. Homeowners should make sure lights intended for indoor use have been approved by a certified laboratory. Outdoor lights should be labeled for outdoor use only.

PASCAGOULA -- Finicky eaters and hectic schedules make it hard for some parents to ensure their children have a well-balanced diet.

Children and parents who attended the healthy cooking fair at Pascagoula School District’s Super Saturday event sampled nutritious entrees and snacks and got recipes to try at home.

The Nov. 15 event was one of six Saturdays per year that the district partners with other organizations, businesses and industries to open its Aaron Jones Family Interactive Center to the public for a variety of learning opportunities.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- In the midst of a historical football season at Mississippi State University, the spotlight shines brightly on the Bulldogs, many of whom serve as role models both on and off the field.

Senior football players Robert Johnson and Matt Wells connect with local youth while completing their internships in the MSU School of Human Sciences.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Young children can receive free developmental screenings at a one-day event in Petal on Dec. 2.

The Early Years Network’s Special Needs program is hosting a Developmental Screening Day from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Petal School District Center for Families and Children located at 201 West Central Avenue.

A team of early childhood specialists will check children 6 months to 5 years for age-specific physical and educational milestones.

To register, call Leslie LaVergne at 601-266-6225.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Deer hunters can take wildlife biologists’ expertise with them to the woods this season by downloading free apps from Mississippi State University.

Three smartphone apps were developed by experts with the MSU Deer Lab, a collaborative effort of the MSU Extension Service and MSU Forest and Wildlife Research Center.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The Early Years Network at Mississippi State University is celebrating Regina Hinton, owner of Little Pebbles Child Care in Hattiesburg, as the network’s first provider to earn an important professional credential.

Hinton is the first in-home provider enrolled in the Early Years Network scholarship program to complete the In-Home Child Development Associate credential.

STONEVILLE -- Row crop producers, landowners and others interested in the latest research findings and technologies related to water management can attend a one-day event in Stoneville.

State and regional experts will gather Dec. 10 in the Capps Center, located at the Mississippi State University Delta Research and Extension Center, for the Irrigation and Water Conservation Summit.

RAYMOND -- E.G. “Gene” Morrison spent more than 40 years with Mississippi State University, where he devoted his career to research projects aimed at improving livestock production methods.

On Nov. 20, 2014, former colleagues, friends and family celebrated with him as the MSU Brown Loam Branch Experiment Station was named in his honor. Morrison, a native of Utica, served at the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station facility as superintendent for 33 years, beginning in 1956.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Farmers can’t choose the weather or the prices they get for their crops, but they can choose the best seed for their growing conditions, thanks to research by Mississippi State University.

MSU conducts extensive official variety trials each growing season to document the performance of seed varieties under different growing conditions. MSU offers variety trial information on corn, cotton, grain sorghum, peanuts, rice, soybeans, wheat, oats and forage.

Valuable effort …

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Compounding the chaos of the holidays with the recent loss of a loved one can make the entire season downright overwhelming.

Experts from Mississippi State University recommend that those coping with the loss of a loved one slow down amid the hustle and bustle of the season.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Students in Mississippi State University’s Horticulture Club will host their annual Christmas Plant Sale on Dec. 5.

This fundraiser, which will take place from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m., supports club activities throughout the year. Students will be assisting shoppers in the campus greenhouses on Stone Boulevard behind Dorman Hall.

Poinsettias, Christmas cacti, succulents, living wreaths, mistletoe balls and ready-made table pieces will be available.

For more information, contact the MSU Department of Plant and Soil Sciences at 662-325-2311.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – A record number of agriculture professionals attended Mississippi State University’s 2014 Row Crop Short Course, which has rapidly become one of the region’s top educational opportunities.

The workshop was held Dec. 1-3 in Starkville and brought together more than 440 farmers, crop advisers, university experts and industry representatives. It was offered by the MSU Extension Service.

GOODMAN -- Fruit and vegetable growers can learn about the best seed for spring crops, equipment maintenance, and winter fruit crop activities during a Dec. 12 field day.

Experts from the Mississippi State University Extension Service and the MSU Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station will present several educational sessions at the Alliance for Sustainable Agricultural Production Demonstration Farm Field Day in Goodman.

RAYMOND -- Holiday celebrations that include alcohol can put extra stress on those battling or recovering from alcohol addiction and their families.

“Around the holidays, alcohol abounds at parties and family gatherings,” said David Buys, health specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. “Being around alcohol and others who might be ‘old drinking buddies’ could drive temptation higher.”

Feelings of social isolation, whether perceived or actual, and anxiety can increase during the holiday season and trigger excessive drinking, Buys said.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The peanut brittle at John and Peggy Guyton’s house looks like it might be made from a special family recipe, but they are not keeping their unique ingredient a secret: insects.

In fact, the Guytons used black soldier fly larvae to provide additional protein to peanut brittle whipped up in the microwave in a matter of minutes. Peggy also bakes banana nut bread with crickets and has several recipes featuring mealworms.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Sightings of sugarcane aphids on sorghum crops, commonly known as milo, have increased rapidly from one Mississippi county in 2013 to the entire northern and central portions of the state this year.

Seed treatment and increased crop monitoring will be crucial in preventing the pests from causing major damage to future grain sorghum crops in Mississippi, said Angus Catchot, a row-crops entomologist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- A Mississippi State University Extension Service specialist is taking her financial literacy message to television -- and winning awards for it.