MAGAZINE OF THE MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION SERVICE
Spring flowers are opening, planting season is in full swing, and the Mississippi State University Extension Service continues serving people all over this great state. Extension agents are providing more programs and more resources than ever as they share reliable, research-based solutions that improve clients’ everyday lives. The support Extension receives from the Mississippi Legislature shows that our elected officials are invested in the people Extension is serving. What our agents are doing in the field resonates with state leaders, and they’ve been very good to the MSU Extension Service. We appreciate our legislators and their support of Extension and its clients. This issue of Extension Matters highlights a diverse group benefitting from Extension education and assistance: Nationally recognized cattle producer Jacob Megehee and his wife, Martha, discuss their longtime relationship with Extension on page 28, while row-crop farmer Tony Dantzler shares how Extension keeps him up-to-date on the latest agricultural technologies on page 22. Tree Farmer of the Year Bobby Watkins on page 36 explains how Extension’s outreach helps him balance conservation and profitability decisions. On page 4, read how a group of ladies from Lexington turned to Extension, when they decided they wanted to learn to quilt and begin a quilting guild. Discover, on page 14, how 4-H is teaching Marisa Laudadio leadership skills that are helping her resolve conflicts and connect with others, both in 4-H and beyond. The Center for Technology Outreach, through associate Extension professor Roberto Gallardo’s work around the state, is bridging the digital divide in rural Mississippi. Read Quitman’s story on page 17. And volunteers with Master Gardeners, page 10, and Master Naturalists, page 34, are sharing their knowledge to help people make informed agricultural and natural resource decisions. These clients are just a few of the many who are using Extension’s research, education, and training initiatives to increase knowledge, improve practices, and change lives. I hope you will enjoy meeting them as you read their stories. We’re proud of their success, and we know you will be, too. Sincerely,
Gary Jackson Director, MSU Extension Service
Extension Matters is published by the Mississippi State University Extension Service.
CONTENTS
Dr. Mark E. Keenum President
Dr. Gregory A. Bohach Vice President Division of Agriculture, Forestry, and Veterinary Medicine
Volunteer Club Blossoms
4
Driving into Their Dreams
7
Dr. Gary B. Jackson Director MSU Extension Service
Dr. Steve Martin Associate Director Agriculture and Natural Resources
Dr. Paula Threadgill Associate Director 4-H Youth Development, Family & Consumer Sciences, and Center for Continuing Education
Randy Loper Department Head Extension Center for Technology Outreach
Gardening Again
10
Mississippi Shines
12
Bridging the Gap
14
Where You Are
17
Catch of the Day
20
Extension in the Rows
22
What’s New
26
Still Going Strong
28
Experience Mississippi
34
Managing the Garden
36
Sumner Davis Department Head Center for Government and Community Development
Elizabeth Gregory North Department Head Office of Agricultural Communications
Richard Swann Assistant to the Director and Fiscal Administrator
Extension Matters is produced by the Office of Agricultural Communications.
Elizabeth Gregory North Executive Editor
Leah Barbour Managing Editor
Amelia Plair Editor
Phillip Smith Designer Writers
Susan Collins-Smith Nathan Gregory Keri Collins Lewis Photographers
Kat Lawrence Kevin Hudson Extension Matters Office of Agricultural Communications P.O. Box 9625 Mississippi State, MS 39762 We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
www.msucares.com
On the cover: Tony Dantzler, row crop farmer. Story, page 22.
M A G A Z I N E O F T H E M I S S I S S I P P I S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y E X T E N S I O N S E R V I C E
VOLUNTEER CLUB BLOSSOMS Group finds enrichment in sharing and learning skills and serving the community Story by SuSan CollinS-Smith
• PhotoS by Kevin hudSon
Leona Fields, left, and Nellie Mae Williams, Mississippi Homemaker Volunteers 4 Extension M AT T E R S
W hat started as a few ladies meeting
It’s so important to stay active to be
clubs, provide a variety of educational
together to socialize and learn new skills
physically healthy, and the same is true for
opportunities and services to their
and refresh familiar ones grew into a new
mental health.”
communities.
Mississippi Homemaker Volunteer club. The group, which now includes about 20 ladies, began meeting in the summer of
So, she turned to the Mississippi State University Extension Service for help. “I knew about the Extension Service
“MHV clubs are a great benefit to individuals, families, and communities. Members give their time and share their
2015 when Hilda Hayes began organizing
and knew they could provide classes and
talents to improve local residents’ quality
activities for them. Hayes works for the
other opportunities on a lot of different
of life,” says Sylvia Clark, an Extension
North Central Planning and Development
topics,” Hayes says.
associate who coordinates the MHV
District. She cooks lunch Monday through Friday at the Lexington Multipurpose Building for seniors who participate in the community-based services offered through the district’s Area Agency on Aging program. Although the daily lunches already provided a social outlet for older adults, Hayes says she felt that people who come to the multipurpose building could benefit from other activities. “I wanted more enrichment activities for us,” explains Hayes, who used to ride the bus to lunch before she worked for the development district. “Every day we have lunch, and, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, we play Bingo. But I wanted to add other activities that would stimulate our minds.
She approached MSU Holmes County
program. “The founding focus of the clubs
Extension Agent Tara Howell about the
was families—providing them with science-
kinds of programs Extension could bring
based information on everything from
to the group. Howell first did a home
cooking to budgeting. But the scope of
canning training. Then they decided they
clubs has expanded over the decades to
wanted to quilt.
include service to local causes, veterans,
“I encouraged them to formally organize themselves as a Mississippi
hospitals, libraries, schools, and others.” This group already has made a
Homemaker Volunteer club, because the
difference in their Holmes County
activities they were interested in are
community.
projects that many of our state’s clubs
At Thanksgiving, they donated the fruits
focus on,” Howell says. “They were a
of their first project—67 lap quilts—to
natural fit.”
residents at Lexington Manor Senior Care
The Extension-supported Mississippi
facility.
Homemaker Volunteer clubs, called MHV
MHV quilt guilders include, from left, Jameson Whisenton, Nellie Mae Williams, Rosie Howze, Leona Fields, Betty Levy, Thelma Washington, Mary Helen Kohn, and Mary Wesley.
Extension M AT T E R S 5
And she says the club has had the same effect on the members. “They have gotten to know one another on a different level through this club,” Howell says. “When they were just coming for lunch, they didn’t have a reason to really get to know one another. But they have built relationships that they didn’t have before.” Mississippi has more than 100 MHV clubs that continue to fulfill the mission of the first clubs of the early 1900s. “Mississippi Homemaker clubs began MHV programs are self-funded, and
Annette Lockett learned to sew as a
because there was a need to be met and a
clubs raise money throughout the year to
child from her mother and in home
desire to learn new things. The Extension
be able to complete their chosen projects.
economics class at school.
Service was a trusted source for free
For their first project, Holmes County club
“Sewing is one of my passions,” Lockett
education on topics such as food
members and a local business donated
explains. “I was really interested in it as a
preservation, gardening, money
material to make the lap quilts. Members
little girl. My mom sewed, and I wanted to
management, and sewing,” Clark says.
used one sewing machine that belongs to
be as good at sewing as she was.
“That is still true today.”
the Extension Service, and a few members
“When I was a junior in high school, I
Clubs differ from county to county,
brought their personal sewing machines to
made my grandmother’s dress that she
Clark says. Some clubs do several sewing
meetings. Some of the work was done by
wore at her 50th wedding anniversary
projects: making quilts for seniors, baby
hand, with a needle and thread.
celebration. I was so proud of that,” she
blankets for children’s hospitals, caps for
says.
cancer patients, and dresses for local and
“These ladies live on a fixed income. They couldn’t go out and buy supplies, but they brought fabric that they had at home and cut up old clothes to have some fabric to get started,” Howell says. “The
Mary Helen Kohn had never quilted until she began meeting with the group. “I’ve never done any quilting, but I love it,” says Kohn.
international children. Others rally behind one main cause all year long, such as breast cancer awareness. Many counties rely on their club members to help with county fairs and other community events.
community provides them with meals and
Although some might not know how to
other services, yet they want to serve their
sew, quilting is a team effort. Some cut out
community and are finding a way to do
pieces, some stitch, and some help in other
handing down the same skills they learned
that.”
ways.
as children to today’s 4-H’ers.
They helped a gentleman who comes to the center for lunch by teaching him how to hem and patch his pants. “His wife is no longer able to do this for him, so he wanted to learn how,” Howell
“I don’t sew, but I do their ironing for them,” says Ivory Walden. The group is now working on a queensize quilt that they plan to raffle off to raise funds to do more projects. Howell
says. “When he found out these ladies were says the group is interested in making sewing, he asked them to teach him. And they did.” Some of the members have sewn or quilted before, but others are learning.
6 Extension M AT T E R S
more lap quilts and painting. “It has really been a joy to work with
Members also are great teachers,
“MHV members prove daily that you are never too young or too old to affect the life of another,” Clark says. Each year, these clubs contribute millions of dollars of value to the state in volunteer labor and materials. “One club recently turned in 309 hours for 2015, which amounted to almost
this group of ladies,” Howell says. “I have
$7,000 of value to their county,” Clark says.
so much fun with them. I feel so good
“The economic benefit of having at least
when I leave here.”
one MHV club in each county is clear.”
DRIVING INTO THEIR DREAMS Extension ATV training helps cancer survivors’ wishes come true Story by Keri CollinS lewiS
G etting a driver’s license and going
• PhotoS by Kevin hudSon
Chastain says leukemia and the
“Make-A-Wish told me I had to go
through ATV safety training are rites of
subsequent treatment would not keep him
through safety training and get my driver’s
passage for many Mississippi teens, but,
out of the woods.
license and insurance before they could
for two young outdoorsmen, achieving
“My dad and I hunt on public land, and
grant my wish. They directed us to the
we have to carry in our stands and all of
Extension Service,” Steed says. “I’ve ridden
Sixteen-year-old Jacob Chastain of
our gear,” he explains. “By the time I walk
my dad’s Honda four-wheeler on the
Brandon and seventeen-year-old Bradley
a mile or two, I’m pretty worn out, so Dad
farm, but I’ve always wanted to have my
Steed of Winona completed these tasks as
has to carry everything out. I wanted
own. Now, because of Make-A-Wish, I’ll
the final steps in journeys that began in
anything that would help us hunt. They
have one both Dad and I can ride in.”
2014 when the Make-A-Wish Foundation
told me I had to be 16 before they could
asked them what their three wishes were.
grant my wish.”
these goals meant much more.
The MSU Extension Service is the only organization that offers free ATV safety
Steed, who had surgery for a brain
training in the state, and trained 4-H
ATV training in Winona, both Chastain
tumor in December of 2014 followed by
Youth Development agents deliver the
and Steed had been treated by the same
extensive chemotherapy and radiation
program. Anna Austin, an Extension agent
doctor at Blair E. Batson Hospital for
treatment, wished for an ATV like his
in Montgomery County newly trained as
Children in Jackson. They had also asked
friends had—a Can-Am Maverick XMR.
an ATV safety instructor, said it was a
for the same thing: side-by-side ATVs so
This high-powered off-road vehicle seats
privilege to conduct her first training with
they could continue to enjoy Mississippi’s
two people and can go just about
Chastain and Steed in the class.
wild places with their dads.
anywhere.
Though they had never met before their
Extension M AT T E R S 7
“They’ve worked hard to get to this point in their recovery, and their wishes aren’t just about what they want, but about their families, too,” Austin says. “Like most young men their age, they have experience riding ATVs, but it’s incredibly important for them to learn about safety, how to ride properly, and the gear they must wear. We’re so excited for them to get their new machines, but we want them to be safe.” Both Steed and Chastain have medical teams that understand their passion for hunting, fishing, and sports. “I push myself,” Chastain says with a grin. “I’m having to shoot right-handed because of the chemo port on my left side. I can’t pull back my bow, so I’ve had to use a cross-bow, but I’m still going to hunt. When I told my doctor I needed to finish up treatment so I could go duck hunting, she laughed.” Chastain is in the last phase of an experimental treatment. He is most concerned about the impact treatment has had on his joints. The new ATV will help him pursue his interests with less physical impact.
Jacob Chastain
8 Extension M AT T E R S
Steed’s mom, Gloria, showers praise on everyone who has helped her son through this major challenge, from the outstanding medical professionals at Batson to everyone who participated in a fundraising benefit to the military veterans who visited him in the hospital. “Megan at Make-A-Wish is fantastic,” she says. “She told us to call Larry Alexander with the Extension Service, because she knew we could get the ATV safety training Bradley needed for free. It was the last hurdle he had to jump to make his wish come true. I just can’t tell you how much we appreciate Extension for making this possible.” At the training, she watched her son ride past her with the other students, diligently following the instructions provided by Austin. She cheered him on and snapped photos. “Bradley has said all along that God’s got us in his hands, that he gives us the strength we need, and I believe that God has made all of this possible for both of these boys,” she concludes. “They have been so sick and been through so much. These boys deserve to have their wishes come true.”
Bradley Steed
Extension M AT T E R S 9
GARDENING AGAIN Pine Belt Master Gardeners Get Longtime Gardener ‘BACK IN THE DIRT’ Story by leah barbour
• PhotoS by Kevin hudSon
Eight years ago, Hattiesburg pharmacist Jim Murray gave up gardening because his knees gave out and doctors told him his days of keeping flower beds and cultivating his home garden were over. However, he has returned to gardening thanks to the Pine Belt Master Gardeners’ salad table project. The Pine Belt Master Gardeners include residents from Lamar and Forrest counties. They are part of a network of Mississippians who have attended horticulture training offered by the Mississippi State University Extension Service and earned their Master Gardener certification. “I had always gardened before my knees gave way,” Murray explains. “I always had fresh flower gardens and fresh vegetables growing in my yard, but I had to stop all of that—even
Jim Murray, Hattiesburg pharmacist
mowing my own yard—and all the other outdoor things I had enjoyed doing for so many years.”
10 Extension M AT T E R S
Extension M AT T E R S 1
Murray, a Purvis resident, first began
in 2014. She told her cousin that the
summer harvests of fresh foods, he
having problems with his knees in 2007
Master Gardeners were building and
immediately started thinking about what
after he fell in a parking lot on his way to
distributing the tables to serve the
to plant in the winter garden.
a Mississippi State University football
community.
tailgate. “I was coming through the band hall
While the Master Gardeners donate
Murray decided he needed his own table some of the salad tables to local soon after his cousin asked him to help
organizations and businesses, the group
parking lot, and my legs just gave way.
harvest her table while she was out of
also builds the tables for a small fee. When
Then I fell again. It took me 45 minutes to
town.
Murray bought his two salad tables, the
pass through the lot and get to the
“She had her lettuce started and said,
price funded two additional tables.
tailgate,” he explains. “After I got home
‘Come by and pick some because I’m going
and went to the doctor, he asked me,
to be gone on a trip,’” Murray remembers.
a salad table, the Master Gardeners are
‘Where’s your wheelchair? Where’s your
“So I came back and picked lettuce and
able to make two, one of which goes to a
cane? What meds are you taking?’”
helped take care of it while she was gone.
wounded warrior,” Murray says. “With the
It was so easy for me, I knew I had to have
table, the wounded warriors can do
my own table.”
something outside with their hands in the
Murray wasn’t using anything at all to assist his walking, but the doctor explained that Murray’s knee bones were rubbing
“Mr. Cavanaugh told me, when you buy
He contacted Pine Belt Master Gardener dirt. They can get out there and garden.”
bare against each other. His doctors
Paul Cavanaugh, active member and recent
recommended pain relief, a series of
organization president, to request a table,
that it drew the attention of the
surgeries, and continued rehabilitation,
and the rest is history.
International Master Gardeners. At its
and Murray thought his days of gardening and digging were over.
“For anybody with any kind of limited
The salad table project is so popular
September conference in Council Bluffs,
mobility, these tables are an advantage,”
Iowa, the Pine Belt Master Gardeners
Murray says. “The doctor told me not to
accepted the international second place
Pine Belt Master Gardeners’ salad tables,
get down on my knees again, but now I’m
award in the Search for Excellence
he realized that they could allow him to
able to get out, plant plants, work in the
Program. The Mississippi group was
garden without disobeying doctors’ orders.
dirt, pick my vegetables, and enjoy the
selected for its dedication to constructing,
The shallow, raised beds enable people
meal. These tables have given me back
donating, and teaching clients with special
with wheelchairs, walkers, or other
something that had been taken away.”
needs to use the tables.
However, once Murray discovered the
mobility challenges to grow vegetables and herbs without having to bend over.
Not only are the salad tables basically
“The Pine Belt Master Gardeners greatly
weed-free, but they are also functional in
appreciate this formal recognition of the
full sun, shade, or any combination of the
salad table project,” Cavanaugh
volunteer Vickie Foster, happened to have
two. Murray planted several types of
emphasizes. “But the smiles and thanks
a salad table at her home, and Murray
lettuce, summer squash, and a variety of
from those who have benefited from the
immediately noticed it when he visited her
herbs in his salad table garden. After the
tables have been our inspiration.”
Murray’s cousin, Master Gardener
Extension M AT T E R S 11
MISSISSIPPI SHINES Commerce, and the Mississippi Farm Bureau, hosted the Spotlight State building at the Sunbelt Ag Expo, North
as Spotlight State at Sunbelt Ag Expo
America’s premier farm show, in October 2015.
PhotoS by Kevin hudSon and Kat lawrenCe
The MSU Extension Service, along with Alcorn State University, the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and
More than 50 Extension employees and other sponsor representatives volunteered their expertise to staff Mississippi’s “Sweeter in Mississippi” displays. In addition to offering sugarcane, fried catfish, Alcorn State’s soy nut cookies, MSU’s Edam cheese, wild-caught shrimp, and sweet potato cake bites and biscuits, volunteers shared bags of Mississippi rice and showed attendees Maggie, the milkable demonstration cow. MSU President Mark E. Keenum, above center, and Extension Director Gary Jackson, above right, said they appreciated the opportunity to share Mississippi’s No. 1 industry, agriculture, with the wide range of participants. Mississippi Farmer of the Year Allen Eubanks, above left, cut the ribbon to open the Spotlight State display for the thousands of Sunbelt Ag Expo attendees as Dr. Ivory Lyles, Dean and Director of Land-Grant Programs at Alcorn State, above far left, looks on.
12 Extension M AT T E R S
Agriculture-related technology, including tractors, trucks, and farm equipment, were on display for all participants. Mississippi welcomed visitors with educational displays, delicious food, and friendly staff to meet and greet the thousands who toured the Spotlight State building.
Extension M AT T E R S 13
BRIDGING THE GAP 4-H programs develop life skills, influence positive career paths Story by nathan GreGory
14 Extension M AT T E R S
• PhotoS by Kevin hudSon
Marisa Laudadio, 4-H member
M arisa Laudadio says she was once reluctant to come out of her shell.
“I was self-conscious and shy because I
Her résumé of leadership roles and
thought my peers knew more about the
academic achievements is longer than that
outside world than I did,” she says. “4-H is
of many college graduates. She has logged
school graduate looking forward to
a very team-oriented organization, and I
more than 900 hours of community
beginning her studies at Mississippi State
eventually found it easier to force myself to
service at the county and state level, served
University in political science and
engage others.
as a 4-H legislative page in the Mississippi
Now she is a highly accomplished high
communication. She credits her experience
“That experience taught me that, just by
Senate, represented 4-H at the state capitol
as a member of the 4-H Youth
being friendly, I can make people around
for Legislative Day four times, served as a
Development program not only with
me happier. I realized a lot of my
member of the organization’s Healthy
helping her develop social and life skills,
insecurities were unfounded, and my
Living roundtable and the National Youth
but also with unlocking her passion for
confidence continued to build as I became
Leadership team, and attended
serving others and helping her discover her
more active in 4-H activities.”
Mississippi’s American Legion Auxiliary
life’s purpose.
Given the choice to stay in 4-H or leave
Girls State Program in 2015.
This summer marks the end of the
when she moved with her family to
Minnesota native’s 13-year tenure in the
Walnut, Laudadio realized that 4-H
served as president of the Senate and was
youth development and mentoring
provided her so many opportunities that
named Outstanding Citizen of her city as
organization of the MSU Extension
she should remain a member and become
well as overall Outstanding Citizen of the
Service. She joined her older brothers as a
even more involved.
entire camp.
At Magnolia Girls State, Laudadio
4-H Cloverbud in 2003 when she was a 5year-old homeschooled youngster who wanted to make friends.
Linda Laudadio, left, encouraged her children, Daniel, Marisa, and Anna Lisa, to be involved in 4-H.
Extension M AT T E R S 15
She has also worked on political
leadership, she likes it all,” Jackson-Banks
campaigns in Mississippi, Arkansas,
emphasizes. “She demonstrates outstanding
Kentucky, and West Virginia. Laudadio has
leadership skills at all times. Marisa is an
also toured the U.S. Supreme Court and
outstanding written and oral
visited Marine Corps Base Quantico.
communicator.
Laudadio, a member of the MSU Extension 4-H Ambassador Program, is
“The love she has for 4-H has afforded her opportunities to participate in several high-profile 4-H events. Marisa represented
“4-H is a very team-oriented organization.” —Marisa Laudadio
Mississippi at the 2014 4-H National Conference. She did an awesome job in her roundtable,” Jackson-Banks continues. “Marisa is an excellent teacher, and she enjoys doing hands-on activities. I am proud of her and all she has accomplished.”
working to implement “Thank a Veteran,”
Through the many opportunities
a program she has developed that involves
Laudadio has had in representing
collecting and donating care packages with
Mississippi and 4-H, she has discovered
hand-written thank-you notes to people
how much she cares about the
who have served in the military.
governmental process.
Martha Jackson-Banks, assistant
“I have developed a passion for
Extension professor and 4-H youth
leadership and citizenship,” she says. “I
development specialist, considers Laudadio
want to hone my skills in those categories
one of the most well-rounded 4-H’ers that
and eventually work for a non-profit
she’s had the honor to work with.
organization or advocacy group. I want to
“There are so many components in 4-H
bridge the gap between the people and
that she has embraced. From livestock
politics, because I think doing so draws
judging to public speaking, to nutrition to
everyone together toward a common good.”
16 Extension M AT T E R S
Story by leah barbour PhotoS by Kevin hudSon is can-do, too. Roberto has been a mainstay throughout the process.” Helping rural Mississippians gain access to today’s technology is his job, and he loves it, Gallardo says. His success in Quitman is one of the peaks, but he’s presented in more than 20 other communities around the state to help connect rural Mississippians. To him, high-speed Internet access goes far beyond entertainment. It’s the future. “The Intelligent Community Forum is a worldwide think tank in New York City,” he explains. “It’s working to teach people how broadband can
Roberto Gallardo, director of the Intelligent Community Institute
make their lives better. In 2014, I submitted an application to show
W ith about 2,300 residents, Quitman is the smallest town in the
them that Extension can focus on bringing this message to rural
world to offer its residents 1 gigabit-per-second broadband.
communities.”
Local children, adults, and businesses have recently begun reaping
Extension’s Intelligent Community Institute was born. Using
the many benefits that high-speed Internet offers, says Quitman Mayor
information from other groups that have successfully bridged the
Eddie Fulton.
technology gap, Gallardo is able to help communities identify their
“Our connection is 100 times faster than the national average,” he
assets and needs as they work to transition into the digital age.
reveals. “Almost 1,900 Quitman residents, or more than 80 percent of
Gallardo helped provide leadership and direction in Quitman
our total population, have 1G service; it first went live in November
when the community first mobilized to pursue C Spire’s statewide
2014.
competition, “Fiber to Home.” Despite its small size, the city was
“It’s the connection everyone dreams of.”
one of the first 10 communities in Mississippi to gain access to fiber,
And every step of the way, the Mississippi State University Extension
Fulton says.
Service has been there to support, educate, and encourage Quitman leaders as they make changes, Fulton emphasizes. The mayor is telling anyone and everyone who’ll listen about Quitman’s success in bridging its former digital divide. He’s also quick
Though Gallardo was skeptical at first that the small town could beat bigger towns to get the coveted fiber connection, he quickly jumped on board when he saw leaders’ and residents’ determination to enter the digital age, Fulton says.
to credit Roberto Gallardo, an associate Extension professor and the
“People need a good workforce; their children need good
leader of Extension’s Intelligent Community Institute, part of the
schools; and we need a diversified community that has a can-do
worldwide Intelligent Community Forum.
attitude,” he explains. “Attitude is everything, and, with Roberto as
“Roberto comes in with a can-do attitude, and he wants us to be successful,” Fulton says. “The attitude in Quitman has changed and now
a support in our community, our local attitude is that we are a successful city.”
Extension M AT T E R S 17
Businesses are expanding, new ones are coming, and residents
Some other major initiatives Extension has overseen in Quitman
are actively participating in the global economy, Fulton says.
include a partnership with the public library that led to the placement
Quitman’s marketplace has already gone international as brick-and-
of a 3D printer. Children can now participate in activities related to
mortar stores have begun promoting and selling their wares online.
science, technology, engineering, and math that they otherwise would
One women’s clothing store, Simply Irresistible, has almost 9,000
not have had, Gallardo emphasizes.
followers on Instagram, and about 90 percent of its sales come from out of town, Fulton says. With 1G, the community is in a great position to develop itself as
Also, twenty hands-on workshops—ranging from computer and Internet basics to online job searching—reached more than 150 residents and small business owners.
a call center, Fulton says. More and more U.S.-based companies are
The E-Front Door program was recently piloted in Quitman. The
working to provide service from native English speakers, and Quitman
partnership, which included the MSU Department of Communication,
now has the resources in place to offer customer service to people
allowed university students to analyze Quitman’s online reputation.
all over the country.
Young people presented their findings to Quitman stakeholders to assist
Furthermore, Quitman children enjoy almost-immediate access to global educational resources. Teens are participating in simulated job
them in making decisions that will best improve their community’s quality of life.
interviews, and children’s early-reading readiness scores are among
Not only were Gallardo and his work in Quitman featured in WIRED
the highest in Mississippi, Fulton says. Reinforcing educational
magazine—which reaches an audience of around 3 million—but Gallardo
instruction with games, such as the popular Math Vs Zombies, is also
also recently told the world how he’s working for change in a popular
popular in local classrooms.
TedX Talk.
Gallardo’s work with the Intelligent Community Institute and Forum
“About a third of Mississippi’s residents do not have access to wireline
to bridge the digital divide has made him and the small Mississippi
broadband,” he says. “It’s in our DNA at Extension to get out there and
city he’s supporting well-known names in tech-savvy homes across
change lives. We are doing that by making Mississippians aware of what
the nation.
this technology can do for community economic development.”
n Read the WIRED article at http://www.wired.com/2015/11/the-land-that-the-internet-forgot/ n Watch Gallardo’s TEDx Talk at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFfTJn7u_oY
Gallardo helps Quitman Mayor Eddie Fulton print a dinosaur on the community’s popular 3D printer.
18 Extension M AT T E R S
Extension Grows Intelligent Community Institute The Intelligent Community Institute includes 1 Amory 2 Biloxi 3 Brookhaven 4 Carthage 5 Clarksdale 6 Clinton 7 Coffeeville 8 Eupora 9 Fulton 10 Indianola 11 Jackson 12 Lexington 13 Louise 14 McComb 15 Meridian 16 Oakland 17 Pass Christian 18 Pelahatchie 19 Poplarville 20 Quitman 21 Smithville 22 Starkville
The MSU Extension Service Intelligent Community Institute assists and educates rural communities entering the digital age. Developing broadband connectivity, workforce application, and long-term sustainability are just a few of the initiatives Extension promotes in ICI communities.
Extension M AT T E R S 19
CATCH OF THE DAY Gulf Coast shrimpers at Biloxi’s Sherman Canaan Back Bay Fishing Dock are ready for the shrimping season. The Mississippi State University Extension Service teaches shrimpers what to do in emergencies at sea and helps them market the thousands of pounds of shrimp they catch each season. Photo by Kevin hudSon
20 Extension M AT T E R S
Extension M AT T E R S 21
“The Extension Service is a very valuable resource to us.” —Tony Dantzler, row-crop farmer
22 Extension M AT T E R S
EXTENSION IN THE ROWS Successful production-agriculture operation thrives with Extension assistance Story by leah barbour
• PhotoS by Kevin hudSon
H e’s a locomotive engineer by night but
support, and expertise during the
we ran into a problem I didn’t understand
a row-crop farmer by day. And even
expansion as Dantzler and his brother,
or wasn’t familiar with.”
though Tony Dantzler doesn’t get much
Lamarcus “Billy Bob” Phillips, joined
sleep in his Artesia home, he is quick to
Pilkinton as full partners. Phillips, like
specialists have changed over the decades,
say he’s living his dream.
Dantzler, works at another job as a
but the research-based expertise provided by
Columbus Fire Department engineer, but
Extension continues to help Dantzler
do, you’ve got to have a passion for it.
the brothers agree, Extension agents help
maintain the farm’s profitability.
That’s what I’ve got, a love and a passion
them maintain their farm’s profitability.
Work through Challenges
“Wherever you work and whatever you
for my work—especially farming,” he
Dantzler relied on Extension assistance
emphasizes. “You have to stay the course.
almost from the very beginning of his
If you can do it, you’ll be rewarded.”
career, he says.
Dantzler’s whole life has been a study
The faces of the agricultural agents and
Pilkinton first received Extension
“My daddy worked on a farm pretty
assistance at his Artesia farm when agents
in hard work. He started his first job in
much all his life, and I grew up farming
provided a soil sampling. In the years that
1982 on Charlie Pilkinton’s Northeast
wheat and soybeans. I started working on
followed, Extension became his go-to service
Mississippi farm, and Pilkinton says
this farm when I was 12, and I’ve always
whenever unexpected challenges arose.
Dantzler’s dedicated work ethic motivated
been interested in farming—just fascinated
him to make Dantzler a partner.
with it,” Dantzler remembers. “Back then,
growing crops. Extension has always helped
I would call the Lowndes County
us whenever we had insect problems or
Extension agent, Brian Atkins, whenever
fungus problems,” Pilkinton says. “It’s
The Mississippi State University Extension Service has provided solutions,
“Extension helps when we have problems
Extension M AT T E R S 23
pretty hard to stay in the farming business,
“When we didn’t have a crop
right out to help,” Nevins says. “The key
and you need to use every resource
consultant, I would call the Lowndes
is to identify the problem and figure out
available to you to keep your farm
County Extension agent. He was very
what to do before it gets worse.”
profitable. The Extension Service is a very
helpful,” Dantzler recalls. “Over the last
valuable resource to us.”
few years, our county agent has changed to
specialists to help Dantzler address
Reid Nevins, and he’s really good. He’s
challenges. Whatever the issue may be,
many Golden Triangle farmers began
always willing to come out to the farm and
Nevins maintains his role is to help
growing corn. The need for an Extension
see if he can help us.”
farmers find the best ways to overcome it
Back in the 1990s, Pilkinton continues,
corn specialist developed, and after
In fact, Nevins is so immediately
Extension leadership consulted with the
accessible whenever Dantzler needs
local corn producers, Erick Larson was
assistance that Dantzler rarely visits
hired.
Nevins in his Extension office in
Pilkinton was quick to recommend the Extension Service to Dantzler when they began working together and questions or challenges arose.
Nevins also relies on Extension
and maintain profitability.
Partners in Support Whether it’s assisting with crop
Columbus. Nevins says that’s just how he
selection or providing technical assistance,
treats all his clients.
Extension provides the most up-to-date
“If clients are having problems—weed pressure or disease pressure—I’ll come
scientific information to assist farmers. Dantzler, Phillips, and Pilkinton Farms,
Dantzler, Phillips, and Pilkinton Farms co-owners, from left, Lamarcus Phillips, Tony Dantzler, and Charlie Pilkinton survey the fields with dog Drake.
24 Extension M AT T E R S
the co-owners agree, is one of many
“This year, one of the big themes was
you in the past could be outdated now. So,
production operations benefitting from the
how to survive this upcoming farm season
when you have a question, Extension
opportunity to partner with Extension in
with low commodity prices. Extension
agents are there to update you, and they
planting trial varieties.
made suggestions about things we can do
may be able to save you some money in the
to stay in business,” Dantzler says. “Also,
process.”
figure out which soybeans to plant. They
they talked about some corn varieties and
helped me tremendously,” Pilkinton says.
some soybean varieties, and which ones
Use Your Extension
“I first used Extension’s variety trials to
Dantzler agrees, adding that their farm has grown corn variety test plots during the past few years. “These variety test plots have been very good for us,” he says. “If we have any
farmers should consider for selection. We talked about drift control, too. “It was positive information that will help us during the next season.” Extension also provides farmers with
Dantzler recommends all Magnolia State farmers meet and get to know their Extension agent—it’s easy because Extension has local offices in all 82 counties.
questions about what’s going on, Reid is
the technology assistance they need to
always willing to come right out to see if
support the most efficient crop
there and help,” Dantzler emphasizes.
he can help us.”
production.
“They’re there in the good times, but,
Dantzler also recommends farmers take
“A lot of the time, farmers don’t get the
“Extension agents are eager to get out
then, everybody’s there in the good times.
advantage of Extension support offered
chance to learn all the latest information
Extension is there to help you make it in
annually at the Row Crop Short Course.
that’s out there,” Dantzler says. “Our
the bad times, too.
Producers learn more about a variety of
Extension agent is always up-to-date with
topics relevant to them, including
the latest information on technology that
chemical drift, insects, and disease.
helps farmers. What may have worked for
“Extension is always there for Mississippi farmers.”
Extension M AT T E R S 25
MSU EXTENSION DIRECTOR SELECTED FOR ELITE CONSERVATION CLUB Mississippi State University Extension Service Director Gary Jackson has become a professional member of the oldest
Ecology and former executive director of the Center for Resolving Human-Wildlife Conflicts. “Gary Jackson is a lifelong conservationist,” Cummins emphasizes.
conservation organization in North America. The Boone and Crockett Club promotes wildlife conservation and
“As director of Extension, he is a professional educator and provides
management, including sportsmanship, habitat protection, and
supervision and funding support for conservation. He promotes the values and ideals of the Boone and Crockett Club, and he is a major
responsible, ethical, and sustainable hunting. “It’s an honor to be accepted as a professional member of such a
advocate of public and private landowner conservation.”
highly respected wildlife conservation organization,” Jackson says. “My
Jackson joins 127 other professional members in the Boone and
nomination and selection reflects Extension’s longstanding
Crockett Club, the organization largely responsible for helping develop
commitment to natural resource conservation, education, and the
wildlife management practices, create national parks, and sponsor
advancement of science-based practices.”
other research, education, and policy initiatives that protect and
Jackson was proposed as a professional member by club members James Cummins, executive director of Wildlife Mississippi, and Bruce
support the natural environment. The club was founded by Theodore Roosevelt and George Bird Grinnell in 1887.
Leopold, retired MSU Sharp Distinguished Professor of Wildlife
EXTENSION APPOINTS NEW NUTRITION EDUCATION PROJECT DIRECTOR Sylvia Byrd was recently named the new project director for the Mississippi State University Extension Service Office of Nutrition Education. Byrd is committed to improving the nutrition and health of low-resource households. She emphasizes that Extension’s Office of Nutrition Education works statewide to improve health and build strong, vibrant children, families, and communities. Providing food security in low-resource households is one of Byrd’s major goals. She will work closely with the Mississippi Department of Human Services to ensure successful implementation of the program. Byrd, a licensed and registered dietitian, has been a member of the MSU faculty since 1994, where she taught as a professor and directed the Didactic Program in Nutrition and Dietetics in the Department of Food Science, Nutrition, and Health Promotion. Originally from North Carolina, Byrd completed her bachelor’s degree at Appalachian State University and her doctorate in nutrition from MSU.
26 Extension M AT T E R S
JIMMY BRYAN 4-H YOUTH COMPLEX DONATED TO EXTENSION Mississippi State University Extension Service representatives, led
A one-mile nature trail, the same trail used for ATV activities,
by Director Gary Jackson, recently accepted a generous donation from
enables visitors to see amphibians, birds, squirrels, and evidence of
the 4-H Foundation of Mississippi for the 63-acre multipurpose
other small mammals and deer. The trail has several acres of nesting
Jimmy Bryan 4-H Youth Complex in West Point. “We really appreciate the 4-H Foundation for donating to us this
and bedding areas for wildlife and runs through upland oaks, pines, Savannah grass, and bottomland hardwood.
property,” Jackson says. “We appreciate 4-H Youth Development
The riding and activity center houses therapeutic riding classes for
Program Associate Director Dr. Paula Threadgill, longtime
a variety of participants, and the 4-H shooting range is used for
development officer Mr. Jud Skelton, and 4-H Youth Development
archery, air rifle, and air pistol target shooting. The environmental
Specialist Mr. Larry Alexander for helping us secure this gift that will
center for conservation and environmental programs has a covered
help us better serve 4-H. We’re looking forward to the growth of that
outdoor pavilion.
facility.”
The ATV training center provides an outdoor classroom for the
The complex features a nature trail, the Elizabeth A. Howard 4-H
lecture portion of the ATV Rider Course. The center also includes a
Therapeutic Riding and Activity Center, the 4-H shooting range, the
training pad for ATV lessons and a mile-long trail through a 14-acre
Southern Ionics 4-H Environmental Center, and the Mississippi Farm
wooded area.
Bureau 4-H ATV Training Center.
For use of the property, contact the Clay County Extension Office at 662.494.5371.
EXTENDING KNOWLEDGE • CHANGING LIVES Extension M AT T E R S 27
“Extension is adding good life to people’s years all across the state.” —Jacob Megehee, cattle producer
28 Extension M AT T E R S
STILL GOING STRONG Leadership
Extension continues assisting one of Mississippi’s most successful beef producers Story by leah barbour
Family
• PhotoS by Kevin hudSon
alcoholic drink and a chair. They’re happy for you to relax, sit back, and listen to
Beef cattle producer Jacob “Jake”
He’s a man dedicated to God and his
Megehee identifies cattle producers’ needs
wife, Martha. Their three children, Alison
and publicizes them at the highest levels.
Palmiter, Paul Megehee, and Maria
Elected officials and fellow cattlemen all
Megehee, are already grown, but they
over the country respect his personal
remain close to their parents. Alison lives
success raising and selling beef cattle
with her husband in New Market,
through Megehee Cattle Company.
Alabama, and their three children, Paige,
Service
Lauren, and Cara. Paul and his wife live in Scottsboro, Alabama, with their children
He spent seven years on active duty, serving one year in Vietnam and three years in Europe. An Army helicopter pilot,
Jacob and Claire, while Maria, the youngest, lives in Franklin, Tennessee. “We must give God the credit for all
their love story. Highlights will no doubt include how their mutual devotion and hard work have been the foundation of their long-term success, including their: n Fifty-two years of marriage. n Life in Europe while Jacob was an
Army helicopter pilot. n Macon home they built and Martha
painted, decorated, and landscaped. n Development and expansion of one of
he received 27 medals. In order of
the joy that we have,” Jake emphasizes.
precedence, they are the Silver Star, the
“We’re Southern Baptists, and we’ve been
beef cattle production operations in
Distinguished Flying Cross, the Bronze
at First Baptist Church of Macon a long
Mississippi.
Star, five Purple Heart medals, one Air
time, where Martha has been the piano
Medal with Valor device, 19 Air Medals,
accompanist for 41 years, and she plays
and other medals “just for being there,”
the violin and organ.”
Jake says. He went on to serve 22 more years in
Just drive out to Macon, and turn up
the most successful private quality
n Years of working with Extension
agents and receiving education, support, and expertise in agriculture, family consumer sciences, and 4-H.
the gravel drive to survey the rolling cow
the National Guard and Army Reserves.
pasture as you approach the beautifully
He commanded the 75th Field Hospital in
landscaped yard in front of the house.
Alabama at Tuscaloosa, Huntsville, and
Walk through the doors of the Megehee’s
Montgomery. He participated in Desert
spacious, pleasant home, and Jacob and
Shield/Desert Storm before he retired as a
Martha will immediately offer you a non-
full Colonel.
Extension M AT T E R S 29
Growing up with Extension Jake’s earliest memory of the Extension
and we lost one of those grafts. But it’s
his parents, but he was also a proud 4-H’er
still there, growing in the yard.”
as soon as he was old enough to join the
His parents always attended Extension’s
MSU Extension 4-H Youth Development
Service is a grafting session led by agent
Farm and Home Week at MSU. Both
Program. His parents had beef and dairy
J. M. Sinclair at his childhood home in
college graduates, they valued receiving the
cattle, as well as hogs, and he was
Pearl River County. He grafted four
most up-to-date information in
enthusiastic about showing livestock.
varieties of camellias onto a single bush for
agricultural technology and home
a total of five different stunning blooms. It
management.
was planted in the Megehees’ yard.
“My parents brought that technology
Jake learned leadership in 4-H: he was a state officer, attended 4-H Club Congress four times, and went to Washington, D.C.,
“Now, I get teary-eyed when I tell this,
home, not just in production agriculture
twice—all before his senior year of high
but every time I go back and the camellias
and home making,” Jake remembers. “It
school even began.
are blooming, I see that plant in my
was in community and organization
mother’s yard that the Extension Service
activities—keeping your churches alive and
capitol, the associate Extension director
planted, and I remember that
well, helping to keep your cemeteries well
asked Jake to visit Mississippi Sen. John C.
demonstration J. M. Sinclair gave on
maintained, training your elected officials
Stennis, a Democrat who served from 1947
grafting plants,” Jake says.
to govern better, and keeping your farms,
until 1989. At first, Jake was nervous that
“There were five varieties of camellias
families, and communities alive and well.
his roommate had gotten into trouble.
on that bush, but it only has four kinds of
So you see, Extension has always played a
However, when he went to Stennis’s office,
blooms now because when Hurricane
major role in our lives.”
Jake discovered something very different
Camille came through in 1969, it blew a large pine tree down across that camellia,
30 Extension M AT T E R S
Not only did Jake meet and work with the Extension agents who were assisting
During his final 4-H trip to the nation’s
was going on.
“Senator Stennis said, ‘We’re having
Mississippi to earn her bachelor’s in
country, and world. I got shot five times,
problems getting funding for the Extension
elementary education. She graduated at 20
but I was always over open terrain and
Service. Would you go with me and visit
and began teaching first-grade at Pearl River
never put a scratch on the helicopter.
the Secretary of Agriculture? You’re just a
Central, then second- and third-grades at
farm youth that comes from humble
Bertie-Rouse Elementary in Picayune.
beginnings, and you’ve seen the value of
After Jake graduated, he went to the
“I flew 2,004 combat hours in a medical evacuation helicopter in 50 weeks. That averages to about six hours per day.
the Extension Service. So, would you go
Army and started piloting helicopters.
with me?’” Jake recalls. “We spent the
During flight school, he married Martha,
entire morning with the Secretary of
who was his best friend in high school, and
22 more years, in the National Guard and
Agriculture. I got a really nice letter about
he was stationed in Germany for the next
then the Army Reserves. During that time,
six months later from him that said
three years.
he completed his master’s degree at MSU
funding had come through, and he appreciated our input. “It’s a perfect example of what we can
“I flew helicopters all over Europe, and I got to see cows, cows, and cows,” Jake says.
God has always blessed me immensely.” Once active duty was over, Jake served
in agricultural economics. After the family bought a farm in
“I would see these remote dairy farms that
Macon, Martha began substituting at
do in a free, democratic society. You can
were in the mountains. Then, on the
Central Academy. She spent several years
drag a little country boy right up to the
weekends, we would drive out and look at
with homemaking as her primary duty
Secretary of Agriculture and voice how
them.”
before returning to work with the
your community and your county is
After Germany, Jake was stationed in
Mississippi Department of Human
receiving benefits from the Extension
Vietnam. He was wounded five different
Services, where she worked for 23 years as
Service.”
times.
the supervisor for economic assistance.
Becoming a beef producer
“I know it sounds bad, but I had a bullet go in here and a scar across here,” he explains, gesturing to his chest. “I never
Jake went to MSU to earn his bachelor’s
She completed a mission trip to Poland, where she helped teach Bible school. “Now, this is the beauty of a wife: She
missed a day of flying. You know, you learn
looks at things logically. The smartest
degree in dairy production, but Martha,
that in 4-H: that you do your best for your
thing I ever did was marrying Martha. She
known before marriage as Martha Anne
fellow man, your club, community,
was just 20 when she graduated from the
Sones, went to University of Southern
Extension M AT T E R S 31
In the (cattle) fields... Martha is an active member of the l
Mississippi CattleWomen’s Association.
l
Alabama CattleWomen’s Association.
l
American National CattleWomen.
Jake is an active member of the
University of Southern Mississippi in
However, with 700 head of beef cattle
elementary education,” Jake says. “And she
and three children at home, the time had
wasn’t going to do dairy.”
come for a break. He accepted a teaching
“No,” Martha laughs. “I wanted a life,
job at East Mississippi Community College
and when you dairy, you’re up in the
and started focusing on growing his
middle of the night and you’re up all day
business, and Extension was with him
long. Then you have to come home and
every step of the way.
take a nap because you’ve got to do it again. So we do beef instead.” The Megehee’s children participated in
“There’s always a specialist from Extension giving classes, and Martha always goes. I’d say Martha probably
l
Mississippi Cattlemen’s Association.
l
Louisiana Cattlemen’s Association.
l
Alabama Cattlemen’s Association.
l
Mississippi Beef Board.
l
National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.
Not only has Jake served as Mississippi Cattlemen’s Association President, he was also a member of the association’s steering committee. He currently serves on the nominating committee of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Federation, a 10member group that approves $46.8 million of the beef checkoff fund collected from producers to promote and research beef. Jake was inducted into the 2016 Mississippi Cattlemen’s Association Hall of Fame in February.
phone call are for horticulture, and Extension helps them, too.” Martha is enrolled in Master Gardener
4-H activities as soon as they were old
knows as much as any cattle producer in
training, a popular volunteer program with
enough. They showed livestock,
this state just because she goes to all the
college-level training for individuals
participated in 4-H camps, and completed
classes,” Jake says. “We in the cattle
interested in horticulture. Not only do
service projects.
business, in the Mississippi Cattlemen’s
Master Gardeners help beautify and
Association, in the Farm Bureau, rely
maintain their own gardens, but they also
heavily on Extension.
offer volunteer services to assist in
Jake began managing MSU’s South Farm, known today as the H.H. Leveck Animal Research Center. He became the
“Extension agents are out there helping.
beautifying their communities. Extension Service agents and specialists
director of services for the Mississippi
I was in there just yesterday,” Jake muses,
Agricultural and Forestry Experiment
“and I was amazed at the number of
help anyone facing a challenge, whether
Station. He also flew helicopters and fixed
phone calls they were getting from people
it’s related to a lawn, a rose bush, or cattle
wing-aircraft for MSU.
whose tomatoes aren’t doing well. Most
marketing, Jake says.
32 Extension M AT T E R S
“Extension, in providing this help to these people—it’s really adding to the
Southeast Mississippi Livestock Auction,
Extension beef cattle specialists will
and Megehee’s best cattle.
promote the event appropriately. He says
quality of life that people have. Maybe they
“This piece was shown on Farmweek,
Extension personnel are well qualified to
aren’t adding years to their lives, but they
and it appeared several times on RFD-TV.
screen the cattle for sale and generate the
are adding life to their years,” Jake
Many beef producers in several states saw
interest necessary to ensure that sale prices
emphasizes. “That’s the best way to say it:
the fine presentation Extension created,
will benefit producers.
Extension is adding good life to people’s
and they have started programs similar to
From the livestock shows Extension
years all across the state of Mississippi.”
Mississippi’s Homeplace Producers Board
produces to the online video marketing of
Sale,” Jake explains. “Many people speak to
Mississippi beef cattle, Extension is using
me at National Cattlemen Beef Association
its research to ensure beef production
meetings, and they have seen me on TV
continues to be successful for farmers
promoting sale of cattle on the Internet by
across the state, he says.
Impacting Mississippi and beyond One new Extension program is having major results for Mississippi beef
the Extension Service.”
producers, Jake says. The Homeplace
“Extension people are salt-of-the-earth
The video-marketing piece continues
people. When you have an emergency in
Producers Board Sale is a cooperative effort
being played all over the country, Jake says.
the community, those are the people who
led by Extension, including producers,
Even when he recently visited San Diego,
show up to help,” Jake says. “They keep the
livestock marketers, and representatives of
California, Jake was approached by at least
rural churches alive and going. They make
Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation,
20 producers who had seen it, and they all
sure the little local volunteer fire
Mississippi Beef Cattle Improvement
had great things to say about beef cattle
department and staff get the equipment
Association, and the Mississippi
production in Mississippi.
they need, including the fire trucks. They
Cattlemen’s Association.
“I take great pleasure in letting the
Farmweek, Mississippi’s oldest and only
Extension Director Dr. Gary Jackson know
locally produced agricultural news show, is
how diligently his fellow workers are in
produced by Extension. Megehee credits
making good things happen in our beef
lead anchor Leighton Spann for the
cattle industry,” Jake says. “We can praise
production of a nationally relevant piece
the Extension Service all day long.”
that featured interviews with beef producers, videos of cattle, clips from the
Silver Star Gallantry in action against an enemy
keep the little community cemetery taken care of. “Extension keeps the community going—that’s all there is to it.”
When Jake prepares beef cattle for sale in state venues, he is confident that
diStinGuiShed FlyinG CroSS Heroism while participating in an aerial flight
bronZe Star
PurPle heart
air medal*
Heroic achievement or service, not during aerial flight, in an action against an enemy
Wounded in action against an enemy
Meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight
* Megehee also earned an air medal with valor for exceptional valor while participating in aerial flight. Extension M AT T E R S 33
MISSISSIPPI MASTER NATURALISTS Experiencing Mississippi like never before
PhotoS by Kevin hudSon
1
2
3
4
34 Extension M AT T E R S
Volunteers in Extension’s Master Naturalist program are receiving scientific, research-based instruction to learn about all of Mississippi’s natural wonders and how to share their knowledge with others.
5
The Mississippi Master Naturalists are: n Creating educational materials and resources. n Teaching adults and children about natural areas. n Giving demonstrations and presentations to local groups. n Assisting in the management of local natural areas. n Providing technical assistance to natural resource
organizations. n Helping people better understand and appreciate their
natural environment. n Encouraging environmental stewardship. n Building friendships and working relationships with others
who love Mississippi’s natural world.
1. Susan Thompson draws wildlife in the Pinecote Pavilion pond at Extension’s Crosby Arboretum in Picayune. 2. The caterpillar of a black swallowtail butterfly, Papilio polyxenes, crawls up a Water cowbane, Oxypolis filiformis, at Crosby Arboretum.
3. This bald cypress, Taxodium distichum, at Crosby Arboretum is just one of the many trees the Master Naturalist volunteers identified during their field trip there. 4. Jill Mirkovich and Margaret Waterson compare notes on the Crosby Arboretum hike.
5. Coastal Mississippi Master Naturalists, led by assistant Extension professor Eric Sparks, include Ray Tipton, Jim Ingram,
Loraine Hughes, Jimbo Meador, Mike Ramsey, Vicky Foster, Jeffery Green, Josh McNiel, Hugh Bodden, and Susan Thompson. On their boat ride along the Gulf Coast, they identified moon jellyfish, Aurelia aurita; comb jellies, Ctenophora spp.; Atlantic croaker, Micropogonias undulates; Gafftopsail catfish, Bagre marinus; white trout, Cynoscion arenarius; and brief squid, Lolliguncula brevis.
6. The class of volunteers identified wildflowers during the Crosby Arboretum field trip.
Learn more about the program at http://masternaturalist.msucares.com/
6
Extension M AT T E R S 35
MANAGING THE GARDEN Tree Farmer of the Year collaborates with Extension by nathan GreGory
Bobby Watkins, Mississippi Forestry Association 2015 Tree Farmer of the Year
36 Extension M AT T E R S
• PhotoS by Kevin hudSon
B obby Watkins’s selection as the
“Since then, I’ve worked closely with
Part of the requirements for Watkins’s
Mississippi Forestry Association’s 2015
Extension on several projects,” Watkins
farm to achieve certification included his
Tree Farmer of the Year was the
says. “All the decisions we’ve made on
incorporating a technique known as
culmination of a career in forestry and a
proper management of Coontail Farm
quality vegetation management, or QVM,
lifetime commitment to his family tree
have been based on recommendations and
with Extension. QVM involves using
research from the Extension Service, and
prescribed fire and herbicide to encourage
the quality and value of the property has
the growth of natural vegetation to create
improved. I think the easiest way to avoid
additional deer forage. A team of MSU
a major long-term mistake when facing a
students collected plant samples to
decision that could affect the next 20 to
determine the quality and amount of
30 years in the life of your property is
forage produced. Over time, the QVM
seeking expert advice from researchers and
treatment produced abundant forages
agents with MSU Extension.”
because it removed low-quality hardwood
farm in Aberdeen. The Mississippi State University alumnus and retired forestry technical specialist for BASF now dedicates most of his time and resources to overseeing and maintaining Coontail Farm. The 240-acre plot is known in Northern Mississippi not only for its loblolly pine
The family began converting the land to
brush.
timber production, but also for its wildlife-
forest in 1986 when pine trees were
friendly habitat for hunting and fishing.
planted and the land was enrolled in the
another study on land set aside for trials.
The farm even functions as an educational
Conservation Reserve Program. About 20
He thinned pines at different levels of
model for aspiring landowners. Watkins’s
years later, the plot became a certified tree
growth to observe the resulting effects on
mother, Martha Bourland, inherited the
farm. Obtaining that status requires a
wildlife habitat.
land from her father, Amos Rye, and
written forest management plan that
shared it with her children, including
reflects the landowner’s objectives for the
the theory that, if you take out a lot of
Watkins’s brother, Richard, and his sister,
property, his or her knowledge of natural
trees and open more of the stand up to
resources, and a sustainable strategy for
sunlight, you create more habitat for
protecting both.
wildlife,” Kushla says. “You’ve got to have
Martha Jane—both also MSU graduates. The land has been in the family for four generations. Rye purchased the tract in the 1950s and grew soybeans and cotton on most of it. It was during that same decade that Watkins’s family first consulted with the MSU Extension Service for advice on the cotton acres they were managing.
“We have a lot of tree farmers in the
Watkins worked with Kushla to conduct
“The study helped provide credibility to
a wildlife objective in timber management
state who don’t have written management
to justify more thinning to promote a
plans,” explains Extension Forestry
wildlife habitat. We were able to show that
Specialist John Kushla. “To be certified,
this balance is beneficial for both the
there has to be some plan that a third
continued growth and the quality of the
party can inspect showing the property is
timber as well as the wildlife habitat.”
being managed in a sustainable manner.”
Extension M AT T E R S 37
for landowners as they consider their
of the Year. Hughey says Watkins’s
between Extension and Watkins. He now
objectives when they thin their pine
practices are designed to improve the
regularly hosts many educational
plantations. It also provides economic data
environmental quality of the area.
Extension programs.
on the value of the trees that are left
This collaboration is just one of many
“We’ve hosted several courses on Bobby’s land—mostly thinning, burning,
standing. “We’ve also consulted with Extension
“Bobby has used his family’s farm on many occasions to show other landowners how you can take a spot of land, put some
and general management workshops,”
on the general management of our farm,”
time and care into it, and manage it to
Kushla remembers. “There is a
he adds. “After moving into the CRP
help it produce both a healthy forest and a
combination of indoor and outdoor
(Conservation Reserve Program), that
variety of wildlife,” Hughey says. “He was
instruction in these courses. The students
contact and advice became much more
the one who first began the QVM practice
measure trees and use data to determine
important in looking at all the parameters
and has implemented it throughout his
whether a pine stand is ready for thinning.
of forest management.”
pine plantations with great results. He is
We’ve done forestry and wildlife field days
Monroe County Extension agriculture
very adamant about improving the habitat
there, where people who are learning to
and natural resources agent Randall
for a variety of wildlife through spraying,
manage property of their own look at
Nevins has also worked alongside Watkins
burning, and thinning.”
management aspects.
as a colleague in the county’s forestry
MFA’s selection of Watkins as
association, and he has taken timber
Mississippi’s Tree Farmer of the Year makes
balance you want to see between timber
buyers to Watkins’s land for educational
him eligible for national recognition
and wildlife management.”
programs.
through the National Forest Landowners
“Bobby’s farm is the ideal model for the
Watkins’s property has also played host
“He’s always been good about letting us
Association. But for Watkins, taking care
to many garden clubs and is open to
go out there and teach the public how to
of the land is not about titles but about his
groups for tours. He reaches out to the
take care of property and how to manage
family—both the ones who invested in the
public through social media to provide
timber. He’s taken what he’s learned and
land before him and the ones who will
information about how proper wildlife and
turned it into a good workshop for anyone
come after him.
timber management affects both air and
else who wants to do something similar,”
water quality.
Nevins says. “You can see how well-
to manage the garden,” Watkins says.
managed it is as soon as you step foot on
“That’s why trying to preserve the quality
relationship with John. He’s been behind
it. He has been a big asset to the county,
of the air, water, and habitat for wildlife
studies looking at the thinning of trees
and we can always count on him to help
has always been important to me. The
and the impact of thinning regimes on
us.”
Extension Service has played a significant
“I have an excellent working
wildlife habitat conditions,” Watkins says. “His study helped provide definite numbers
38 Extension M AT T E R S
Fellow forester Michael Hughey of
“I’d say it’s our God-given responsibility
role in helping me improve the quality of
Smithville was one of several who
the land that has been so dear to our
nominated Watkins for State Tree Farmer
family for many years.”
Extension M AT T E R S 39
NONPROFIT ORG. US Postage PAID Tupelo, MS Permit No. 290
Box 9625 Mississippi State, MS 39762
www.msucares.com
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Page 28
STILL GOING STRONG BY LEAH BARBOUR
• PHOTO BY KEVIN HUDSON
Cattle producers Jacob and Martha Megehee explain how Extension has assisted them in becoming nationally known and respected.