Mississippi LandMarks January 2015 by Mississippi State University Extension Service

Volume 10, Number 4

JANUARY 2015

Evaluating the Migratory Bird Habitat Initiative … page 20 Research, Education, and Extension in the Division of Agriculture, Forestry, and Veterinary Medicine

• • • Mississippi State University

Contents On the Cover

Joe Lancaster, a graduate student in the College of Forest Resources, releases a female mallard that has been fitted with a sensor as part of the Migratory Bird Habitat Initiative. (Photo by Ken Goss)

Celebrating Extension MSU President Mark Keenum delivered the 2014 Seaman A. Knapp Memorial Lecture in Washington, D.C.

Pure Sweet Potatoes A partnership between MSU and commercial producers ensures quality sweet potato seeds.

Centennial Fields An MSU agronomist is 10 years into a 100-year crop rotation study in Stoneville.

Efficient Irrigation MSU research and Extension efforts are focusing on preserving an important alluvial aquifer.

One Health CVM students study tropical veterinary medicine and its role in the One Health Initiative.

Poultry Teaching, Research, Extension, and Diagnostics The MSU Department of Poultry Science supports Mississippi’s top agricultural commodity.

Parchman Poultry MSU Extension poultry specialists are addressing a growing fly and mosquito problem at the Mississippi State Penitentiary.

Sheltering Migratory Birds Wildlife researchers are evaluating the effectiveness of the Migratory Bird Habitat Initiative.

MSU Fellowships MSU students and faculty members are engaging in global learning, research, and outreach programs that increase food security, alleviate hunger, and strengthen the economies of emerging countries.

Landscape Symposium Top talent in the worlds of landscape architecture, design, horticulture, and environmental stewardship visited MSU.

County Profile Alcorn County is home to Corinth, which was originally called “Cross City” for its location at the crossroads of two railroads.

News Notes The division takes note of faculty and staff accomplishments.

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Wood Protection A new scholarship in the College of Forest Resources will support research to protect wood from deterioration.

Vice President’s Letter As we begin a new year, we celebrate the accomplishments of our students, faculty, staff, and stakeholders. This fall, the Division of Agriculture, Forestry, and Veterinary Medicine (DAFVM) hosted 10 officials from the Environmental Protection Agency charged by President Obama’s June memo to protect pollinators. These officials came to Mississippi to learn more about our voluntary Honey Bee Stewardship Program. Along with our partners—the Mississippi Beekeepers Association, Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation, Mississippi Agricultural Aviation Association, Mississippi Agricultural Consultants Association, Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce, and Delta Council—we hosted tours in the north Delta. Stops included properties with existing bee yards, including the farms of Patrick Swindoll and his father, Tommy Swindoll, and those of Matson and Bowen Flowers. Entomologists Dr. Angus Catchot, Dr. Jeff Gore, and Dr. Jeff Harris met with the EPA visitors at the Delta Research and Extension Center in Stoneville to discuss their pollinator research, and the Greenwood Ag Aviation firm provided aerial tours to highlight the complexity of the relationship between producers and beekeepers. While final figures will not be available until the spring, preliminary estimates for the state’s crop production show that our growers continue to manage their enterprises well. Record-setting years for corn and soybean production across the U.S. generated record-high output levels but lower prices. Continued research into production efficiencies is one of our top priorities in DAFVM. Agriculture remains vital to Mississippi’s economy, and several state legislators visited our research station in Stoneville during September to learn about our research and outreach programs. On October 3, MSU celebrated the university’s 17th president by dedicating the J. Charles Lee Agricultural and Biological Engineering Building. Built in 2007, this building houses the region’s oldest agricultural engineering program and one of the nation’s first biological engineering programs. From creating a new sweet potato-harvesting tool to studying sustainable energy to researching the impact of trauma on the brain, some of MSU’s most innovative and exciting science happens in this $11 million, state-of-the-art facility. In mid-October, I was privileged to attend the 2014 Borlaug Dialogue and presentation of the World Food Prize in Des Moines, Iowa. This event brought together agricultural leaders from all over the world to discuss the most pressing issue facing our global society: sustainably feeding 9.6 billion people by 2050. I’m proud of the applied research going on throughout DAFVM that addresses this fundamental human need. At the November 1 MSU football game, we celebrated the 4-H Youth Development Program. More than 1,000 4-H’ers and their families filled the stands to cheer on the Bulldogs as they battled the Arkansas Razorbacks. In an on-field ceremony, we honored Jeanette Dame and Peter Jaskoske, representatives from North American energy infrastructure company TransCanada, for the company’s contributions to 4-H leadership development programs. In mid-November, the Mississippi Turfgrass Association held its conference and trade show on the MSU campus in Starkville. Professionals from the Southeast gathered to learn from MSU experts about the latest developments in soil science, pest management, and herbicide resistance. We couldn’t continue to provide such widespread support for all of Mississippi’s producers without our partners in the State Legislature. Our annual budget committee meetings this fall went well, and we look forward to a productive session in 2015. Finally, we want to congratulate Danny Murphy, who was honored as the Mississippi State Winner of the 2014 Swisher Sweets/Sunbelt Expo Southeastern Farmer of the Year Award. We were honored to send a delegation to the Sunbelt Expo in Moultrie, Georgia, to support this longtime champion of agriculture, CALS alumnus, former 4-H’er, and valued client. Our best wishes for a prosperous new year.

Research, Education, and Extension in the Division of Agriculture, Forestry, and Veterinary Medicine

•

LandMarks is published quarterly by the Division of Agriculture, Forestry, and Veterinary Medicine at Mississippi State University. Mark E. Keenum

President

Gregory A. Bohach

Vice President

Gary Jackson

Director, MSU Extension Service

George M. Hopper

Dean, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Dean, College of Forest Resources Director, Forest and Wildlife Research Center Director, Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station

Kent Hoblet

Dean, College of Veterinary Medicine

LandMarks is produced by the Office of Agricultural Communications. Elizabeth Gregory North Keryn Page Robyn Hearn

Executive Editor Editor Assistant Editor

Annette Woods

Graphic Designer

Vanessa Beeson Karen Brasher Linda Breazeale Bonnie Coblentz Susan Collins-Smith Keri Collins Lewis

Writers

Meagan Bean Russ Houston Kevin Hudson Kat Lawrence Tom Thompson Beth Wynn

Photographers

For a subscription to LandMarks or an address change, call (662) 325-2262.

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Available on the World Wide Web www.dafvm.msstate.edu/landmarks

Gregory A. Bohach

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JANUARY 2015

CELEBRATING EXTENSION: MSU President Delivers Knapp Memorial Lecture

Seaman A. Knapp Papers, Louisiana State University Archives

Photo by Tim Evanson/CC-BY-SA-2.0

The Seaman A. Knapp Memorial Arch in Washington, D.C., was named by Congress in 1934 to honor the “Founder of Farm Demonstration Work.” This group of Knapp family members gathered in 1936 for a photo at the arch.

On November 2, MSU President Mark E. Keenum delivered the 2014 Seaman A. Knapp Memorial Lecture at the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities’ annual meeting to celebrate 100 years of the Extension Service. Knapp is known as “The Father of Extension” because of his use of demonstration farms to teach science-based agricultural methods. Following is a condensed version of Keenum’s lecture, “A First Century of Progress, a Second Century of Promise: Extension’s Role in America and the World.” Today, it is a great honor for me to have a role in this event named for one of the pioneers of farm demonstration, whose work laid the foundation for Cooperative Extension. Seaman Knapp didn’t live to see Smith-Lever enacted, but the ripples from the work that he…carried out in the late 19th and early 20th centuries are still widening through the nation and the world.

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Extension has played an important part in the history of my university, my state, and my own life. While I was growing up, my father worked for a sister agency, the USDA Soil and Water Conservation Service. I began my professional career as an Extension marketing specialist at Mississippi State. Later, I had the privilege of serving as undersecretary at USDA, and, as my job entailed working with several international agencies, I came to appreciate the impact that the Extension model has had in many developing countries and the huge benefits it can bestow in the future. In Washington, D.C., two skywalks over Independence Avenue link USDA buildings—one of them named the Seaman A. Knapp Memorial Arch. I used to pass by it frequently and noted the bronze plaque mounted there, authorized by Congress and President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1934. That tablet identifies Knapp as the “Founder of Farm Demonstration Work.” It goes on to say, “He organized the system of county farm and home demonstration agents and boys’ and girls’ clubs from which developed the Cooperative Extension Service of the United States.” I was always struck by the fact the arch was dedicated during the Great Depression. I wondered whether the hard times that were engulfing the country sparked a renewed appreciation for the role of Extension as farmers and others struggled to make ends meet. Even at moments of great crisis, our nation’s leaders have been moved to think about the role of land-grant universities and our federal and state partners. To me, that says something about the centrality of the place they occupy in American history. Today, we can look back with pride and satisfaction on what Extension has accomplished during its first century. And while we can scarcely guess what the world of 100 years hence will look like, we can have considerable confidence that a system of helping people learn by doing can make it a better place.

For 100 years, Extension has been investing in the naExtension made life better for millions of rural Amerition’s future in just that way through its vast youth cans in the early 20th century, helping them move leadership development program, 4-H. Today’s beyond subsistence farming and, in many cases, 4-H’ers are just as likely to be doing projects out of poverty. That is one of the great success in science and technology as in farming or stories in our nation’s history. But Extenhomemaking. But I think the key to the sion remains relevant and important program’s lasting value is that it teaches today because it has evolved and the essential skills of critical thinking, adapted to meet the changing needs problem solving, and communication. of society. Its role has expanded to The nation’s need for Extenencompass not only the farms, but sion in all of those broad the suburbs and the cities. areas—agriculture and natural The lessons being taught and resources, family dynamics, the problems being solved have community development, youth evolved alongside advances in leadership—will exist for a long technology and scientific agritime to come. But as our world culture. Extension will be grows smaller and global chalimportant and relevant in the lenges multiply, I believe the future to the extent that it conExtension Service should also be tinues to focus on what helps ready to step into a broader people live more secure and fularena, either directly or by sharfilling lives. ing a century’s worth of expertise In 1914, more than half of with others. Americans lived in rural areas, Today, almost a billion of the and nearly one-third were farmers. world’s people don’t have enough to Today, less than one-fifth live in eat. And by 2050, the world’s popularural areas, and only about 2 percent tion is projected to increase from 7 are directly engaged in farming and billion to 9.5 billion. These additional 2.5 ranching. billion people will put incredible pressure The fact that farmers are fewer today on the world’s farmers to meet demand. The is in large part a testament to their own proSeaman Asahel Knapp world is going to need much more food, and it ductivity and efficiency, which of course has must be produced using our finite land and water rebeen aided by Extension. It simply takes fewer peosources in the face of uncertainties associated with climate ple working in agriculture to feed our much larger change, among other challenges. population. We have only scratched the surface of what research, extenThat does not mean the role of Extension should diminish; it sion, and teaching at academic institutions will be able to means, rather, that we should keep our eye on the true purpose of contribute to the fight against world hunger. Land-grant univerthis great method of nonformal, practical education—helping peosities have knowledge, infrastructure, and experience pertinent to ple receive and apply current knowledge to lead better lives. every aspect of the food chain, from the laboratory to the farm to As Knapp himself observed in a speech in 1907, “The teacher the market to the table. Our challenge is to bring our resources to who really enters into…flooding the people with knowledge bear on critical global issues. about helpful things, will never want for friends nor for places to And one of the greatest tools at our disposal is the Extension teach.” model. We know, based on the past century of experience and inExtension continues to help farmers be productive and effinovation, how to take science-based information and deliver it cient. It helps them employ new technologies, protect our natural directly to people where they live and work. environment, navigate environmental regulations, and ensure the As Extension enters its second century, I hope that we will safety of the food supply. continue to act locally as we begin to think more globally. I know It helps communities, both rural and urban, deal with issues that each of you and the institutions you represent are committed ranging from extending broadband connectivity to preparing for to helping people everywhere add value to their lives, and we are natural disasters. grateful for all that you do in this great cause. And Extension’s role in helping families make better As I recall the beginning of my own career, I appreciate choices—from choosing healthier foods to picking the right health Knapp’s great insights into what constitutes the essence of Exteninsurance plan—continues to expand. Yet, the pace of change sion work. He said, “Extension agents must be people their makes it increasingly difficult to predict exactly what Extension neighbors will listen to and believe in;” and also, “What a man agents will be working on in the years ahead. That uncertainty, hears, he may doubt. What he sees, he may possibly doubt. But however, doesn’t prevent us from preparing for an unknowable what he does himself, he cannot doubt.” future. Those observations are as true today as they were more than I sometimes tell our students that they may spend most of 100 years ago. I am glad to know, and our nation is fortunate, that their careers working at jobs that don’t exist yet. How do you pretoday’s Extension Service continues to put them into practice. pare to do a job that doesn’t exist? By focusing on acquiring those fundamental skills that will always be relevant and valuable—critical thinking, problem solving, and communication—along with committing to lifelong learning.

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JANUARY 2015

Foundation Seed Program Keeps

SWEET POTATOES Pure

Photo by Susan Collins-Smith

Photo by Kat Lawrence

MSU scientists maintain germplasm and provide foundation seed for Mississippi’s famous sweet potatoes.

Mississippi sweet potatoes have a world-class reputation to maintain, and they do it each year with the help of foundation seed produced through the efforts of the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station and commercial partners. Virus-tested foundation sweet potatoes are high-quality, “true to character” seed stock that producers can buy and plant each year. MSU’s efforts to maintain germplasm and provide foundation seed is supported by the Mississippi Sweet Potato Council and considered a tremendous asset by many growers in the state. Dr. Stephen Meyers, MSU Extension Service sweet potato specialist, said the university’s Foundation Seed Stocks program has

MISSISSIPPI LANDMARKS

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Photo by Kat Lawrence

strict certification standards that start with virus-indexed plants and finish with varietal purity of seed. “Sweet potatoes in the field are prone to somatic mutations, which means they can mutate in the field,” Meyers said. “These changes can be as subtle as variegation in foliage, or they can affect the storage roots, changing their flesh color or shape. Part of going back to the foundation seed is to ensure you have trueness to type.” While most crops grown in Mississippi require the producer to buy seed stock every year for planting, growers can store their own sweet potatoes over the winter and plant them the next spring. When seed is saved back year after year, the mutations and virus load carried in the potatoes can cause variety decline, said Mark Shankle, a MAFES researcher at the Pontotoc Ridge-Flatwoods Branch Experiment Station. “Viruses can reduce a crop’s yield by 20 to 50 percent,” he explained. “In response to this fact, most Mississippi producers save

Photo by Kat Lawrence Brothers-in-law Kenneth Alexander (from left) and Jessie Chrestman contract with MSU to buy MAFES-produced sweet potato slips. Dr. Steve Martin, North Mississippi Research & Extension Center head, and Dr. Greg Bohach, DAFVM vice president, examine sweet potatoes during a tour of the resulting crop.

Photo by Kevin Hudson Alexander and Chrestman hire seasonal workers each year to harvest the 50 acres of sweet potatoes.

back their seed no longer than 2 or 3 years, then start again with virustested, variety-pure foundation seed.” Shankle said the foundation sweet potato program is a two-phase process. MSU handles the first phase of the process, and private industry handles the second. “The first phase involves maintaining a clean, virus-indexed mother plant in sterile laboratory conditions,” he said. “We micropropagate slips, or young sweet potato plants, from the mother plants in the lab and grow these in two greenhouses. Phase two is the production of the certified foundation seed.” Jeff Main, a MAFES research associate working with the foundation seed program, said MSU is growing 32 different sweet potato varieties in isolation in the lab at Pontotoc. “Each year, we generally offer three varieties of foundation seed stock,” Main said. “We offer two Beauregard varieties and one other. For the last 2 years, we’ve offered Orleans as our third foundation seed.” Orleans is a new sweet potato variety developed at Louisiana State University that is well suited to Mississippi and Louisiana soils. It produces high-quality, uniformly shaped roots. Beauregard is a longtime favorite variety that performs well in Mississippi. MAFES has two greenhouses for growing the micropropagated slips into plants that can be harvested by the grower for the second phase. Jessie Chrestman and his brother-in-law, Kenneth Alexander, contract with MSU to buy all the slips in the two MSU greenhouses and plant them in a special 50-acre field. “I buy the plants from the Experiment Station and set them out the first of May,” Chrestman said. “They stay in the field until they get 3- to 4-foot-long runners. My employees cut up the runners and set these out to become the rest of the crop.” The original greenhouse-grown slips are planted on about 6 acres of land. When the vines are cut and set out, Chrestman ends up with about 50 acres of foundation seed growing in his field. At the end of the season, he digs these sweet potatoes, stores them, and sells them in the spring to the state’s sweet potato farmers. Every step of the foundation seed process is governed by strict certification standards. “The criteria for certified seed producers are set by the state of Mississippi,” Meyers said. “The foundation seed is inspected by the Mississippi Crop Improvement Association. Inspectors come to the lab at the station and follow the program all the way through until the seed stocks are sold.” Because of this program, Mississippi sweet potato growers can be assured they are buying the cleanest, best seed stocks available to continue to produce this distinctly Mississippi crop.

By Bonnie Coblentz

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JANUARY 2015

Photo by Kevin Hudson

100

Delta Research Takes a

-Year Look at Crop Rotation

Dr. Wayne Ebelhar, an agronomist at the MSU Delta Research and Extension Center, is taking long-term research to a new level: He is 10 years into a 100-year crop rotation study. In 2004, Ebelhar, a researcher with the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, started the test plots on 8 acres of land in Stoneville. The Centennial Rotation field is set up as a replicated rotation system of corn, soybeans, and cotton. “I’m interested in yield and both nutrient uptake and removal,” Ebelhar said. “Grain crops remove much more nutrients than does cotton, and with the high-yielding grain crops we’re growing today, we’re removing much more nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, and sulfur than we ever have before.” The Centennial Rotation plots have six rotation systems: 1. cotton grown continuously with no rotation crop. 2. corn rotated with cotton every other year. 3. corn planted for 1 year and cotton for 2 years. 4. corn and soybeans rotated without cotton. 5. soybeans, corn, and cotton in rotation every year. 6. soybeans planted for 1 year, corn planted for 1 year, and cotton planted for 2 years.

Photo by Kevin Hudson

Dr. Wayne Ebelhar weighs a cotton sample from his 100-year crop rotation study at the MSU Delta Research and Extension Center.

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Every possible rotation combination is grown each year, resulting in 15 treatments annually. All combinations will repeat once the scheduled rotation is complete. Every 12 years, all the rotations will be at the starting point once again. Crop rotations have been a basic agricultural management tool for centuries and continue to be a viable strategy for fertility, crop diversity, and disease and pest management issues. However, such long-term rotation studies are rare, said Dr. Jeff Johnson, director of the Delta R&E Center. “A long-term study such as this requires a significant commitment by the institution and the scientists who will be responsible for the continuous maintenance of the rotation over a number of careers,” Johnson said. “Many variables change over time, such as genetics, input compositions, climate, and others. By maintaining a consistent crop rotation design over time, we will be better able to identify improvements from these advances within crop rotations.” Ebelhar divided the field into 60 plots in order to replicate each rotation combination four times each year. Most other long-term rotation studies require at least 10 years of data because the crop is replicated only once a year.

Photo by Wayne Ebelhar Photo by Wayne Ebelhar

Photo by Kevin Hudson

Ebelhar’s study involves six different rotation systems of corn, soybeans, and cotton.

The corn in this field has been harvested, and soybeans and cotton can be seen growing in adjacent rows.

“We’re actually taking 16 looks at the same system each year,” he said. “Each treatment within a replication is 215 feet long and eight rows wide. I divide that plot into four subplots and treat them all the same but harvest each one separately. The fact that we have replications makes the data that comes off it usable right away.” All treatments are irrigated, and the field is farmed using the best practices of the day. Ebelhar manages each test plot exactly as a farmer would manage a crop in a commercial system. Centennial Rotation uses the most advanced seed technology and the highest-yielding varieties. Corn and cotton are planted in single rows, and soybeans are planted in twin rows. “Our overall goal is to show how these rotations are going to work in a producer’s fields,” Ebelhar said. A primary focus of Ebelhar’s work is to track the amount of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and sulfur removed from the soil by the different crops, especially high-yielding grain crops. “When we shift to grain or legume crops, the amount of nutrients removed is so much greater,” he said. “Soybeans remove 300 to 400 pounds of nitrogen a year from each acre, compared to 50 to 60 pounds removed each year by cotton. Most of the nitrogen for soybeans comes from atmospheric nitrogen fixation, while cotton and corn require fertilizer nitrogen.” So far, Ebelhar has found that cotton yields can increase significantly when corn was planted on the field the previous year. “Cotton following corn last year yielded 1,950 pounds an acre,” he explained. “We basically increased yields following corn by a bale. On our fields with continuous cotton, we had 1,452 pounds an acre.” Dr. Larry Oldham, an MSU Extension Service soil specialist, uses Centennial Rotation plots for some long-term data collection of his own. He takes soil samples every month from the same plots Ebelhar studies. “I am monitoring changes in soil phosphorus, potassium, and pH,” Oldham said. “We know these nutrients fluctuate over time as a function of moisture, plant activity, and temperatures, and we’re quantifying it.” Oldham said that the plant-available nutrients in the soil at any moment are only a small amount of the nutrients that will be required for the crop to complete its life cycle. “The soil has to release these nutrients,” he explained. “Moisture is a big influence, as the soil releases nutrients from unavailable forms. We measure the variation over time of the available nutrients.” Oldham works with Dr. Keith Crouse, Extension soil testing specialist. The two take monthly samples from plots in seven Mississippi locations. Other locations include the Black Belt Branch Experiment Station in Brooksville, Brown Loam Branch Experiment Station in Raymond, Pontotoc Ridge-Flatwoods Branch Experiment Station near Pontotoc, and R. R. Foil Plant Science Research Center and H. H. Leveck Animal Research Center in Starkville.

By Bonnie Coblentz

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JANUARY 2015

Dr. Jason Krutz demonstrates using a soil-moisture sensor during an Irrigation Termination Turnrow Talk in a Delta field. (Photo by Julie Leininger)

PRESERVING THE ALLUVIAL AQUIFER Efficient Delta Irrigation Is a Mississippi State Priority

“We cannot continue with business as usual and expect the water to be available. Status quo is not sustainable. Changes must be made to ensure a reliable source of water for current and future generations.”

鵻鵼 Kay Whittington

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MSU is focusing significant research and Extension efforts to reverse the trend of diminishing water resources in the Mississippi River Valley Alluvial Aquifer, which supplies the Mississippi Delta. “Water is a key issue in many areas, but especially in agricultural production,” said Dr. Jeff Johnson, head of the Delta Research and Extension Center in Stoneville, Mississippi. “Irrigation is essential to continued production of agricultural commodities for a growing global demand.” In recent years, agricultural production has begun to stress the alluvial aquifer that feeds irrigation wells in the Delta. This aquifer is not keeping up with increasing irrigation demands, said Kay Whittington, director of the Office of Land and Water Resources in the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality. “It has been a very prolific aquifer that has been a very reliable source of water for irrigation,” Whittington said. “However, as irrigation demands have increased, we have seen long-term trends in declining water levels in this aquifer. The aquifer is no longer full.” Demands on the aquifer have increased from about 3,000 wells in the 1980s to about 18,000 wells today, she explained. Hundreds of thousands of Delta farm acres are still not irrigated, so it is likely that use of the aquifer will increase even more. “We cannot continue with business as usual and expect the water to be available,” Whittington said. “Status quo is not sustainable. Changes must be

set up this irrigation system efficiently. Anmade to ensure a reliable source of water for other popular tool is Pipe Planner, offered current and future generations.” by Delta Plastics, which announced in midTo help ensure that producers can conAugust that it is making an improved tinue to rely on the aquifer for irrigation, version of the software available to producMSU sponsors a variety of efforts to preers for free. serve its integrity, Johnson said. “They are offering this privately devel“One strategy to reduce aquifer withoped software package for distribution drawals is through improved irrigation through universities and other agencies,” management,” he said. “MSU, through reJohnson said. “MSU is able to use these search and Extension efforts, has been at tools to help farmers become much more efthe forefront of identifying and developing ficient with their irrigation decisions.” effective irrigation management tools. We MSU supports the goals of the Delta are leading the education effort through Sustainable Water Resources Task Force, a Extension programs to ensure agricultural group formed by Mississippi Governor Phil producers are aware of best irrigation manBryant to ensure the Delta will continue to agement practices to reduce irrigation have a plentiful water supply. During sumwater use while maintaining profitable mer 2014, the task force offered a series of yield levels.” Irrigation Termination Turnrow Talks across Dr. Jason Krutz joined the Delta R&E the Delta. Center faculty in 2012 to educate growers “We did 11 talks in 3 days across the and demonstrate efficient irrigation tools Delta,” said Krutz, who participated in the and techniques in Mississippi. Krutz has Pivot-irrigation systems coupled with soil-moisture task force’s educational effort. “We would worked tirelessly to spread his sciencemeters help ensure growers are not overirrigating go out in a field where a participating based message: Mississippi farmers can be their fields. (Photo by Kat Lawrence) farmer had already installed surge valves more efficient with their irrigation and still and soil-moisture sensors and had used maintain the same crop yields. Pipe Planner.” “Research shows that most places with irrigation capacity In the turnrow talks, Krutz discussed irrigation efficiency tools, overirrigate,” Krutz said. “When you install soil-moisture sensors, and MSU Extension Service soybean specialist Dr. Trent Irby talked you can often reduce water use by up to 50 percent. You have a fuel about plant physiology and drought stress. savings and in some situations actually improve your yield.” “Our overall message was that we have tools that many proThrough his work with the MSU Extension Service and the ducers have not yet adopted that can make them better irrigators,” Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, Krutz Krutz said. spearheads the Row-Crop Irrigation Science and Extension ReMSU recommends the use of soil-moisture meters, which allow search (RISER) program. He works with producers to reduce growers to know exactly how much water is available to plants at irrigation water use while maintaining or improving crop yields any given moment. Growers use this information, coupled with data and profitability. on a plant’s daily water needs at specific maturity points, to make Growers who participate in RISER allow MSU experts to handle irrigation decisions. irrigation decisions on selected fields for the entire growing season. “Even if their neighbor is irrigating, they can look at their senThe experts use soil-moisture sensors, surge irrigation, and a comsors and know what their crop needs,” Krutz said. “It gives them puterized hole-selection tool for polypipe used for furrow irrigation. the confidence to know that if rain is in the forecast, they can someAt the end of the year, irrigation costs and harvest yields on times wait several more days for the storm system to arrive.” the RISER fields are compared with those of other fields on parAndy Braswell, Leflore County Extension coordinator, said ticipating farms. In every RISER case study, Krutz has managed growers in his area are talking about how soil-moisture meters to show similar yields on the test fields while using 25 to 50 perhelped them make irrigation decisions this year. cent less water than neighboring fields that were irrigated using “Growers learned of the benefits of using soil-moisture meters traditional methods. from hands-on experience with specialists showing them at work on “It sounds absurd to say that you can apply half the water you their farms,” Braswell said. “Now they’ve found that these meters normally apply, but we can maintain or improve your yield almost have really helped them save money this year.” guaranteed and improve your profitability by cutting way down on Not only are producers happy to save the diesel-fuel costs and your water cost,” Krutz said. labor expense of one or two irrigations a year, they are more conMuch of the Delta is irrigated with furrow irrigation. Farmers scious than ever of the need to conserve water in the Mississippi lay flexible polypipe along the rows and release water through holes Delta, he said. punched in the pipe. Software programs determine the size of holes needed for the rows. MSU offers a USDA-developed software tool called Pipe Hole By Bonnie Coblentz and Universal Crown Evaluation Tool (PHAUCET) to help farmers

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JANUARY 2015

Gain Experience in Uganda

CVM Students

CVM students participated in a new study-abroad class addressing the challenges of rural veterinary practice in East and Central Africa. Dr. Margaret Khaitsa (center), who teaches the class, and students (from left) Jodi Richardson, Katy Fogt, Dr. Tori Hall, and Ashleigh Thomas visit a farm in Uganda.

Dr. Tori Hall, Ryan Taylor, and Jodi Richardson conduct hands-on field work.

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For five CVM students, a course on tropical veterinary medicine and its role in the One Health Initiative came to life this summer in Uganda. The new study-abroad class addressed the challenges of rural veterinary practice in tropical climates and the intricate link between the health of people, animals, and the environment. The course incorporated online lectures by international experts and hands-on field work in Uganda with area professionals and veterinary medical students from Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Ethiopia. “In many ways, tropical veterinary medicine in Uganda is similar to rural veterinary practice in many states in the U.S., including Mississippi,” said Dr. Margaret Khaitsa, a native of Uganda and professor of veterinary epidemiology with an international emphasis. She teaches the CVM study-abroad class. “As tomorrow’s global citizens, we want our students to understand, appreciate, and experience tropical animal production, food safety, and public health from a global perspective,” she added. “This course helps establish an open-minded, world-class, broadly inclusive, and globally engaged science workforce.” While in Africa, students Jodi Richardson, Ryan Taylor, Tori Hall, Katy Fogt, and Ashleigh Thomas attended lectures, worked with local researchers to collect diagnostic samples, delivered veterinary care to animals, and helped educate the public through service-learning activities in eastern and western Uganda. Their work introduced them to the many challenges of the human-animal interface in the area. “With a rapidly growing population, there is a great need for more food and more land. People are running into situations

where they may have very little land, but still want to raise food animals to help feed their families and supplement their household incomes. So new strategies on how to effectively do this must be put in place,” said Dr. Tori Hall, a May 2014 CVM graduate and studyabroad participant who is now pursuing a master’s degree. The group visited various livestock operations, including a dairy farm, a poultry farm, and an orphanage that raises cows, pigs, goats, and chickens. At each visit, they evaluated the livestock operations and worked with researchers and scientists to help owners come up with solutions to their limitations. “The dairy farm was a great experience for us,” Hall said. “The farm was no larger than a quarter-acre with five dairy cows managed permanently in stalls. We were challenged to think about waste disposal, use of biogas, possible stream and river contamination, diet, water intake needs, and so much more.” Animal vaccination and public education about zoonotic diseases is a high priority in East and Central Africa, where people and animals live in close proximity. Seventy percent of the world’s emerging and reemerging diseases are vector-borne or zoonotic. Jodi Richardson, a CVM student who studied public health in graduate school, said she enjoyed the community education and the collaboration with East African students and scientists. “By being able to travel the area with people who live and work there, we were able to better understand the challenges they face,” Richardson said. “I really enjoyed the community outreach we did by vaccinating dogs against rabies and chickens against New Castle disease, and deworming cattle.” The group also participated in a call-in radio program in Soroti, Uganda, to educate people about brucellosis, a bacterial disease that can infect goats, pigs, sheep, and cattle. Humans can contract the bacteria by consuming undercooked meat or unpasteurized dairy products from infected animals. “This was one of the highlights of the trip for me,” Richardson said. “Anytime I can help educate people about an area of veterinary medicine that is going to make their life more fruitful, such as ways to protect themselves and their animals from disease, I feel like I am doing my part to help.” Transboundary disease transmission is a concern for several countries where livestock are often sold at live animal markets and can travel long distances, carrying diseases with them. MSU and Makerere University in Uganda are working to help leaders in this area come up with regulations for animal identification and movement. The project is called Capacity Building in Integrated Management of Transboundary Animal Diseases and Zoonoses, and it is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Many people rely on the natural resources found within the area’s national parks and must share the landscape with cape buffalo, elephants, lions, hippos, crocodiles, primates, and other wildlife. This creates several health threats for animals and humans. The students worked with scientists and veterinarians in Kibale National Park, Lake Mburo National Park, and Queen Elizabeth Na-

The CVM study-abroad students attended lectures, worked with local researchers, delivered veterinary care, and helped educate the public. tional Park. They helped immobilize a buffalo for vaccinations and sample retrieval; collected and analyzed samples from tsetse flies, rodents, birds, and mammals; and observed several species of primates and other wildlife. “We had many chances to talk about how wildlife may play a role in transferring diseases between humans and animals, such as closely related species, like chimpanzees,” said CVM student Ryan Taylor. The group also spent time with a veterinarian who works with the Gorilla Doctors, a private, nonprofit organization that works to protect gorillas, primates, and other mammal species from disease. While most of the students’ time was devoted to their work, they were able to visit some tourist sites and engage with local residents. “Experiencing the culture was amazing,” Katy Fogt said. “One of the highlights for me was visiting Dr. Khaitsa’s village. It was incredible to be welcomed into their church and community. After lunch, we played with the children and danced.” To read the students’ blog written during the trip, visit http://www.torihall.com.

By Susan Collins-Smith • Submitted photos

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JANUARY 2015

FOCUS

Research, Education, and Extension in the Division of Agriculture, Forestry, and Veterinary Medicine

THE MSU POULTRY SCIENCE DEPARTMENT: Meeting Needs through Academics, Research, and Extension

In terms of production value, poultry has been Mississippi’s top agricultural commodity for about 20 years. In 2014, the poultry industry reached a farm-gate value of $3.13 billion after accruing annual increases over the previous 5 years. However, the poultry industry’s huge economic impact on the state is only part of Dr. Mary Beck’s motivation to build and strengthen Mississippi State’s academic, research, and Extension programs in poultry science. Beck is committed to people—students, 4-H’ers, rural families, consumers, researchers, professors, growers, and vertical integrators, which are companies that have integrated vital production processes into a single supply chain.

Beck joined MSU as head of the Department of Poultry Science in 2011. She immediately began working with MSU Extension Director Gary Jackson and MAFES Director and CALS Dean George Hopper to fill vacant positions with highly qualified personnel who connect well with students, backyard hobbyists, poultry companies, and growers. The department now has the largest faculty it has had in years, high demand for its graduates, prolific research published in peer-reviewed journals, and a vibrant and diverse Extension outreach program.

Academics

MSU students get plenty of hands-on experience during their poultry science courses.

Photo by Kat Lawrence

With 50 undergraduate students and the goal of doubling that enrollment, poultry science faculty members work daily to maintain a strong program that is known for its student support. “Even though our program is small, it’s very strong,” Beck said. “Everyone in our department contributes his or her own scholarly area of expertise directly to the poultry science courses offered. Dr. David Peebles, an expert in poultry genetics, contributes his significant expertise in genetics to the university-wide genetics course that all CVM, animal and dairy science, and biology students take.” To graduate with a degree in poultry science, students must achieve a grade of C or higher in every course. Classes are difficult,

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but they are also very hands-on; almost every course has a lab. Fortunately, students do not have to buy textbooks because the department provides all the information they need. “The program is friendly in spite of its rigor because our faculty members are open to investing extra time when students are making an effort,” she said. “They will bend over backward to help them succeed. It’s a family-oriented, friendly program. The professors know all the students, and the staff members are very involved, too. We have a number of technicians who help with the courses, both on the farm and in laboratories, who are very good teachers in terms of explaining details and information.” The undergraduate program offers four concentrations: business, production, pre-veterinary medicine, and processed products. “We have a 75 percent acceptance rate of poultry science students who apply to vet school,” Beck said. “Our strong hands-on background really helps. Students tend to prefer the live-animal side of the process, but processing plants have a lot of potential for rapid advancement in terms of responsibility and higher levels of management and the commensurate salaries. “I want our students to be known for their work ethic, but also their ability to solve problems and develop solutions in the workplace,” she added. “You can’t learn everything in school, but you must have the tools to be able to get the information you need, to identify the problem, find out what you need to know, and track it down.”

FOCUS Poultry science majors with a minor in business can work in auditing, finance, and lending. “Poultry has a huge allied industry with a wide array of job opportunities in areas such as equipment, lights, heaters, water, pharmaceuticals, feed, feed ingredients, minerals, and vitamins,”

Beck said. “We have a 100 percent job placement rate, and what we mean by that is if you want a job, you’ve got a job. It may not be your dream job in your favorite location right out of the chute, but we have job offers for everyone. You’re only hampered by your lack of imagination when it comes to working in poultry.”

Research

Poultry research at Mississippi State covers the complete life cycle.

Photo by Kat Lawrence

Research efforts in poultry science, funded through the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, are focused primarily on issues that have an applied impact on poultry production. “Faculty in the department are responsive to industry needs and understand the research they are doing makes a direct impact on the profitability of the poultry industry,” said Dr. George Hopper, director of MAFES and dean of the MSU College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. “This includes undergraduate and graduate research, which helps our students learn critical problem-solving and leadership skills.” Poultry research covers the complete life cycle of poultry from the egg through the adult bird and processed poultry products. “We work to improve poultry processing and quality of meat, as well as nutrition, growth, and production,” Hopper added. Beck noted that the department as a whole is very productive in terms of publications. “In 2012, we averaged nine refereed publications per full-timeequivalent, or FTE, which means we lead the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences in terms of publications per FTE,” she said. Dr. David Peebles, a professor with MAFES and academic appointments, studies in ovo development and egg hatchability. He is

well known for his work with vaccinations of embryos to protect against Mycoplasma gallisepticum, a disease in laying hens. Peebles works with the U.S. Department of Agriculture poultry research unit on campus and has several graduate students working with him. Dr. Chris McDaniel, also a professor of poultry science, is a research physiologist with expertise in solving poultry fertility problems. Recently, he shifted his focus from rooster fertility to the subject of parthenogenesis, or the spontaneous development of an embryo from an unfertilized egg. “Chris’s research is very fundamental, and it has the potential for direct positive impact on the broiler industry through decoding the genetics related to parthenogenesis in the breeder stock,” Beck explained. Other poultry research projects address disinfection issues, microbes in litter that affect chickens, and the effects of litter nutrients on water quality. Researchers are studying the impact of bacteria on rooster fertility and the role of probiotics in sperm motility. Nutrition studies are under way on alternative feed ingredients and pelletized feed in poultry houses. Other studies focus on postharvest food safety and programs that effectively recruit students to poultry science programs.

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JANUARY 2015

FOCUS Extension

Photo by Kevin Hudson

Photo by Kat Lawrence

Dr. Mary Beck (left) and Jessica Wells visit with participants in the Poultry Chain project, which requires 4-H’ers to raise 20 chicks to maturity.

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Increasing outreach in multiple areas has been a priority for Beck since she arrived. In summer 2012, she hired veteran poultry specialist Dr. Tom Tabler to bolster the department’s Extension program. “He’s 100 percent Extension and has an amazing background in environmental management,” Beck said. “He can troubleshoot, and everyone trusts him. The integrators know he’s not going to do anything they wouldn’t approve of, and the growers respect his knowledge and experience.” Beck credited Tabler and his Extension colleagues Dr. Morgan Farnell and Jessica Wells with revitalizing industry support for the MSU poultry science program. “We’re very aware of the unique needs of everyone in the integrated system and work hard to develop trust with all of our partners,” Beck explained. “We don’t want to be perceived as interfering with growers and the programs put in place by the integrators. “We have gotten incredible support from the integrators, the livebird production partners, and allied industry because they are getting what they need from us,” she observed. “They are investing in our program by helping us retrofit our large poultry houses and renovate one of our buildings into a mini-broiler barn. This allows students to work as if they were commercial growers. It’s an important recruiting tool.” But the department’s outreach efforts are not limited to industry. In addition to handling clients with backyard birds, Wells introduced the 4-H Poultry Chain project, which has grown from 20 counties and 100 participants in its first year to 39 counties and 225 participants in its third. The project requires 4-H’ers to raise 20 day-old chicks to maturity in a 5-month flock management effort. “There is a fear of backyard birds and disease on the industry side, but we were able to convince them that understanding and practicing biosecurity is an integral part of the project,” Beck noted. “Mississippi has a lot of rural families, but, increasingly, kids live in cities and need to understand where their food comes from. The Poultry Chain project teaches them how to care for livestock and keep the food supply safe.” In 2013, poultry returned to the Mississippi State Fair for the first time in 30 years. In 2015, Beck said she hopes to see a production poultry category at the Dixie National Livestock Show and Sale of Junior Champions. “We are committed to meeting the needs of all of our clients, from the 4-H’er starting her first poultry project to the state’s many poultryrelated businesses,” said Dr. Gary Jackson, director of the MSU Extension Service. “Dean Hopper and I were committed to enhancing our Department of Poultry Science to better serve our students and industry clientele because this is the number-one agricultural commodity in Mississippi. “After meeting with the faculty and staff, we decided to conduct a national search for a new head who could lead the expansion of our academic, research, and Extension programs in the unit,” he said. “We were fortunate to hire Mary Beck, who has already brought about a positive change, and she has accomplished many of the goals we gave her in a short time. I am excited about continuing to expand the Extension/outreach efforts. I am confident we soon will have the premier Extension poultry science program in the world.”

FOCUS Diagnostics Another way the poultry industry benefits from the MSU Division of Agriculture, Forestry, and Veterinary Medicine is through the College of Veterinary Medicine Poultry Research and Diagnostic Lab (PRDL) in Pearl, Mississippi. While most of the lab’s diagnostic work is for the commercial poultry industry, the lab also offers services to smaller, independent farmers and hobby producers. The health of all birds contributes to the health of the commercial meat and egg industry, explained Dr. Danny Magee, the lab’s director. In addition to identifying disease and monitoring regulatory compliance, PRDL staff members work with the poultry industry to evaluate the quality of their products. They have also been called on

to help in other, more unusual circumstances. For example, a quail producer called the lab to find out about health requirements for shipping quail eggs to Kuwait. Another individual called for help with pheasants. “We work to assist everyone, while also protecting the commercial industry,” Magee said. “It’s vital to keep all flocks healthy, and by maintaining the vitality of small flocks, we protect the larger flocks, the people whose livelihood depends on the industry’s success, and the economy.” By Keri Collins Lewis

Photo by Kevin Hudson

Photo by Kat Lawrence

Experts at the CVM Poultry Research and Diagnostic Laboratory identify disease, monitor regulatory compliance, and work with industry to evaluate the quality of poultry products.

Photo by Kevin Hudson

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JANUARY 2015

FOCUS Cleaning Up Foul Poultry Houses at Parchman Farm

Photo by Kevin Hudson

Dr. Morgan Farnell (left) and Dr. Tom Tabler are working with representatives from the Mississippi Department of Health to improve conditions at the Parchman poultry operation.

A chicken flock at the state’s largest correctional facility is uniting the Mississippi State University Extension Service, Mississippi Department of Health, and Mississippi Department of Corrections. Dr. Jeffrey Brown, state medical entomologist with the Mississippi Department of Health, visited the Mississippi State Penitentiary, also known as Parchman Farm, to address a growing fly and mosquito problem. He observed the flight patterns of the flies and determined they were originating from the facility’s eggproducing poultry houses. He could also see that he needed to call in reinforcements. “My first thought was to call Mississippi-based Cal-Maine Foods, the nation’s largest egg company, and they referred me to the poultry experts at MSU,” Brown said. “The best part was that everyone at the facility—from the superintendent to the supervisors—wanted to make the necessary improvements. Even the inmates bought into the program and are taking their responsibilities seriously.”

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The facility’s 35,000 hens furnish eggs for the state’s 11,500 inmates held at three major prison facilities, four restitution centers, and 17 community work centers. The poultry houses, which were originally designed for hogs, produced the ideal environment for pest populations to explode, Brown added. “Of course, there was not a lot of money available to make improvements, but many of the changes did not cost extra,” he said. “Three incredible improvements you can’t miss are the reduced odor, the sound of happy chickens, and the smiles on the faces of those working in the poultry houses.” MSU Extension poultry specialists Dr. Tom Tabler and Dr. Morgan Farnell agreed the challenges seen on their first visit could have easily overwhelmed the Parchman workers. In September, they made their third visit and continued to be impressed with the improvements in the houses.

FOCUS

Photo by Kevin Hudson

“My first thought was to call Mississippi-based Cal-Maine Foods, the nation’s largest egg company, and they referred me to the poultry experts at MSU. The best part was that everyone at the facility—from the superintendent to the supervisors—wanted to make the necessary improvements. Even the inmates bought into the program and are taking their responsibilities seriously.”

鵻鵼

“We knew the facility would need more workers than they were using,” Tabler said. “The initial recommendations targeted the environmental conditions, such as improved drainage to reduce the smell and fly problems. Those changes would improve conditions for the chickens, and happy chickens are more productive.” The Extension specialists worked with the Mississippi Board of Animal Health and have collected data on several aspects of the houses—water, birds, eggs, light, feed, and litter. “To their credit, they have made a lot of changes in 9 months,” Tabler said. “They are not in the chicken business; they are in the people business, and the chickens are almost incidental. We want to help with the human aspect as well as taking care of the birds.” Still, their recommendations for the Department of Corrections are no different than they would be for anyone else in the poultry business. “Just like with commercial growers, we want to share options that could improve productivity,” Tabler said. “Most of the time, producers will make the right choices if given enough information. Often, we can ask the right questions to help them determine their best path.” Stanley Brooks, director of agricultural enterprises at Parchman, said the chicken houses were established in the mid-1990s to cut egg costs and help teach inmates skills and work ethics. In recent months, he has expanded the program’s workforce from a few inmates to almost 40 men. Every day, they must check feed and water, clean floors, and gather eggs. The next step will be to sell spent layers and start the process of replacing them. “We are planning to purchase 8,000 laying hens and rotate them in,” Brooks said. “We are steadily working to improve the poultry program.” Preparing for winter and improving the birds’ nutrition are among the improvements planned at the Parchman poultry operation, Farnell said. “Our first visit was in January, and it was brutally cold,” Farnell said. “They had problems with pipes freezing, and that limited their ability to keep the houses clean. They know more work will need to be done to seal the barns against cold winds. We are constantly asking what we can do to help. “The diet formulation has not been updated in 10 or 20 years,” he added. “While the nutrient profiles of corn and soybean meal have not changed drastically, bird genetics have, which means their nutritional needs have changed, too.” “A lot will depend on the (Parchman) farm’s plans to continue with corn- and soybean-meal-based diets or switch to milo and soybean,” said Dr. Kelley Wamsley, an MSU poultry nutrition specialist who visited the facility in June. “The diet formulation will be changed as they get in new birds and will be based on the season and the breed, strain, and age of the birds. The goal of the new formulation is to provide the birds with the necessary nutrients, as well as being cost effective and helping the birds produce more eggs.” Earnest Lee, superintendent of the Mississippi State Prison, said the site visits have been helpful in getting the poultry program back on track. “We are anxious to follow recommendations by Dr. Farnell and the rest of the team,” Lee said.

Dr. Jeffrey Brown By Linda Breazeale

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JANUARY 2015

Researchers Evaluate Bird Habitat Initiative 鵻鵼

Justyn Foth, an MSU doctoral student, prepares to take body measurements and band a western sandpiper in Grand Isle, Louisiana. (Photo by Jack Toriello)

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Preliminary results of a Mississippi State University wildlife study show that a federal program to protect birds after the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill has had widespread ecological, environmental, and economic benefits in the Southeast. In response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) created the Migratory Bird Habitat Initiative (MBHI) to provide inland wetlands for migratory and resident waterbirds. NRCS commissioned the MSU Forest and Wildlife Research Center to conduct a scientific evaluation of the initiative. Dr. Richard Kaminski, who holds MSU’s James C. Kennedy Endowed Chair in Waterfowl and Wetlands Conservation, spearheaded the study of habitats enrolled in MBHI. He and other researchers studied how many and which waterbird species used the habitats and how much food was available for the birds. The team also studied the initiative’s cost-effectiveness in providing food energy to maintain birds during migration and wintering. “Catastrophes like the oil spill can have lasting impacts on waterfowl and waterbird populations,” Kaminski said. “The NRCS acted swiftly to implement MBHI, in hopes of reducing that impact.” “When the oil spill occurred, no one knew what was going to happen to marshes along the coast,” said Charles Rewa, a biologist with the NRCS Resource Assessment Division. “An ad hoc interagency working group of waterbird experts focused on previously identified longstanding habitat issues emerging in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley and along the coasts of Louisiana and Texas.” This group included members from the NRCS, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ducks Unlimited, the U.S. Geological Survey, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and the Lower Mississippi Valley and Gulf Coast Joint Ventures of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan. “The oil spill served as a catalyst to respond to some of these long-term habitat issues that had been occurring slowly over several decades, while providing alternative habitats inland for millions of migrating and resident birds soon after the spill,” Rewa said.

Conservation-minded landowners in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Texas enrolled more than 470,000 acres in the $40 million MBHI program. Landowners agreed to manage habitats for 1 to 3 years, providing critical feeding and shelter areas for waterbirds in shallow wetlands. “We knew we couldn’t control the behavior of migrating birds; we simply wanted to provide alternative habitats inland from the oil spill,” Rewa said. “We were able to provide a lot of habitat, and the program seemed to be successful from the perspective of the landowners, yet we sought to quantify the results scientifically.” MSU evaluated habitats in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. Kaminski led the research team, which included Dr. J. Brian Davis, an assistant professor in the MSU Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Aquaculture; Dr. Francisco Vilella, assistant leader of the Mississippi Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit; and Dr. Lisa Webb, an assistant professor of fisheries and wildlife sciences at the University of Missouri. MBHI-enrolled acres included idled catfish ponds, production and idled rice fields, and natural wetlands enrolled in the Wetlands Reserve Program. Landowners mowed and disked vegetation, applied herbicides to control unwanted vegetation, and flooded the areas to create shallow wetlands. Rice fields in the initiative proved to be a haven for migrating and wintering birds. MBHI habitats in the alluvial valley of Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas had almost three times more dabbling ducks and ducks of all species than non-MBHI sites had. There were twice as many waterbirds, excluding waterfowl, on MBHI wetlands in the alluvial valley than there were on nonmanaged wetlands. During peak fall migration of shorebirds, researchers observed seven times more birds per acre on MBHI sites than on state- and federal-managed or conserved coastal wetlands in Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi. Idled catfish ponds used as MBHI habitats also attracted a variety of birds. These ponds attracted more than 40 species of ducks, shorebirds, waders, and other waterbirds. “The U.S. Shorebird Conservation Plan estimates that current fall populations of 504,000 shorebirds migrating through the Mississippi Alluvial Valley and Western Gulf Coastal Plain require nearly 4,982 acres of wetland habitat,” Kaminski said. “That means that nearly all the estimated needed habitat for the shorebird population goal may have been provided by the 4,903 acres of MBHI-managed catfish ponds in Mississippi.” In another phase of the project, researchers evaluated the survival rate of radio-marked female mallards using farm bill conservation and other lands in the alluvial valley. Survival was greatest when birds used a variety of forested and herbaceous wetlands and flooded croplands. Daily winter survival of birds using MBHI and Wetland Reserve Program lands was 98 to 100 percent. Researchers found there was an abundance of food for the birds on the MBHI lands. In Louisiana and Mississippi, MBHI habitats contained 1.3 to 1.5 times more native seeds—a potential food source—than unmanaged lands. MBHI wetlands also saw a 200 percent increase in production of protein-rich invertebrates during the fall. In the alluvial valley area of Mississippi, where 28,046 acres were enrolled in MBHI, the abundance of food contributed significantly to the region’s total “duck-energy days.” This is a measure of

Photo by John Pitre, Natural Resources Conservation Service

MBHI landowners flood fields to prepare them to be used as waterbird habitat.

Photo by John Pitre, Natural Resources Conservation Service

These MBHI wetlands in Louisiana proved to be a haven for shorebirds and teal. the number of ducks that potentially can be sustained in a wetland for a specified duration. “The MBHI wetlands had the potential to generate more than 20 million duck-energy days, which is about 28 percent of the Lower Mississippi Valley Joint Venture’s total objective for duck-energy days in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley,” Kaminski said. “That percentage is significant, considering that MBHI-managed wetlands comprised only 1 percent of the joint venture’s program land base in Mississippi.” The evaluation suggests MBHI was cost-effective. For instance, management of the southwest Louisiana rice fields cost approximately $30 per acre, but that amount translated into less than 2 cents per duck-energy day. Mississippi MBHI habitats had an estimated cost of 8 cents per duck-energy day because this land required some additional management steps. MSU’s evaluation provided critical insight into MBHI. NRCS has a new agreement with Mississippi State to continue certain aspects of the study, including landscape-scale food availability. “We hope to use information from the existing study, as well as subsequent studies, to better implement programs similar to MBHI in the future,” Rewa said. By Vanessa Beeson

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JANUARY 2015

Fellowships Boost Efforts to Improve Global Food Security

Naomi Taylor spent 3 months in Malawi, Africa, as an intern with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. She helped farmers in several communities improve their irrigation systems.

MISSISSIPPI LANDMARKS

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Food security for a world population expected to exceed 9 billion by 2050 is a pressing need for agricultural scientists around the globe and one that Mississippi State University addresses in various ways. The MSU International Institute offers students and faculty opportunities to engage in global learning, research, and outreach programs that increase food security, alleviate hunger, and strengthen the economies of emerging countries. “MSU continues to champion food-security issues around the globe through our 136 years of leadership in teaching, research, and service,” said Dr. Jon Rezek, interim executive director of the International Institute. “Having partnerships with other universities and organizations abroad allows our students and scholars to work with and learn from a wide variety of international experts, improving the lives of Mississippians and others around the world.”

U.S. Borlaug Fellowship April McCain, a meat science graduate student in the CALS Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences, began a 10-month trip to Vietnam through the U.S. Borlaug Fellows in Global Food Security Graduate Research Program in December. The program provides grant funds to U.S. students conducting international research on topics related to food security, such as agriculture, nutrition, poverty, and ecological resources. Their research also supports Feed the Future, an initiative sponsored by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to confront hunger and food insecurity. McCain, who is from Waller, Texas, will collaborate with Vietnamese researchers to conduct the first food safety study on beef, pork, and poultry products in Vietnam. The study is designed to help reduce food loss associated with improper postharvest handling and distribution practices, common causes of food waste in Asia. “Consumers in Vietnam cannot afford to discard precious sources of protein, such as beef, pork, and poultry,” McCain said. “Our goals are to provide scientific data and to formulate practical recommendations for the safety interventions and the policy-making process so that meat and poultry products in Vietnam can be affordable and safe for consumption.” McCain and other researchers will conduct surveys in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Da Nang. The group will spend 2 months in each city collecting and processing product samples from supermarkets, semi-open markets, and open markets. After compiling and analyzing their data, McCain and her fellow scientists will make recommendations to Vietnam’s meat industry and health and safety officials. They also will conduct public education events at the markets. In the final 3 months, the group will report study findings to the Borlaug program and at a scientific conference.

“I believe this project is the beginning of a rewarding journey toward scientifically based practices and policies that can help improve the production and sale of safe and nutritious meat and poultry products in developing countries,” McCain said. McCain, who plans to pursue a doctorate in food microbiology, wants to work in the international food industry with an emphasis on food safety protocols. “This fellowship will give me numerous learning opportunities that I would have never thought would be available to me,” McCain said. “I am getting a sneak peek into the food industry, and I’ll be able to draw on this experience as I pursue my career.”

FAO Fellowship Naomi Taylor, a sophomore environmental economics and management major in the CALS Department of Agricultural Economics, spent 3 months in Malawi, Africa, during the summer of 2014. She worked with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. FAO works to eliminate hunger, malnutrition, and food insecurity by helping rural populations develop more productive and sustainable farming methods. Taylor, who is from Southaven, Mississippi, traveled to several communities with Malawi government extension employees during her FAO internship. She gathered information on irrigation practices as part of the FAO Improving Food Security and Nutrition Policy and Program Outreach Project. Taylor documented the process of irrigation implementation, collected information on irrigation impacts and challenges, and offered solutions to these challenges. Systems ranged from strategically dug trenches to solar-powered tanks connected by pipes to nearby bodies of water. Taylor said she was most encouraged by the improvements farmers saw as a result of implementing irrigation. “They told me their income increased, which allows them to buy household items and inputs for the farm, such as seed,” Taylor said. “They are able to send their children to school. They have more consistent income, so there is less time during the year that they go to bed hungry. Some farmers also sell food to other farmers who don’t irrigate and can’t produce enough. They are very proud of this fact.” Taylor, who wants to work in the field of international governmental policy, said the internship helped her gain real-world experience while introducing her to a different culture. “I left behind what I hope is an improved program, agricultural sector, and nation,” Taylor added. “The internship opened many doors for me, and I’m excited about what the future holds. I hope to travel and study abroad more in the near future and may be visiting another developing country during spring break 2015 to study issues related to food security there.”

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JANUARY 2015

Photo by Kat Lawrence April McCain, an MSU meat science graduate student, is collaborating with Vietnamese researchers to conduct food safety studies through the U.S. Borlaug Fellows program.

For now, Taylor is focusing on her work at MSU with the Students for a Sustainable Campus organization, which funds sustainable projects at the university. To read more about her work in Malawi, visit Taylor’s blog at http://www.naomiislilongwefromhome.tumblr.com/#.

Cochran Fellowships Six food-animal professionals from Bosnia and Herzegovina spent 2 weeks during summer 2014 with scientists at the MSU College of Veterinary Medicine to gain in-depth training on disease surveillance and government policy related to food safety. This group visited the U.S. through the Cochran Fellowship Program, which was established in 1984 to help agricultural professionals from emerging markets receive training to improve their knowledge and skills in agricultural business development, marketing, management, policy, and trade. Cochran Fellows work with land-grant universities, private companies, and government agencies. The Fellows visited industry professionals, state and federal government representatives, and scientists at the College of Veterinary Medicine to exchange information about foodanimal disease surveillance and monitoring systems in both countries. Dr. Carla Huston and Dr. Hart Bailey, who hosted the group, prepared an agenda of speakers; tours of various research facilities; meetings with staff members of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry; and visits to dairy, beef, poultry, and catfish farms. The Fellows also visited a livestock sale barn, a poultry-processing plant, and a dairy-processing facility. “Animal health and food safety are very closely tied together in Bosnia and Herzegovina, just like they are here in

Submitted A group of food-animal professionals from Bosnia and Herzegovina visited MSU’s veterinary college as Cochran Fellows. They studied disease surveillance and government policy related to food safety.

the United States,” said Huston, a CVM associate professor of pathobiology and population medicine. “The group was very interested in how we monitor our food animals for diseases and how our government policy is structured to protect our food supply.” Participating in the Cochran Fellowship Program helped the fellows expand their skills and forge helpful relationships, said Dr. Borisa Ivanic, a veterinarian at a privately founded food-animal laboratory in Bosnia and Herzegovina. “I learned new methodologies, problem-solving skills, and diagnostic procedures for aquatic species,” said Ivanic, who manages the department of microbiology and quality control at the lab. “I now have an enhanced understanding of zoonotic disease surveillance after learning how state and federal systems cooperate in monitoring animal and human health. “During my visit to the U.S.A., I met great mentors, scientists, and policymakers that I hope to cooperate with in the future to help protect the consumers of Bosnia and Herzegovina by providing better service to food industries through product quality control resulting in a safer food supply,” Ivanic added. Mississippi State also reaps benefits, said Bailey, a CVM professor of pathobiology and population medicine. “In any interaction or collaboration in which we are able to participate, there is a great deal for me to learn that I can then take back to my students at State,” Bailey explained. “MSU’s renewed efforts in international work provide us a platform to acquire resources and knowledge that we can integrate back into our students. Who knows what inquisitiveness it may spark in a student that would inspire them to use the knowledge learned at MSU to go and do good for others in places across our globe?” By Susan Collins-Smith

MISSISSIPPI LANDMARKS

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Landscape Design Forum Attracts Top Talent to MSU

鵻鵼 Top billing at Mississippi State University is not reserved for the football team. The Edward C. Martin Landscape Design Symposium, the longest-running symposium of its kind, brings the top talent in the worlds of landscape architecture, design, horticulture, and environmental stewardship to Starkville each year. Cosponsored by the Garden Clubs of Mississippi and the MSU Department of Landscape Architecture, the event’s mission is to teach the public about landscape architecture and gardening. In mid-October, MSU students and faculty spent the morning with dozens of garden club members and practitioners looking at photos of what is possible when art and science unite to create engaging outdoor spaces. Speakers with a variety of backgrounds and specialties led the sessions. Eric Groft, a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), spoke on creativity in garden design. He is a principal designer with Oehme van Sweden in Washington, D.C., which received the ASLA 2014 Landscape Architecture Firm Award, the society’s highest honor for a firm. John Mayronne, principal of John Mayronne and Associates in Covington, Louisiana, gave a presentation on gardening with nature, with an emphasis on using native plants to revive a local and regional look in landscapes. Sadik Artunc, head of the Department of Landscape Architecture, shared design principles found in gardens in Japan. Pat Drackett, director of The Crosby Arboretum in Picayune, Mississippi, and assistant Extension professor of landscape architecture, said the symposium shows members of the general public some of the latest landscape design and gardening practices. It also offers students access to some of the most influential national and regional landscape architects. “John Mayronne inspired me in the 1980s when I was in graduate school in landscape architecture at Louisiana State University,” Drackett said. “It was inspiring to hear John’s commitment to designing with nature at an early point in my career. Decades later, these ecological design principles are an important emphasis of MSU’s landscape architecture program, so it’s exciting to see our students get the same opportunity to learn from such an expert in the use of native plants.” Although Groft and the Oehme van Sweden firm are very well known and have high-profile, multimillion-dollar clients, they work to make their processes accessible for students, other practitioners, and the home gardener, Drackett said. “They create beautiful books that share their secrets for the use of the common plant enthusiast,” she said. “They do incredible, huge jobs and then come to a small town in Mississippi to share their passion for designing with native plants and sustainable principles. The symposium is a wonderful opportunity for people interested in beautifying their landscapes to see what is possible with the proper planning and use of the right plants.” MSU has a reputation for intelligent landscape design because students learn to understand a site and to choose the plants suited to its environmental conditions, Drackett continued.

Photo by Kat Lawrence MSU professor Bob Brzuszek and graduate student Leslie Moma review designs for a wetlands project planned for the area around the MSU landscape architecture building. Moma said the annual landscape design symposium emphasizes using local plants in landscape designs.

“Everything we do—from our exhibits at the arboretum to the annual symposium to community service projects—furthers MSU’s reputation for being a leader in ecologically based design,” she explained. Leslie Moma, a graduate student from Rock Hill, South Carolina, said she appreciated the symposium’s emphasis on native plants and regional landscapes, as well as the caliber of the presenters. “There was an underlying theme of ‘local’ throughout the symposium,” Moma said. “John Mayronne spoke enthusiastically of cultivating a local identity through the use of local plants and plant allies. He encouraged the audience to look closely at the remaining wild spaces and roadsides for native plant material, to seek them out at local nurseries, and to utilize them in the garden in order to reclaim the local character of our region. “The benefit, of course, is the support system native plants provide for local and migrating birds, butterflies, and other native wildlife,” she said. “These are the natural ornaments that make our gardens come to life.” Moma said she chose a career in landscape architecture to help reconnect urban residents with the natural environment. “We shouldn’t have to leave the city to experience the beauty of nature and understand the ecological services it provides,” she observed. “One of the ways we, as landscape architects, can do this is to showcase natural systems within the landscape design, such as through creative rainwater capture designs. We can highlight vegetation that supports a variety of insect, amphibian, and avian life.” Bob Brzuszek, an MSU professor of landscape architecture, said it is impossible to calculate the full impact of the symposium’s 59 years, or the other programs and experiences available to MSU students and landscape enthusiasts. “In the end, the goal of these opportunities is to share best practices so that when our graduates begin their careers or when participants return to their communities, they begin making their mark on the world through sustainable designs that are rich in biodiversity and showcase native beauty,” Brzuszek said. By Keri Collins Lewis

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1/82: Alcorn County MSU in Alcorn County P.O. Box 539 Corinth, MS 38835 alcorn@ext.msstate.edu

Borroum’s Drug Store in Corinth is the oldest functioning drugstore in Mississippi. Photo by Kevin Hudson

County seat:

Corinth

Population:

37,057 (2010 census data)

Municipalities:

Glen, Farmington, Rienzi

Commodities:

corn, cotton, soybeans, timber, milo, commercial vegetables, blueberries

Industries:

Caterpillar, Mississippi Polymers, Ayrshire Electronics, Kimberly Clark, Corinthian Furniture, Timber Products, Kingsford Charcoal

Natural resources:

Corinth has a readily available supply of water after completion of a major pumping station that pulls water from the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway located just east of the county line.

History notes:

The Siege of Corinth, also known as the First Battle of Corinth, was a Civil War battle fought from April 29 to May 30, 1862. Corinth was a strategic point at the junction of two vital railroad lines, the Mobile and Ohio Railroad and the Memphis and Charleston Railroad. The siege ended after the Confederates withdrew. Union forces under Ulysses Grant took control and made it the base for operations to seize control of the Mississippi River Valley, especially the Confederate stronghold of Vicksburg. Another historical landmark in Corinth is Borroum’s Drug Store, the oldest functioning drugstore in Mississippi, which opened in 1865 and is now run by Camille Borroum Mitchell.

Attractions:

Civil War Interpretive Center, Borroum’s Drug Store, Downtown Corinth, Crossroads Arena, Crossroads Museum, Corinth National Cemetery, Civil War Earthworks

Did you know?

Corinth was originally called “Cross City” in 1853 because it centered on the crossroads of the Mobile and Ohio Railroad and the Memphis and Charleston Railroad.

“Alcorn County is a great place to live and raise a family. It is blessed with abundant natural resources and agricultural lands. It is centrally located within close driving distance of several major metropolitan areas.” Patrick Poindexter, MSU Extension County Coordinator

Editor’s note: 1/82 is a regular feature highlighting one of Mississippi’s 82 counties.

MISSISSIPPI LANDMARKS

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NEWSNotes Extension Experts Win National Awards

MSU personnel won top honors in four of the 14 categories in the National Association of County Agricultural Agents’ Communications Awards Program for their skill in connecting with clients.

Gary Bachman

Jane Parish

Dr. Gary Bachman, along with videographers Tim Allison and Brian Utley, is the national winner in the video presentation category. Bachman also won first place in the feature story category. Bachman is an associate Extension and research professor of ornamental horticulture. He hosts the Southern Gardening TV and radio shows and writes a weekly column, also titled Southern Gardening. Dr. Jane Parish is the national winner in the learning module category for the Mississippi Master Cattle Producer program, a 24-content-hour, comprehensive training program in major beef cattle production topic areas. Parish is an Extension and research professor specializing in beef cattle. Dr. Wayne Porter’s quarterly newsletter, Green Flash, garnered first place in the individual newsletter category. Porter was also named a national finalist in the published photo and caption category. He is a regional horticulture Extension specialist.

Of those recognized by FEMA, Akers was among eight winners who were named “Champions of Change” and given an opportuRyan Akers nity to speak at the White House and FEMA headquarters about their program areas. Akers’s focus areas are community preparedness and disaster management. He worked with the Mississippi Citizen Corps to create MyPI.

Horticulture Club Wins National Honors The MSU horticulture club took home numerous honors at the American Society for Horticultural Science annual conference. The team placed second overall in the student competition. Team members included Lauren Gamblin of Akron, Ohio; Christine Jackson of Versailles, Kentucky; and Spencer Waschenbach of Kahoka, Missouri. The MSU team placed first in greenhouse crops and vegetable crops and second in woody ornamental crops, fruit and nut crops, and the written exam. The team members also captured several individual awards.

Rohnke Edits Wildlife Management Book Adam T. Rohnke, a certified wildlife biologist with the MSU Extension Service, served as managing editor for Fish and Wildlife Management: A Handbook for Mississippi Landowners, a guide to current land management techniques.

Wayne Porter Akers, MyPI Earn FEMA Honors An MSU Extension Service youth initiative and its coordinator earned national honors for efforts to prepare communities for disasters. Dr. Ryan Akers, an assistant Extension professor and coordinator of Mississippi Youth Preparedness Initiative (MyPI), received the award for Outstanding Achievement in Youth Preparedness.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency award recognizes efforts that took place from the beginning of 2013 until May 30, 2014. FEMA awards recognized 16 programs and individuals who have taken action to prepare their communities for disasters and helped to make their communities more resilient.

Adam T. Rohnke

MSU alumnus James L. Cummings, a certified wildlife biologist, certified fisheries professional, and executive director of Wildlife Mississippi, served as project director and coeditor of the book.

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JANUARY 2015

NEWSNotes The 592-page handbook includes chapters on a variety of topics, including wildlife food plantings, farm pond management, backyard habitats, nuisance animal control, invasive species control, and management of white-tailed deer and other species. For more information or to purchase a copy, visit www.wildlifemiss.org/book.

Ferrell Awarded Master’s in Human Development Kirsten Ferrell became the first MSU student to complete degree requirements for a master of science in human development and family studies in August. She now works with The Early Years Network, training early childcare and preschool teachers in northwest Mississippi. MSU’s School of Human Sciences launched the master’s program in human development and family studies in the fall of 2012 and the doctoral program in 2013. At present, 19 master’s students and 12 doctoral students are enrolled in these graduate programs.

Gallo Develops Educational Garden Plan Cory Gallo, an MSU assistant professor of landscape architecture, developed the sustainable landscape master plan for the Toyota-Blue Springs Education Garden and Park at the Corolla assembly plant in Blue Springs, Mississippi.

Gomez Gains Skills during Fellowship

While many students took a break this summer from the rigors of college life, MSU College of Veterinary Medicine student Janet Gomez spent her time conducting research on amoeba-related diseases. Gomez, a fourth-year DVM student, spent 9 weeks in the Dr. James A. Ferguson Emerging Infectious Diseases Fellowship Program. She was part of a group of 10 students selected from 263 applicants. The program gave her experience in epidemiology, a branch of medicine related to the causes and possible control of diseases. After an orientation at the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, Gomez worked at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. She investigated amoeba-related diseases in animals and humans. Gomez worked with veterinarians and physicians throughout her experience and was able to see firsthand the connections between animal and human health. Gomez, a first-generation college student, earned her undergraduate degree from the University of California, Davis in 2009. Gomez has traveled to Nicaragua on a mission trip to provide free community veterinary services. Her goal is to study how certain diseases affect human and animal populations differently. She is interested in furthering her studies in epidemiology and earning a master’s degree in public health.

May Wins Communication Award

Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Mississippi Inc. representatives worked directly with the town of Blue Springs to determine the community’s vision for the park, and they took the information to Cory Gallo Gallo, who then visited Blue Springs to get a personal perspective on the half-acre parcel donated to the town.

CVM student Hillary May recently won the 2014 Bayer Excellence in Communication Award.

Gallo, a licensed landscape architect, stresses sustainability and conservation, both in the university courses he teaches and in the outdoor spaces he designs. His conceptual master plan for the Blue Springs project included a pavilion, pergola, playground, and small community garden.

Students in the competition submitted tapes of themselves interviewing clients in a clinical setting. Twenty-seven veterinary schools participated in the competition, which awarded a total of $70,000 in scholarships.

Other features included a play structure to enhance the playground, compost bins to feed the community garden, a water cistern to water it, and a wild flower garden with a swale to attract monarch butterflies. Signs posted throughout the space provide gardening information and explain butterfly life cycles and migration patterns.

Communication in veterinary medicine is crucial, as it helps clinicians establish good client relationships, helps pet owners understand how to administer medications and follow treatment plans, and demonstrates the true value of veterinary care visits. May, who will graduate with her DVM degree in 2015, demonstrated competence in all of these areas to win the award.

A panel of faculty judges at each veterinary school evaluated entries and selected one winner using a scorecard developed by nationally renowned veterinary faculty who specialize in communication. Each winner received a $2,500 scholarship.

Dean Named Department Head Dr. Jeff Dean, a biochemist with 37 years of experience, is the new head of the MSU Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Entomology, and Plant Pathology.

MISSISSIPPI LANDMARKS

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Dean was previously acting director of the Institute of Bioinformatics at the University of Georgia. He served in a number of other roles at the University of Georgia, including professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and director of The Plant Center. Earlier in his career, Dean was a postdoctoral researcher for the USDA Agricultural Research Service. Dean has spent much of his career working to identify the genes that control wood formation in forest trees. He was awarded the 2011 USDA Secretary’s Honor Award as a member of the Conifer Translational Genomics Network Coordinated Agricultural Project.

Jeff Dean

Dean earned bachelor’s degrees in chemistry and biology at Stanford University and a doctoral degree in biochemistry at Purdue University. He is a fellow of the International Academy of Wood Science.

Green Named Family Financial Management Specialist Dr. Rita W. Green, an assistant professor in the MSU School of Human Sciences, is the new family financial management specialist for the MSU Extension Service. An MSU employee since 2008, Green is a NeighborWorks certified housing counselor and serves on the Federal Reserve’s Community Development Advisory Council for the Eighth District. Green was the Extension area agent in family resource Rita W. Green management in the Northwest Extension District. She earned a bachelor’s degree at the University of Tennessee at Martin and MBA and PhD degrees at the University of Memphis.

Experts Hired to Address Wild Hogs

Redoña Hired as Rice Breeder in the Delta

MSU’s Center for Resolving Human-Wildlife Conflicts recently announced the addition of MSU alumni Cliff Covington and Steven Tucker to address the growing challenge of controlling the state’s wild hog population. They will coordinate and conduct educational workshops, field days, and seminars to mitigate wild hog damage.

Dr. Ed Redoña is the new rice breeder and MAFES research professor at the Delta Research and Extension Center in Stoneville, Mississippi. Redoña came to MSU from the nonprofit International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines, where he was a senior scientist. With more than 20 years of experience in rice research and breeding, Redoña has expertise in pureline and hybrid rice development, as well as apEd Redoña plications of molecular marker technology in rice varietal improvement.

Cliff Covington

Redoña said he will work to expand the genetic base of Mississippi rice varieties to increase yields, improve grain-quality traits, and improve the crop’s tolerance of disease, pests, heat, salinity, and drought.

Covington and Tucker will work to inform residents about wild hogs, human-wildlife conflicts, and invasive species throughout Mississippi. Covington, based at the Central Mississippi Research and Extension Center in Raymond, will provide programming to south Mississippi residents and organizations. Tucker, based at the North Mississippi Research and Extension Center in Verona, will provide programming in north Mississippi.

Redoña earned master’s and doctoral degrees in genetics from the University of California, Davis. He also has a master’s degree in plant breeding from the University of the Philippines at Los Baños and a bachelor’s degree from Silliman University in the Philippines.

Steven Tucker 29

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JANUARY 2015

DEVELOPMENTCORNER “The need to find a method to extract copper from wood that is no longer in service is paramount as we work to increase sustainability and maximize environmental health. This scholarship is a great way to help develop the next generation of professionals in this natural-resourcerelated discipline.”

鵻鵼 Dr. Rubin Shmulsky

Photo by Kevin Hudson

Scholarship Supports Future Wood Protection Experts MISSISSIPPI LANDMARKS

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Graduate student Brad Singleton is the first recipient of the Southern Pressure Treaters’ Association scholarship. He is studying a method of extracting copper from wood.

For as long as people have used wood as a building material, they have also sought ways to protect it from deterioration. A new scholarship in the MSU College of Forest Resources will make it possible for new scientists to build on that tradition. The Southern Pressure Treaters’ Association established a graduate student scholarship in the college’s Department of Sustainable Bioproducts in fall 2014. The association includes engineers, academics, inspectors, producers of untreated wood products, and producers, suppliers, manufacturers, and distributors of industrial treated wood products. One of the most prestigious scholarships in the college, it awards $5,000 each year specifically for a graduate student with a strong interest in wood protection research.

Brad Singleton, the first recipient, said the scholarship means he can pursue an advanced degree without incurring student loans. Singleton earned the scholarship because of his research in wood preservation and related environmental issues. Singleton studies a method of extracting copper from wood. Nearly 80 percent of all treated wood in the U.S. is preserved with copper. As treated wood is replaced, it must be disposed of properly. “The need to find a method to extract copper from wood that is no longer in service is paramount as we work to increase sustainability and maximize environmental health,” said Dr. Rubin Shmulsky, head of the Department of Sustainable Bioproducts. “This scholarship is a great way to help develop the next generation of professionals in this natural-resource-related discipline.” The research of faculty and graduate students like Singleton contributes to developing new ways to recycle or dispose of treated wood products, Shmulsky added. John Derrick, a member of the Southern Pressure Treaters’ Association Board of Directors, originated and championed the idea of funding a graduate scholarship at MSU. Derrick, vice president of sales for Texas-based Lufkin Creosoting Company, understands how important a scholarship can be for young people who want to continue their education. “We need more young people involved in wood preservation, and it is our hope that this scholarship will help encourage talented individuals to pursue this career,” Derrick said. MSU’s extensive research in wood protection and preservation made it a good fit for the graduate student scholarship. “Mississippi State University has been working on wood preservation for over 50 years,” Derrick said. “Their strong research program has helped the industry extend the service life of products like railroad ties and telephone and electric poles, just to name a few.” To fund the scholarship, Derrick set up an auction among members of his association. Board members donated items, including hunting weekends and Southeastern Conference and National Football League game tickets, which were sold at the auction to grow the scholarship fund. “We have a lot of fun as a group, and an auction seemed like a natural way for us to raise money,” Derrick said. The scholarship is especially important because it supports graduate students, often an underserved group when it comes to scholarship funding. “There is a need throughout the university for more freshman scholarships and graduate student scholarships,” said Jeff Little, College of Forest Resources director of development. “Scholarships designed for freshmen help us entice students to enter college and pursue certain subjects deemed important to the industry. Graduate scholarships allow us to help a student continue his or her education at the next level.” The scholarship gift from the Southern Pressure Treaters’ Association is part of a campus-wide capital campaign known as Infinite Impact, which seeks private gifts to further Mississippi State University’s long-range strategic plans. More information on specific campaign goals for the College of Forest Resources can be found at http://www.infiniteimpactmsu.com.

By Karen Brasher

For More Information Jud Skelton College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Real Estate (662) 325-0643 jskelton@foundation.msstate.edu http://www.cals.msstate.edu/ Charlie Weatherly Director of Development Emeritus for Agriculture, Forestry, and Veterinary Medicine (662) 325-3471 cweatherly@foundation.msstate.edu http://www.cals.msstate.edu/ Jeff Little College of Forest Resources and The Bulldog Forest (662) 325-8151 jlittle@foundation.msstate.edu http://www.cfr.msstate.edu/ Dees Britt College of Agriculture and Life Sciences MSU Extension Service (662) 325-2837 dbritt@foundation.msstate.edu http://www.cals.msstate.edu Jimmy Kight College of Veterinary Medicine (662) 325-3815 jkight@foundation.msstate.edu http://www.cvm.msstate.edu

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JANUARY 2015

Nonprofit Organization U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 453 Champaign, IL

Box 9625 Mississippi State, MS 39762

Shrimp boats prepared for the 2012 season in Gulf Coast harbors this spring. These vessels were at the Lighthouse

Located the crossroads two War-era railroads, Crossroads the to Historic Depot in Fishingat Docks on the Backof Bay in vital Biloxi.Civil The Gulf Coast shrimpingthe season typicallyMuseum runs fromatJune December. Corinth is home to many artifacts detailing the history of north Mississippi. (Photo by Kevin Hudson) (Photo by Scott Corey)