Mississippi Landmarks June 2016 by Mississippi State University Extension Service

Volume 12, Number 2

JUNE 2016

Tree Trail Takes Learning Outdoors … page 24 Research, Education, and Extension in the Division of Agriculture, Forestry, and Veterinary Medicine

• • • Mississippi State University

Contents On the Cover

Trees are a vital part of the MSU campus landscape. In 2015, MSU officials announced the establishment of a campus tree trail to showcase noteworthy trees. Each tree on the trail will have a sign identifying its scientific name, common name, and leaf shape. (Photo by Kat Lawrence)

4-H Youth Complex MSU is assuming care of land used for youth and outdoor activities, including therapeutic horseback riding and ATV safety training.

New Pest The crape myrtle bark scale is bad news for one of Mississippi’s most popular landscape plants.

Eby the Alpaca An MSU College of Veterinary Medicine team treated an unusual case involving an alpaca that choked on its feed.

Pesticide Disposal An MSU Extension partnership allows Mississippi farmers to dispose of agricultural chemicals safely.

Rice Breeding A new MSU Experiment Station researcher is Mississippi’s sole rice breeder.

Life Skills An MSU Extension program is providing life skills training to inmates at a Chickasaw County correctional facility.

Improving Health and Quality of Life MSU seeks to improve Mississippians’ health and quality of life through teaching, research, and Extension programs.

Endangered Leopards An MSU Forest and Wildlife Research Center scientist is studying the critically endangered Amur leopard in China.

Tree Trail An MSU landscape architect is working to extend the lives and health of trees on the Starkville campus.

Borlaug Fellow A chemist from Vietnam visited MSU as part of an international agricultural science and technology fellowship program.

County Profile Neshoba County annually hosts the largest campground fair in the nation.

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

MISSISSIPPI LANDMARKS

Development Corner A new scholarship will help draw more of the state’s aspiring students to the field of veterinary medicine.

Vice President’s Letter Spring is making way for summer. Our campuses may become quieter as many of our students embark on internships, studyabroad adventures, and other activities. However, research, Extension, and academic programs in the MSU Division of Agriculture, Forestry, and Veterinary Medicine continue year-round. Since the last issue of LandMarks, our team had the privilege of meeting with stakeholders across the state at the annual Producer Advisory Council meetings. Held in February of each year, these meetings are a key part of our planning process. Producers tell MSU scientists what they need most, and we plan our future research, Extension, and academic programs around their top priorities. We truly appreciate everyone who joined us for those events. One of the great advances of our university this year has been our new partnership with the University of Mississippi Medical Center through the Myrlie EversWilliams Institute for the Elimination of Health Disparities. This partnership solidifies existing long-term collaborations between investigators at both institutions on the elimination of health disparities. The relationship promises to enhance one of our five research priorities for MSU—health and education disparities—and yield new initiatives in education and Extension, which will improve the health and well-being of people locally, nationally, and globally. In April, MSU and key partners gathered in Jackson for the Water Resources Conference. Experts from state and federal agencies, sister universities, Delta Council, and Farm Bureau shared information about research findings and discussed water quality and management. MSU is home to the Mississippi Water Resources Research Institute, which serves as the state’s Center of Excellence for Watershed Management. The division is proud to be part of a statewide effort designed to improve and protect this valuable natural resource and train the next generation of professionals in this important field. Under President Keenum’s leadership, MSU’s reputation as a leading research university is expanding around the world. I’ve been privileged to work with colleagues in Morocco who are interested in agricultural, forestry, and natural resources partnerships in addition to the engineering partnerships that began last fall as part of our new collaboration. This summer, several MSU students, faculty, and Extension professionals will travel around the world. These partnerships bring graduate students and faculty to our campus, which enhances the MSU student experience while also developing the careers of these visiting scholars. Construction of the new south entrance road to campus began this spring. In the recent legislative session, we received bond funding of $4 million for FY 2017 and $12 million for FY 2018, which will allow us to construct new facilities for the Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences and the Department of Poultry Science. Both buildings will be located northeast of the Wise Center. These, along with the new Meat Science and Muscle Biology Laboratory, will transform that area over the next 3 years. Finally, we are proud to be ranked eighth nationally in total higher education research and development expenditures for agricultural science by the National Science Foundation. We have placed in the top 10 since 1998 and remain committed to our state’s agricultural producers and to our partners around the world in fighting world hunger. Thank you for your continued support of our work!

Gregory A. Bohach

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 Gary B. Jackson

Vice President 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 H. Hoblet

Dean, College of Veterinary Medicine

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

Executive Editor Editor Assistant Editors

Annette Woods

Graphic Designer

Linda Breazeale Sarah Buckleitner Bonnie Coblentz Susan Collins-Smith Nathan Gregory Keri Collins Lewis Addie Mayfield

Writers

Megan Bean Kevin Hudson Kat Lawrence Tom Thompson

Photographers

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• • • JUNE 2016

MSU ASSUMES CARE FOR 4-H PROPERTY “The 4-H motto is ‘to make the best better,’ and that is what we are doing here. We have great activities taking place on the property, and those will continue.” 鵻鵼 Harry Dendy

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Donald Vowell of Ackerman does not mind driving a little farther for therapeutic horseback riding. Vowell, who has a spinal injury from a car accident, began riding horses for therapy when the Mississippi State University program was located at the Mississippi Horse Park south of Starkville. Today, he drives to the Elizabeth A. Howard 4-H Therapeutic Riding and Activity Center in West Point once a week. “It’s a good drive but worth it. I go with another young man to ride now, and it’s good to have more people riding at the same time,” Vowell said. “Therapeutic horseback riding is more exercise than people would think. It’s been good to change up therapeutic activities and a treat to get to ride.” Vowell said in the early years of therapy at the horse park, riding was limited to Mondays because of other activities taking place at the facility. Fewer riders were able to participate. “It’s good to have a place to call our own,” he said. “The move to West Point has worked out great.” The MSU Extension 4-H Youth Development Program has laid the foundation for the therapeutic riding program in Starkville and West Point, and now MSU will assume the care and future improvements for 63 acres that comprise the Jimmy Bryan 4-H Youth Complex.

The 4-H Club Foundation of Mississippi Inc. is turning over the reins for land used for youth and outdoor activities such as therapeutic horseback riding and all-terrain vehicle safety training. “The 4-H motto is ‘to make the best better,’ and that is what we are doing here,” said Harry Dendy, chair of the 4-H Foundation. “We have great activities taking place on the property, and those will continue.” Dendy said to maintain the property at its best or to make improvements, the foundation needed to place the land under the care of MSU. Additionally, the university will assume liability and utility expenses as activities on the property continue and expand. The Jimmy Bryan 4-H Youth Complex, valued in excess of $1 million, is located behind the Mossy Oak Mall off of Old Starkville Road. It includes a nature trail, the Mississippi Farm Bureau 4-H ATV Training Center, the Southern Ionics 4-H Environmental Center, and the Elizabeth A. Howard 4-H Therapeutic Riding and Activity Center. A 4-H shooting range is still in the developmental stage but has been used for archery, air rifle, and air pistol shooting. Bryan donated the land to the 4-H Foundation in 2001. After years of planning, financial gifts from various donors enabled the construction to begin in 2009 on the therapeutic riding arena and additional buildings promoting outdoor activities. MSU Extension Service Director Gary Jackson said that all programming on the property will be managed exclusively through the Extension Service. “The mission of the Jimmy Bryan property remains the same: serving 4-H and youth development,” Jackson said. “Signage and credit for past donations will remain.” Jackson expressed the desire to expand office and classroom options. “It would be helpful to have MSU Extension employees on-site throughout the work week to accommodate increased activities and maintain the property,” he said. “We are very proud of the growth in the therapeutic riding program, and the other activities located there have the same growth potential. This change in ownership will help us pursue bigger dreams than we have been able to imagine in the past.” Jackson said along with the youth programs, the property is home to a nesting and bedding area and a nature trail, both ideal for teaching visitors about wildlife, forestry, and related topics. “The vision that started with Jimmy Bryan will grow as young people learn valuable lessons on this land for many generations to come,” Jackson said. In addition to construction ventures developed by MSU, the property has benefited from West Point officials and Clay County supervisors, who assisted with water, sewer, and road projects.

MSU President Mark Keenum (left) receives a deed for 63 acres in West Point from Harry Dendy, chair of the 4-H Club Foundation of Mississippi, while friends of 4-H observe. MSU Extension is assuming responsibility for the Jimmy Bryan 4-H Youth Complex, which is home to a nature trail, the Mississippi Farm Bureau 4-H ATV Training Center, the Southern Ionics 4-H Environmental Center, and the Elizabeth A. Howard 4-H Therapeutic Riding and Activity Center.

Therapeutic horseback riding is one of many activities offered at MSU’s Elizabeth A. Howard 4-H Therapeutic Riding and Activity Center in West Point. Therapeutic riding coordinator Cassie Brunson (from left), volunteer Anna Imel, and volunteer coordinator Lori Irvin demonstrate how to properly fit a helmet for a rider.

By Linda Breazeale • Photos by Kat Lawrence

• • • JUNE 2016

Photo by Norman Winter

NEW PEST CAUSING CRAPE MYRTLE TROUBLE

Photo by Gary Bachman

Photo by Blake Layton

Photo by Gary Bachman

The crape myrtle bark scale is bad news for one of Mississippi’s most popular, beautiful, and low-maintenance landscape plants. These insect pests cause unsightly damage to crape myrtle branches.

In early 2015, Mississippi State University Extension horticulturist Dr. Gary Bachman’s year-long search came to an end, and he was not happy. Bachman, who is also a researcher with the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, had been looking for the crape myrtle bark scale. “I really did not want to be successful in my quest, but I found this pest in crape myrtles in Ocean Springs,” Bachman said. Crape myrtle bark scales are insects that appear as white or gray encrusted waxy spots around pruning cuts and in the crotches of branches. Underneath the waxy coating, the scales look pink. Infestations have numerous small pink eggs and crawlers ready for further expansion. Most infestations are spotted because of the presence of scaly, flaking patches of black, sooty mold on the tree itself.

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The pest is well established in Olive Branch, Madison, and Oxford, and it was confirmed in two trees in New Albany that have since been destroyed. The relatively new insect pest was first reported north of Dallas in 2004 and has since spread north and east. It has been reported in Shreveport and Houma, Louisiana; Germantown, Tennessee; Little Rock, Arkansas; and the Mobile, Alabama, area. The pest is bad news to one of Mississippi’s most popular, beautiful, and low-maintenance landscape plants. Crape myrtles have tall, arching branches, weeks of prolific blooms, and artistically peeling bark. They grow quickly but can be pruned into the desired shape and size. Available colors include white, pinks, reds, and purples.

Crape myrtle’s good looks combined with resistance to insect and disease pressures make it superior to many other landscape choices. So for decades, these traits have added up to an almost perfect choice for anyone with a home, business, park, or roadway that needed beautifying. All that may change with the expansion of this pest. “Crape myrtle bark scale is a serious new pest of one of our most important landscape plants,” said Dr. Blake Layton, entomologist and professor with the MSU Extension Service. “One of the reasons crape myrtles have been so popular is they have few serious insect or disease pests. This pest has the potential to change this because heavily infested trees will be unsightly if not treated, and treatments are costly and somewhat time-consuming to apply.” Dr. Geoff Denny, Extension assistant professor of horticulture, said the problem of pest control is made more difficult by the widespread use of crape myrtles. “Many crape myrtles have been planted in roadway medians and left to their own devices, and these plants thrive,” Denny said. “But this new pest is such a significant problem that garden centers and landscapers in several areas that were infested earlier than Mississippi no longer stock crape myrtles.” MSU and other professionals in the landscape business jumped quickly into action. Suspected infestations are examined, and a treatment plan has been established. Kenneth Calcote, director of plant pest programs with the Mississippi Bureau of Plant Industry and Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce, is responsible for conducting twice-annual certification inspections at all the state’s nurseries and garden centers. “This is one of the pests we’re looking for, but so far, it has not been found in any nursery in the state,” Calcote said. “Crape myrtle seems to be the only host for this pest in the United States.” Layton said in response to this threat, all Mississippi gardeners should be aware of the pest, learn to recognize it, and understand just how damaging it can be. “Crape myrtle bark scale can be quickly and easily spread by buying, transporting, and planting infested nursery stock. This seems to be how all of our current infestations got started,” Layton said. “Once established in an area, crape myrtle bark scale can be spread in many ways, such as by wind, on clothing of landscape workers, on pruned foliage being transported in an uncovered trailer, on birds’ feet, or on flying insects.” When this bark scale is found, the best response depends on the size of the infestation. “When only a few plants are involved and there is reason to believe that these are the only infested plants in the area, destroying the plant in a way that prevents spread to other areas is the best response,” Layton said. “The goal is to stop the infestation in its tracks. “In areas where the pest is already well-established, insecticide treatments can be used to help control infestations and maintain tree aesthetics.” The only prevention option is to avoid buying infested plants.

Photo by Angie Rogers

“One of the reasons crape myrtles have been so popular is they have few serious

insect or disease pests. This pest has the potential to change this because heavily

infested trees will be unsightly if not treated,

and treatments are costly and somewhat

time-consuming to apply.”

Dr. Blake Layton

By Bonnie Coblentz

• • • JUNE 2016

CVM Food Team Animal Service Saves Eby the Alpaca

Eby the alpaca was treated at the MSU College of Veterinary Medicine Animal Health Center after contracting pleural pneumonia. Local veterinarians often refer particularly difficult cases to the CVM center for treatment.

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Rotations such as this one teach stuEby the alpaca is on her way to life as “Working with alpacas, pigs, dents how to handle larger animals, and usual after a stint at the MSU College of many discover an interest in working with Veterinary Medicine’s Animal Health and even goats and sheep is these animals. Center. outside most of our students’ “Working with alpacas, pigs, and even Drs. Sherrill Fleming, Amelia goats and sheep is outside most of our stuWoolums, and Gretchen Grissett work in comfort zones because they dents’ comfort zones because they have the Food Animal Medicine Service at the have never been around these never been around these kinds of anicenter and treat cattle, goats, sheep, pigs, mals,” said Fleming, an associate profesand a few animals in the camelid family, kinds of animals. We have some sor in the Department of Pathobiology and which includes llamas, camels, and alPopulation Medicine. “We have some stupacas. Veterinarians refer these animals to students who find out they like dents who find out they like larger anithe center when they need specialized larger animals and choose to mals and choose to pursue that avenue. treatment or procedures. But it is important that all students learn “Usually our referrals are particularly pursue that avenue.” to work with these animals because, if difficult cases, and the animals’ regular they choose to work in a small animal veterinarians may not have the equippractice in a rural area, they may be called ment or the specific skill to deal with the on to treat these types of animals, especialcase they are presented with,” said Grisly goats and sheep.” sett, clinical instructor in the Department Dr. Sherrill Fleming Students also acquire skills for workof Pathobiology and Population Medicine ing with animal owners. at the college. “Our students get good experience After choking on her feed, Eby conwith our human clients, too,” said Woolums, a professor in the Detracted pleural pneumonia, a severe form of the illness that results partment of Pathobiology and Population Medicine. “It gives them in fluid in the lungs and chest. She spent several weeks at the Anan opportunity to interact with animal owners, and the clients seem imal Health Center on IV fluids and medications and is now doing to enjoy having students involved in the process. Students are cuwell. She should be able to return to hiking with her owner before rious and interested to learn about the case we are working on, and long, Grissett said. clients like that.” Veterinarians in the Food Animal Service treat adored pets, The Food Animal Service serves clients from Mississippi, Alasuch as Eby, and food animals, such as the valuable purebred bull bama, Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee, and occasionally other that recently underwent surgery. The bull had a traumatic injury states. In 2015, veterinarians and students treated about 1,300 anito one of his back hooves that could have ended his breeding days. mals. It has been an important part of the college’s program since “When he came in, we weren’t sure we’d be able to save the the first class of students was admitted in 1977. hoof,” Grissett said. “But fortunately the surgery was successful. With interest in homesteading and raising animals for food on His foot is a little strange-looking, but it is functional. And we are the rise nationwide, the college is intensifying its efforts to teach hopeful he will continue to be a viable member of the farm’s breedstudents how to treat large animals. Students have contact with a ing herd.” variety of specialties and fields earlier in their academic careers by Fleming, Woolums, and Grissett, along with Drs. Richard Hopobserving Food Animal Service veterinarians, visiting related labper, Bill Epperson, Heath King, and Jack Smith, provide routine oratory classes, and taking field trips to places such as dairies. and specialized care to large animals. The facility is equipped to “Going forward, we intend to focus on rural veterinary medicare for animals that need advanced diagnostics, orthopedic surcine and allow our students to see the realm of possibilities for gery, and reproductive care, including breeding management, inpractice in Mississippi and other rural areas beginning in their first fertility treatment, obstetrical emergencies, embryo transfer, and year,” Hopper said. “Throughout the Southeast, there are so many endoscopically aided artificial insemination. small towns and rural areas that need mixed animal practices that The Animal Health Center serves a dual function—treating will treat every kind of animal, from cattle to cats. People again are animals and teaching students. Third-year veterinary medicine raising animals for food. So you will have people who have cats students spend 6 weeks with veterinarians in the center’s Food and dogs, but they also might have a flock of backyard chickens Animal Service learning procedures and techniques. and a few goats or sheep.” “This is a very valuable service to our clients and educational tool for our students,” said Hopper, a professor in the Department of Pathobiology and Population Medicine. “Our specialists have the ability to treat difficult medical cases, and our students have the opportunity to learn in this environment.” By Susan Collins-Smith • Photo by Tom Thompson

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• • • JUNE 2016

Pesticide Disposal Events

Keep Environment, People Safe

MISSISSIPPI LANDMARKS

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Most farmers in Mississippi eventually end up with agricultural chemicals they can no longer use. For more than two decades, a partnership between the Mississippi State University Extension Service, Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, and Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce has helped farmers safely dispose of unusable insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, and related pesticide products. Agricultural Pesticide Disposal Days are held two or three times each year in different areas of the state. “These events offer farmers a safe way to dispose of restricted-use products that can only be used for certain applications, products that are missing labels, or products that are very old and are no longer registered for use, such as toxaphene or aldicarb,” said Dr. Mary Love Tagert, an assistant Extension professor in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering at MSU. Farmers are responsible for safely taking their items to the designated collection site. A contractor repacks the items for transport to a facility where they are categorized, sorted, and safely disposed of. The program began in 1993 when the Mississippi Legislature passed a law directing a portion of the pesticide registration fees collected by the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce–Bureau of Plant Industry to be used to fund the program. When the law expired in 1998, the program lost funding, but farmers said they still needed the events. Since 2000, the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality has provided funds through the agency’s Nonpoint Source Program, under section 319 of the Clean Water Act. The Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce has provided matching funds and additional support for the program. Extension agents like Phillip Vandevere in Yazoo County can attest to the program’s popularity. “We get this call all the time,” Vandevere said. “People need to dispose of chemicals for all kinds of reasons, but they all want to do it safely and in the right way.

Pesticide disposal events held across the state allow producers to safely dispose of unusable insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, and related products. MSU Extension, the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, and the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce collaborate to offer the disposal events.

“Some people are getting out of the farming business. Some people buy property and find old chemicals that are no longer usable or that they can’t identify because the label is missing. In another instance, I had a woman call whose husband was ill and no longer able to farm. She wanted to remove all the chemicals from her property so her grandchildren wouldn’t get into them,” Vandevere said. Pete Harper, row crops manager for Norway Farms in Yazoo County, estimates he has used the events 7 or 8 years since they have been available. “We use the pesticide disposal event every year that it is nearby,” Harper said. “Otherwise, we’d have no alternative for the products that no longer have labels or excess products that we can’t use in other applications.” Without the program, farmers would need to find a licensed waste contractor, transport the products, and pay to have them processed, Vandevere said. That can be costly. “Fees to process chemicals are charged per pound and depend on the type of chemical and its makeup,” Vandevere said. “It’s a lot like buying a steak. If you buy a T-bone, it will be this price. If you buy a ribeye, the price per pound will increase. And if you buy the filet, that price increases a little more.” The other alternative is to hold on to them. And that simply is not a good choice, Tagert said. “The types of products the program targets are those that are no longer registered or deemed safe for use because they pose unacceptable risks to the environment, animals, or people,” she said. “One of the biggest benefits of these events is that we don’t have any of these excess products unnecessarily applied. It can also be

dangerous to have some of these products just sitting around to get accidentally spilled or used by mistake.” Between 2005 and 2015, the program collected approximately 940,000 pounds of unusable chemicals at no cost to producers. Events cost an average of $50,000 each, which includes fees associated with transporting and processing the collected chemicals. Items turned over during the events are taken to a licensed hazardous waste facility in Millington, Tennessee, where they are processed for thermal destruction or disposal according to state and federal laws. Tagert said the events are important to farmers and landowners in Mississippi and will continue as long as funding is available. “There continues to be a huge need to provide Mississippi farmers with a safe way to dispose of these items,” Tagert said. “Without these events, this need would likely go unmet for most of our state’s farmers.”

By Susan Collins-Smith • Photos by Kevin Hudson

• • • JUNE 2016

FUTURE OF

MISSISSIPPI RICE INDUSTRY STARTS WITH MAGIC “MAGIC is designed to be more precise by narrowing the focus to eight parent genes, each of which has different traits. Because you’re limited by nature from combining all eight at once, you pair together two at a time using as many combinations as possible throughout multiple generations and observing how each combination performs over several years.” Dr. Ed Redoña

Dr. Ed Redoña believes that MAGIC can help improve Mississippi’s rice crop, and he is already working at the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station to help make it happen. Redoña brought two dozen years’ worth of rice breeding experience to Mississippi State University’s Delta Research and Experiment Station in Stoneville when he moved from the International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines. IRRI is the world’s center for rice research, with some 1,200 scientists from around the world working on rice in various disciplines. Redoña, who obtained his PhD in genetics from the University of California-Davis, was among the dozen or so senior scientists at IRRI who specialized in rice breeding. He is now a research professor and Mississippi’s sole rice breeder.

What Is MAGIC? Redoña also brought an expert knowledge in MAGIC, an acronym for Multiparent Advanced Generation Intercrosses. MAGIC is one of several strategies for increasing genetic gain in rice developed by IRRI scientists. His goal is to use MAGIC as one strategy to improve Mississippi rice production and sales. He plans to develop rice varieties that have both desirable traits in the field—such as high yield, improved resistance to disease, and tolerance to environmental stresses such as heat and drought—and desirable traits at the dinner table.

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“When I came to Mississippi, the first thing I did was to develop a vision of how to help Mississippi rice producers through breeding,” Redoña said. “In other countries, rice is produced for eating. In the U.S., 50 percent of what we produce is exported, so we have to be globally competitive in terms of production economics, and we have to make sure the rice we produce will be marketable in other countries in terms of grain and eating quality characteristics.” Since MSU began its rice breeding program in 1986, researchers have used long-established procedures that involve selecting two parents with favorable traits, mating the selected strains, and continually selecting the plants most likely to be productive from among the hundreds of thousands of progenies for several generations. In other words, conventional plant breeding is partly a numbers game—the more plants to select from, the higher the probability of success. MAGIC is different. It is a systematic way of intercrossing multiple parents for several generations—each with one or more unique desirable traits—and eventually combining all the traits into a single variety or series of varieties with all possible combinations of favorable traits depending on growing conditions and markets. “MAGIC is designed to be more precise by narrowing the focus to eight parent genes, each of which has different traits. Because you’re limited by nature from combining all eight at once, you pair together two at a

What’s Next?

time using as many combinations as possible throughout multiple generations and observing how each combination performs over several years,” Redoña said. “In the end, you become more efficient in terms of time and resources used for a breeding program. But to be able to track the transmission of the desired traits and to remove undesirable traits that unavoidably are shuffled along with the good ones with each round of intercrossing, one needs to be able to look at genetic variation at the level of DNA. “Molecular markers can now be used to precisely select only the plants that carry the desired genes,” Redoña added. “This allows for the advancement of only the materials satisfying the breeding objective, increasing the efficiency of the breeding program not only by precise selection of desired plants, but also by reducing the volume of materials to be evaluated in succeeding field experiments. At the Delta Research and Extension Center, we hope to be able to move in this direction eventually.”

Who Is Rex? The MAFES breeding program develops one new rice variety every 4 years on average. This process has been facilitated by the use of a winter nursery in Puerto Rico that allows the program to grow rice twice a year and speed up variety development. The most recent MSU conventional variety, released in 2011 and known as Rex, has been planted in at least a quarter of the rice acreage in Mississippi since 2013. Rex produces well but has its challenges. “Rex is a high-yielding variety, but it lacks the genes needed to resist blast disease,” Redoña said. “One example of what we want to do is find a variety that has been proven to have a high tolerance to that disease and combine it with Rex to form a variety that maintains the strengths of each parent gene.” Blast disease is becoming increasingly important as rice agriculture in the Midsouth shifts toward reducing water use. “IRRI has 120,000 different varieties collected around the world, some of which I’ve begun to bring to DREC,” Redoña said. “The USDA plant quarantine unit has also released 75 new genetic donors ordered from IRRI that I hope to use in the Mississippi rice breeding program.”

Dr. Ed Redoña’s goal is to improve Mississippi rice production and sales. He plans to develop rice varieties with desirable traits both in the field and at the dinner table. Redoña (above right) and Whitney Smith, a research associate with the rice-breeding program, study samples of rice.

To develop the next generation of Mississippi rice varieties, Redoña and his research team in Stoneville have begun the first stages of creating MAGIC populations and improving existing varieties. In conjunction with chemical company BASF, his team is developing not only conventional pureline varieties such as Rex, but also Clearfield conventional varieties such as CL163, released in 2015 and marketed by HorizonAg. As a Clearfield conventional variety, CL163 allows for the application of Newpath herbicides to control red rice, thus providing farmers with more weed management options to raise a high-yielding rice crop. Another early-maturing conventional breeding line, currently named RU1104077, is in the final stages of the variety release process. “Both CL163 and RU1104077 have the cooking and processing properties favored by the rice industry, aside from having the eating qualities desired by existing and target export markets for Mississippi rice,” Redoña said. Assistant Extension/research professor Dr. Bobby Golden said Redoña’s method will be instrumental in improving the efficiency of rice growing in Mississippi. “The process of MAGIC is designed to create the most efficient, useful combination of traits that will bring out the most of any rice field’s potential as it relates to yield and profit,” Golden explained. “This will eventually cut down the amount of time it takes to develop the next successful varieties from concept to market.” Redoña believes future success in breeding will require meeting the needs of both producers and consumers. But many genes control desirable traits, and producers and markets often have varied requirements, so this is not an easy task. “There is no such thing as a one-sizefits-all or an ideal single variety. As new production challenges emerge and new market opportunities arise, suitable new varieties have to be developed,” he said. “At MSU, we have been successful in developing rice varieties mostly using classical breeding approaches so far. What we hope to do is go up to the next level, breeding-wise.”

By Nathan Gregory • Photos by Kat Lawrence

JUNE 2016 1313 • •• •• •MARCH

Extension Programs Enrich Inmates’ Lives Inmates at the Chickasaw County Regional Correctional Facility completed a 19-hour horticulture program provided by MSU Extension personnel. Dr. Scott Cagle (in the center photo below), Extension county coordinator for Chickasaw County, oversaw the inmates’ construction of a 20-by-30-foot greenhouse and bedding trays. They grew tomatoes, peppers, and lettuce, which have added a fresh element to a few meals a month at the prison.

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In 2012, Dr. Scott Cagle went to jail. But Cagle, Extension county coordinator for Chickasaw County, had not committed a crime. Rather, he went to offer life skills classes at the Chickasaw County Regional Correctional Facility, a 340-bed, mediumsecurity jail in Houston. “If they’re willing to make the effort to get a skill, we’re all for teaching them,” Cagle said. The recidivism rate, or the rate at which released prisoners relapse into criminal behavior, is high. The National Institute of Justice reports that about two-thirds of released prisoners are rearrested within the first 3 years of release, and more than three-fourths are rearrested within 5 years of release. “One of our 4-H parent volunteers is the warden of the regional correctional facility,” Cagle said. “As he learned what Extension has to offer, he asked if there was any way we could do educational programs at the jail. “Being Extension, we can do just about any educational program you want,” he said. They quickly decided the best course of action would be to teach the inmates a skill they could use to get a job when they get out of jail. Brand Huffman, warden at the Chickasaw County Regional Correctional Facility, said recidivism is largely related to former inmates’ inability to find employment after release. “A lot of our inmates come from agricultural communities where there are always people farming and needing help,” Huffman said. “We started looking at horticulture, forestry, and animal science to see what we can do here. If we can give them skills to help them be productive citizens when they get out, hopefully they won’t come back.” Cagle drew together a team of Extension personnel to create a 19-hour horticulture program. Topics included planting, pruning, caring for shrubs, greenhouse construction and use, vegetable production, and more. The MSU Extension Center for Technology Outreach recorded the sessions,

which are now available on DVD for other classes. Students took a quiz at the end of every session and had to pass a final exam. Those who finished the program received a certificate of completion. “A lot of the inmates told the warden later, ‘This is the first thing I ever finished in my life,’” Cagle said. After the classroom lecture series was complete, students did hands-on training with Extension personnel. Early in the program, Cagle secured the donation of 200 tree saplings of different varieties, and he has more coming. Inmates mixed their own soil and planted the saplings in 2-gallon pots. They care for the trees and have created a sort of urban forestry nursery for the municipalities in the county. “No products can be sold from the jail, but we can raise these trees and maybe shrubs in the future for beautification projects for the cities in the county,” Cagle said. “Master Gardeners can come get a tree for one of their projects, and it doesn’t cost them.” Cagle oversaw the inmates’ construction of a 20-by-30-foot greenhouse and bedding trays. This winter, they grew tomatoes, peppers, and lettuce, which have added a fresh element to a few meals a month at the prison. Inmates are chosen for the class based on behavior records, time left to serve, and interest. “We found that some want to take the class, some are mandated to take educational classes, and others take the class to reduce their sentences,” Cagle said. “We’ve found the best students are those who are in there for a long time and have nothing else to do. “Now these guys with 30 years to life are taking the class, and instead of sitting in a pod with 30 other men discussing how to get out, they’re discussing horticulture,” Cagle said. Huffman agreed that inmates tend to get in more trouble when they have nothing to do. “As we try to educate them and help them keep up with what’s going on, this gives them different things to talk about,” he said.

In addition to the horticulture class that started things off, Extension has taught a 12-hour animal science class and a 12-hour forestry course. MSU Extension provides course materials, tests, and completion certificates. Cagle said one inmate named Roger is already using the horticulture class to develop a marketable skill. “He started working with the scraps of wood left over from the greenhouse, and now he is making very good lawn furniture,” Cagle said. “Roger is setting himself up to have his own business of lawn furniture and fruit and vegetable production when he gets out in about 4 years. “Many of the inmates are scared of work, but they become interested if you explain the income potential they have and the fact that they don’t have to answer to somebody if they work for themselves,” he said. More classes are on the way, such as a farm worker program and a parenting skills program. Dr. Charles Freeman, assistant professor in the MSU School of Human Sciences, is working to provide a customer service and sales training program from the National Retail Federation. “These nationally recognized certifications, pending passing a final exam, will enable inmates to connect with retailers for potential job openings and provide retailers the confidence the prospective job seekers will be an asset to their company,” Freeman said. Correctional institutions in Mississippi and nationally are emphasizing educational opportunities to improve life behind bars and open employment doors after release. “I’m a firm believer that if we don’t offer some type of educational opportunity for a person to improve themselves after they made the mistake that got them incarcerated, we’re setting ourselves and them up for failure,” Cagle said. “Classes like these are good for them, their families, and the economy.” By Bonnie Coblentz • Photos by Kevin Hudson

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FOCUS

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

Improving Mississippians’ Health & Quality of Life “You are what you eat.” If that old adage is true, then the Department of Food Science, Nutrition, and Health Promotion (FSNHP) in the MSU College of Agriculture and Life Sciences is improving Mississippi from the inside out. Department head Dr. Will Evans is charged with overseeing the FSNHP teaching, research, and Extension opportunities.

TEACHING

“Companies want to hire students who

FSNHP currently has 23 faculty members, 145 undergraduate students, and 86 graduate students. The department offers undergraduate degrees with multiple concentrations in food safety, food science, food processing and business, culinology, and nutrition. The food safety concentration prepares graduates for professional school, where they train to work in food inspection and quality control. Food science trains graduates for graduate school and careers as research scientists, product development technologists, food microbiologists, food law specialists, or food engineers. Job placement for food science majors is nearly 100 percent at all degree levels. Food processing is business-oriented and designed for students who want to go straight into the industry after they graduate. The nutrition discipline trains students who want to become dietitians. Culinology is a mixture of food science and culinary arts; graduates are trained to work as research chefs and product development specialists but often start their careers in quality control or business. “Students who go the culinology route take food processing courses, but instead of taking business classes, they take culinary arts courses at Mississippi University for Women,” said food science undergraduate coordinator Dr. Wes Schilling. “A lot of students want to come here and study in our department, but they like the thought of culinary arts as a career choice. Because of our relationship with MUW, they get to take a subset of classes in culinary arts. It’s become a very popular program.” FSNHP also offers a master’s degree in food science, nutrition, and health promotion and doctoral degrees in nutrition, food science, and agricultural sciences with an emphasis in animal nutrition. The fields of both nutrition and dietetics have additional requirements, and alumni are competitive at the graduate level. Careers in nutrition, dietetics, and health promotion have better-than-average employment, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

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“My idea or vision for the department is one of ‘food as medicine,’” Evans said. “With Mississippi suffering from what is essentially a diet-based epidemic of obesity, pre-diabetes, diabetes, and other diseases related to diet, I believe we need to focus much of our efforts on food science research, nutrition, and health promotion as well as health behavioral research to address this more from the perspective of how food can also heal.”

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have practical experience. We have a

reputation for producing students

companies want to hire because they

are already bringing some of that background with them.”

Dr. Wes Schilling

“The dietetics program aims at Registered Dietitian licensure, and the health promotion master’s degree aims at Certified Health Education Specialist status, both by examination, so those are added credentials that are required for success in the field,” Evans said. One component of all disciplines is at least one internship per student. “Whichever path you take in food science, you’re going to be doing a lot of problem solving, which is why we push our students to do internships,” Schilling said. “Companies want to hire students who have practical experience. We have a reputation for producing students companies want to hire because they are already bringing some of that background with them.” Prospective dietitians must complete 1,200 hours of training in addition to undergraduate coursework. The master of science in health promotion and doctoral degree programs in food science, nutrition, and health promotion prepare graduates for careers in corporations, hospitals, universities, public policy, and volunteer agencies. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of health educators is expected to grow 18 percent by 2018. “Those completing our dietetic internship at the graduate level will participate in our supervised practice experience that involves rotations with MSU Extension, the WIC program, and local and re-

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

Food science graduate student Carlos Morris prepares samples of deli ham for a consumer panel at the Garrison Sensory Evaluation Laboratory. gional hospitals, each providing different opportunities for our students to see the many careers available to them firsthand,” said associate Extension professor Dr. Brent Fountain. “At the graduate level, we offer degrees in health promotion and food science and nutrition. The more intertwined these groups are, the more opportunity there is for graduate students in different disciplines to collaborate with each other, which helps everyone become well-rounded in the process of choosing which path they pursue when they graduate.” Schilling said an overall goal of FSNHP is to increase enrollment. “We want to increase our numbers because we’re not meeting the existing demand for qualified students in food science,” he said. “When I’m talking to prospective students, I tell them they would enjoy studying here and training for a career if they are interested in science and the application of science as it applies to food. All of our students who have over a 3.0 grade point average and internships are going to have multiple job opportunities.”

FSNHP boasts many facilities for teaching and research. The Ammerman-Hearnsberger Pilot Food Processing Lab is used to produce lots for market testing, while the meats laboratory in Ballew Hall serves as a teaching and research lab for the Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences and FSNHP. Meat produced there is sold to the public at the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station Sales Store. Equipped with four kitchens for students to learn and prepare meals, Moore Hall is home to the nutrition teaching program. The department itself is located in the Herzer Dairy Science Building, which contains many classrooms and labs. Also in the Herzer building is the Custer Dairy Processing Plant, which is a teaching and research lab for students studying dairy foods. A byproduct of the teaching and research programs, the plant manufactures cheese, milk products, ice cream, and butter used on the MSU campus and sold to the public at the MAFES Sales Store.

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FOCUS

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

RESEARCH Multiple research efforts under FSNHP are ongoing through funding from the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. One of these involves food insecurity of senior citizens. Food insecurity impacts more than 8 percent of adults older than 65 in the U.S. and more than 12 percent in Mississippi. Dr. David Buys, MAFES researcher and assistant Extension professor, is overseeing a special research project to evaluate nutritional needs of older adults after they are released from the hospital. The project is supported by MAFES and endorsed by Morrison Health Care (a company that provides food, nutrition, and dining services to the health-care and senior-living industries) and OCH Regional Medical Center. “Our research has shown that poor nutrition is one of the factors that leads to readmission of seniors less than 30 days after hospital stays,” Buys said. “There is increased interest from hospitals in preventing that because the Affordable Care Act has policies prohibiting Medicare from reimbursing hospitals for the full costs of a patient’s stay that happened within 30 days of discharge. Hospital administrators want research on interventions that can prevent those readmissions. We see a lot of value in working with a local health provider because of the benefits it can offer for people close to home and the opportunity to build and maintain university and community relationships.” Buys is involved with a similar research project in collaboration with the University of Alabama at Birmingham on post-hospital release meals, as well as a study of social and environmental effects on aging. Fountain operates a nutrition and performance lab in Ballew Hall. It features a body composition tracking system and metabolic analyzer for everyone from those just beginning a fitness program to elite athletes. MSU student athletes as well as recreational athletes have participated in maximal and submaximal testing to determine what changes in their diets and training regimens have had the greatest success in their body composition and performance. Use of the equipment is often done in conjunction with research studies conducted by FSNHP and kinesiology majors. “The body composition tracking system, or BodPod, works similarly to a weight scale, but instead of just showing you how much you weigh, it displays how much fat-free mass—primarily composed of muscle and bone—you have compared to fat,” Fountain said. “It is best used to track progress over time for athletes and those interested in changing their body composition. Such an

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“Our research has shown that poor nutrition

is one of the factors that leads to readmission of seniors less than 30 days after hospital

stays. Hospital administrators want research

on interventions that can prevent those readmissions.”

Dr. David Buys

understanding is helpful whether they are running marathons, involved in resistance and strength training, or playing stop-and-go sports, like football or baseball.” The lab also has two different machines that measure metabolism and lung function: the MOXUS and the K4B2. The MOXUS analyzer is a computer-based module that is hooked up to a treadmill or stationary bike, while the K4B2 is a handheld device. “Both devices measure the amount of oxygen subjects are able to take in and compare it to the amount of carbon dioxide they

Dr. David Buys (right), registered dietitian Nicky Yeatman (center), and Master Wellness volunteer Neil Amos discuss the nutritional needs of senior patients after they are discharged from the hospital. Buys’s research focuses on improving nutrition to reduce hospital readmissions of senior citizens.

FOCUS

Research, Education, and Extension in the Division of Agriculture, Forestry, and Veterinary Medicine give off. Using our canopy system, we can measure which fuels they are burning at rest,” Fountain said. “At rest or in a low-intensity activity, a person is burning a combination of carbohydrates and fat. When the intensity of activity increases, the body favors carbohydrates as the main fuel source and doesn’t rely as heavily on fat as fuel. “Most people think the more intense the exercise, the more fat they will burn, but given how the body works to handle higher-intensity activities, they will possibly burn more calories, but not the calories from fat that they are wishing to lose,” Fountain added. “It is this kind of understanding in training and goal-setting that our laboratory and students can provide to those individuals wishing to improve body composition or performance.” Along with his role as undergraduate adviser for food science students, Schilling coordinates use of the Garrison Sensory Evaluation Laboratory, which facilitates research programs for graduate students to conduct different types of sensory tests to determine consumer acceptability and sensory descriptive food attributes. “Most research we do is funded by grants related to food products. Poultry and meat companies contact us and want to do different types of tests. One recent test was on phosphate replacements in hams,” Schilling said. “A lot of consumers don’t like to see phosphate on the label, so we’re trying alternatives that can replace some of the functions of phosphate and evaluating how they do as far as yields, color, and sensory capability.” Testing types conducted at the lab include consumer testing and descriptive panels. “When we have consumer tests, we want to have 100 different panelists taste a product to see how the controls we place on it impact acceptability and whether the consumer is going to like it or not. A lot of times, this is done for health label or financial reasons,” Schilling said. “Descriptive panels are trained panels involving eight to ten people that we’re training to compare different food properties such as juiciness and tenderness so we can have an objective measurement of difference between products. From there, we can do statistical modeling related to consumer acceptability to find out what they like or don’t like about a product.” Other recent testing programs include replacing synthetic antioxidants in fresh sausage with natural ones and studying the relationship between protein expression in chicken breast meat on sensory quality. MAFES scientists Drs. Taejo Kim, Juan Silva, and Byron Williams tested the effectiveness of antimicrobials and antioxidants at enhancing the safety and shelf life of fresh, vacuum-tumbled catfish fillets. They found that marinating fillets with salt and a combination of commercially available potassium acetate and

Dr. Brent Fountain works with student athletes as well as recreational athletes in his nutrition and performance lab. MSU volleyball player Blossom Sato has her measurements taken in the body composition tracking system, or BodPod. potassium lactate is an effective strategy for inhibiting growth of the bacteria that spoil refrigerated foods. Kim also developed test kits that improve the efficiency and affordability of industry-wide testing of food pathogens such as Salmonella, Listeria, E. coli, and some strains of Vibrio. Williams examined the effects of combining commonly used antimicrobial ingredients on the quality, bacterial content, and sensory characteristics of sausage patties made from meat removed from a carcass before chilling. Williams’ study found the experimental patties had an extra 3 days of shelf life. Registered dietitian Dr. Sylvia Byrd helped direct a teaching and research project to determine if household-raised vegetable beds would provide the recommended amount of vegetables and nutritional value for a family of four. Recent MAFES studies have been conducted to determine consumer acceptability of kudzu jelly and dip products through sensory testing and to determine the ability of red muscadine juice to prevent E. coli.

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FOCUS

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

EXTENSION FSNHP’s emphasis on outreach is shown through more than a dozen programs offered in conjunction with the MSU Extension Service. Two outreach groups of particular interest to Buys are the Master Wellness and Junior Master Wellness volunteer programs. Master Wellness Volunteers are individuals who have completed specialized training in specific areas to provide service and education to their communities. The Junior Master Wellness Volunteers are teens focused on community service and wellness. In the program, faculty members train Extension agents, who train the volunteers. In turn, the volunteers give at least 24 service hours to help those in their community adopt healthy behaviors. “We equip our Extension agents to work with members of their community to understand basics of volunteerism and the interconnectedness of individual health and community health. We empower volunteers to be agents of change in their own communities,” Buys said. “People can only make choices from choices available to them. It does no good to educate about food choices to people in areas where they can’t get proper nutrition, so we attempt to equip our participants to be advocates to improve things such as public transportation or sidewalks, which are closely related to health. Improved transportation can help them gain access to the next neighborhood that may have better food options.” Extension agents from all over the state also hold health fairs each year, and Extension faculty support agents as they help their communities become healthier. The Extension Service provides fitness equipment—such as step platforms, strength grip dynometers, or sit-and-reach boxes—that can be taken on-site and used as wellness education tools. “The more equipment we can take out to communities, the better,” Fountain said. “Many communities in Mississippi don’t have this equipment readily available, and if we can take it to them via a health fair or to a local Extension office, we can raise awareness.” Fountain is instrumental in Extension’s Diabetes Prevention Program, which was started by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and is funded through a grant from the Mississippi State Department of Health. Twenty Extension personnel are being trained with the intention of rolling out DPP programs in 18 counties and on campus this year. “If we can delay or prevent a person from becoming a diabetic, then that person doesn’t have to worry about a lot of things that come with the disease. Even if we can delay by 5 or 6 years, that’s quality of life,” Fountain said. “This program looks at blood sugar and weight. We have a small, focused group of participants that gets together an hour a week for 16 weeks and then once a month

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“A lot of people look at weight as the measure of success. We want to see if there are other measures of success, beyond weight, that can motivate a person to begin or continue an exercise program.”

Dr. Brent Fountain

for the next 6 months. We provide education through our curriculum, but a lot of times the answers, conclusions, results, and strategies are discussed around the table. This creates an idea of vested interest and trust. If the participants are hearing suggestions from people they know, they can develop a plan from the best ideas that will work for them.” Another recent project that combined Extension with research was a “couch-to-5K” program funded by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Fountain coordinated the program, which takes untrained individuals through a 9-week training regimen and culminates in participants running a 5K race. Fountain is currently doing the final analysis of the participants’ progress to determine how much the process improves lung function and body composition.

Submitted

Extension community health coordinator Ann Sansing (far left) and Dr. David Buys (back right) conducted the Junior Master Wellness Volunteer training program for students in an allied health class at Gentry Career and Technical Center in Sunflower County. The teens learned about community service and wellness.

FOCUS

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

“A lot of people look at weight as the measure of success,” he added. “We want to see if there are other measures of success, beyond weight, that can motivate a person to begin or continue an exercise program.” Other Extension offerings related to FSNHP include the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP), the Family Nutrition Program, the Food Preservation Program, Rural Medical Scholars, ServSafe, and the Healthy Homes Initiative. EFNEP helps families with limited resources improve nutrition, health, and economic statuses. The Family Nutrition Program helps improve quality of life through increasing knowledge of food and nutrition as well as food purchases. The Rural Medical Scholars program is a 5week summer academic and experiential opportunity for high school students between their junior and senior years to learn more about careers as family practice physicians. The ServSafe food safety training program provides current and comprehensive educational materials to the restaurant industry and has certified more than 4 million food-service professionals through its Food Protection Manager Certification Exam, which is accredited by the American National Standards Institute Conference for Food Protection. The Healthy Homes Initiative’s goal is to educate Mississippians about the connection between indoor environments and their health and to empower them to keep their homes safe and healthy. Evans said all of these programs have made a positive difference for Mississippians, and the department will continue pursuing effective health solutions for the underserved. “I think Mississippi State and the Department of Food Science, Nutrition, and Health Promotion should lead the effort to help get healthy, Mississippi-grown foods to consumers and educate them about diet, cooking, and consumption,” Evans said.

Doctoral student Yan Campbell (front) and research associate Vi Jackson serve trays to consumer panelists, who evaluate the food samples and determine how acceptable they are.

By Nathan Gregory • Photos by Kat Lawrence

Photo by Scott Corey

Extension program assistant Ida Knight (left) helps EFNEP client Alberta Cheval select fresh fruits and vegetables at a Jones County grocery store.

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Dr. Guiming Wang is studying Amur leopards in China in hopes of increasing populations of the critically endangered species. Scientists estimate there are fewer than 100 Amur leopards in the wild.

onserving

Amur Leopards in hina

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The words conservation and Mississippi State University may call to mind pine plantations and white-tailed deer, but researchers at MSU study conservation issues around the world. Some of them are currently working to help save the most critically endangered big cats in the world. In China, Amur leopard and tiger populations have dwindled due to habitat loss, human encroachment, and illegal poaching. The Amur leopard is categorized as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and, in 1998, scientists estimated there were fewer than 100 individuals in the wild. “The Amur leopard is just one example of a global decline in vertebrate species. Many vertebrate species have declined as much as 50 percent during the last 40 years,” said Dr. Andy Kouba, professor and head of the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Aquaculture. Dr. Guiming Wang, associate professor in the university’s Forest and Wildlife Research Center, is involved in a project designed to pinpoint the number of Amur leopards in China, track the rise and fall of populations over time, and identify management tactics to increase the population. “Dr. Wang’s expertise in spatial ecology and population modeling has been a tremendous asset to conservation projects in China, especially for the Amur leopard, where his research is helping to inform and develop management plans for saving the species from extinction,” Kouba said. Wang hopes his research will help guide a recovery plan. China’s population density has made conservation difficult. “Two models have been implemented around the world. Land sharing is where wildlife lives among people and wildlife populations are influenced by landscape management and conservation. Land sparing is where part of the land is set aside in wilderness areas and reserves,” Wang explained. “Land sparing, which is used in the United States and Africa, is difficult to implement in the crowded landscapes throughout Asia and Europe.” The Amur leopard’s chance at recovery came after a flood in 1998 prompted the Chinese government to rethink how they use natural resources. They instituted the National Forest Protection program, which included the relocation of many people who lived in forested regions in the northeastern part of the country.

Submitted

Amur leopards are very shy, so researchers use trail cameras to estimate population numbers.

Submitted

are able to distinguish individuals by the unique patterns of The government built homes and offered jobs to individuals their coats. who were relocated away from the forest, which allowed the So far, they have determined a few factors that impact leopard wildlife habitat in the northeast to increase. They also offered populations, including the presence of humans, habitat types, and monetary compensation for livestock killed by big cats, which quantity of prey. helped change farmers’ atti“One challenge of sustaining tudes and reduce illegal huntthe large cats is food. The data reing. This, in turn, took pressure “Two models have been implemented around the flects this, showing that Amur off the leopards. leopards tend to be found where “The government took a world. Land sharing is where wildlife lives among prey, especially roe deer, are plensynergistic approach,” Wang people and wildlife populations are influenced by tiful,” Wang said. said. “If they had just tried to Conservation of the Amur improve leopard population landscape management and conservation. Land leopard is part of a flagship numbers, the conflicts between sparing is where part of the land is set aside in species project that the Chinese cats and humans would have government is implementing increased. But instead, they dewilderness areas and reserves.” throughout the country. Because creased the human population Amur leopards act as indicators in the area by half through reloDr. Guiming Wang of whether an ecosystem is cation and used education to healthy, their conservation rechange attitudes and percepquires restoration of the forest, tions toward the predators.” water, and prey species, as well. These improved conditions led to the second part of Wang’s Other species, such as the Amur tiger and giant panda, will research. also be studied. Researchers hope their conservation will lead to “My next question was how the improved habitat impacted healthier ecosystems throughout China. Understanding how leopards. I wanted to know which dysfunctional ecological wildlife populations respond to restoration projects will enable processes had been restored. In the short term, I hope to be able to scientists to improve land management across the globe. track their progress,” Wang explained. The Amur leopard is very shy, so the researchers’ best chance at estimating population numbers is through trail cameras. Movement and body heat trigger the special cameras, and scientists By Sarah Buckleitner • Photo by Kevin Hudson

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MSU TREE TRAIL Takes Learning Outdoors

MISSISSIPPI LANDMARKS

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This sycamore was grown from seed that went into space on Apollo 14 in 1971. Called the moon tree, it is planted in the Junction, the heart of fall tailgating activities. (Photo by Kat Lawrence)

MSU Extension landscape architect Brian Templeton (second from left) worked with students (from left) John Williams, Adela Wawrzyniak, Paul Hosemann, and Dianna Wilson to conduct the Starkville Community Forest Inventory. (Photo by Megan Bean) One MSU landscape architect wants everyone to enjoy the trees he climbed in as a boy, and the campus’s new tree trail will make that easier than ever. Brian Templeton, a landscape architect with the MSU Extension Service, grew up climbing MSU trees. With more than 10,000 tree species and varieties on the 1,500-acre campus, he has a hard time choosing favorites. “The sycamore moon tree and the melting gingko are my favorite popular ones,” he said. “There is an oak hybrid behind Montgomery Hall that stumped me on its species when I was a student, and I’m still fond of it. I also manage the trees around the Landscape Architecture facility, so those are all special to me, too.” The moon tree he referred to is growing in the Junction, the heart of fall tailgating activities. It was grown from a seed that went into space on Apollo 14 in 1971 and was planted in 1975. Templeton said he hopes increased attention and efforts will extend the lives and health of the campus trees. “Most of the trees I climbed as a kid or had sentimental value to me have died or been removed over the years,” he said. In 2015, officials recognized the establishment of an MSU Campus Tree Trail as a means of highlighting the university’s

landscaping efforts. University landscaping crews continue to plant 80 to 100 new trees annually. “The landscape of our campus makes a significant, positive impact on students, faculty, staff, and visitors. We feel it reflects and embodies the welcoming atmosphere of the people at MSU. A group of us were interested in fostering and promoting those impacts now and into the future,” Templeton said. “Once the Campus Tree Advisory Committee was established a few years ago, we started working on various recognitions for our trees.” Dr. Jason Gordon, assistant Extension professor in the Forest and Wildlife Research Center, was the founding chair of the advisory committee. Members of the committee represent multiple disciplines and departments. Two student committee members are forestry majors in the College of Forest Resources. “Establishing a tree trail has been a goal, and receiving a grant from the Arbor Day Foundation last year made it possible,” Gordon said. “We are looking forward to showcasing the wonderful trees on our campus.” The Arbor Day Foundation designated MSU as an official Tree Campus USA in February 2015. The program honors colleges that uphold core standards, including

a campus tree-care plan, dedicated funding for a campus tree program, an Arbor Day observance, and student servicelearning projects. MSU’s Tree Campus USA recognition is housed in the College of Forest Resources. “The trail is beginning with 20 trees from the MSU Welcome Center to the gingko trees at the ROTC building,” Gordon said. “MSU students and staff will use global positioning systems to map trees along the trail.” Gordon said each tree will have a sign identifying its scientific name, common name, and leaf shape. A QR code will link to a digital explanation of the trees, including physical descriptions, uses of the trees, and photos of trees in different seasons. The committee is conducting an inventory of all the trees on campus. Eventually, 50 different species will be part of the trail. “After the tree trail is established, we will apply to Garden Clubs of America for arboretum status, which will be in addition to the arboretum we have on the South Farm, behind the poultry unit,” Gordon said. Trees are important throughout Mississippi. Forestry ranked second among Mississippi’s agricultural commodities in 2015. By Linda Breazeale

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Dong Thi Kieu Oanh (from left) discusses her research conducted as a Borlaug Fellow at MSU with Dr. Greg Bohach, DAFVM vice president, and her mentor, Dr. Thu Dinh.

Borlaug Fellowship MSU Hosts Senior Chemist from Vietnam During the fall 2015 semester, Mississippi State University hosted its first Norman E. Borlaug International Agricultural Science and Technology Fellowship Program participant since 2012. Dong Thi Kieu Oanh of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, spent more than 2 months researching methods of detecting and quantifying antibiotics, mycotoxin, and growth promotant residues in feedstuffs and products of animal origin. Oanh, a senior chemist and lead analyst at the Institute of Animal Science for Southern Vietnam (IASVN), was mentored by Dr. Thu Dinh, assistant professor of meat science in the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, and Dr. Matthew Ross, associate professor of bioanalytical chemistry in the MSU College of Veterinary Medicine. Dinh will later visit Oanh in Vietnam to help her implement cutting-edge analytical techniques in her institution and to continue collaborating in food safety research. The Borlaug Fellowship Program invites rising scientists and policymakers from developing and middle-income countries to work with universities, research centers, or government agencies in the U.S. in research areas including food security and economic growth. Fellows learn research techniques, gain experience with the latest technology and scientific developments in agriculture, and learn about public-private partnerships that can help advance agricultural research. Participants develop long-term relationships with their mentors and apply what they have learned to research programs in their home countries. “Oanh’s research focused on two subjects. One was a study analyzing ergovaline, a chemical compound found in endophyte-infected tall fescue that is toxic to cattle and possibly deposited in tissues of beef steers,” Dinh said. “She also evaluated a method to analyze several steroid hormones used for growth-promoting purposes. Both objectives involved the development and validation of liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry methods, which is the most advanced analytical technique used frequently in cutting-edge research and regulatory compliance.”

Oanh was also trained on statistical analysis of data and important concepts in quality control of analytical data such as repeatability and reproducibility. “In Vietnam, graduate training is not as focused on statistical analysis as much as technique,” Dinh said. “We went step-by-step with her on how to design an experiment and analyze data when evaluating a method to see if that method will work for its intended purposes.” During her visit, Oanh also took time out to experience some local culture, including attending a football game for the first time when MSU played the University of Alabama. “This fellowship program has been a great experience,” she said. “I’ve enjoyed being here, and I’ve learned a lot in the last 2 months about how to use method validation to improve meat safety and public health.” She said the knowledge she gained from her stay would prove useful when she returns to Vietnam. Her future goals include pursuing a PhD in food science at a university in Canada. “She’s an extremely diligent worker who has already been one of the leading analysts in her field in Vietnam,” Dinh said. “With the things she’s learned here and will continue to learn as she pursues further post-graduate education, I think she will be a major asset to her country in improving both food safety and security.” Dr. Greg Bohach, vice president of the MSU Division of Agriculture, Forestry, and Veterinary Medicine, said MSU intends to continue and even possibly expand this fellowship program in the future. “The Borlaug Program is extremely competitive,” Bohach said. “It is important that MSU promotes relationships with researchers and universities in other countries as a critical component of our university’s strategic plan. This fellowship program is one means to assist us in achieving that goal.”

By Nathan Gregory • Photo by Kat Lawrence

MISSISSIPPI LANDMARKS

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1/82: Neshoba County Neshoba County Office, MSU Extension Service 12000 Highway 15 North, Suite 2 Philadelphia, MS 39350

Neshoba County is home to the largest campground fair in the country. Regular fairgoers take up residence in their 600 cabins and 200 RV campers for the 8-day Neshoba County Fair. Photo by Kevin Hudson

County seat:

Philadelphia

Population:

29,818

Municipalities:

Philadelphia, Union, Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians (Choctaw)

Commodities:

broilers, timber, cattle and calf production

Industries:

Chahta Enterprise, Peco Foods, Richardson Moulding, Tyson Foods, Yates & Sons Construction, Wells-Lamont, Weyerhauser

Natural resources:

Nanih Waiya Wildlife Management Area, Neshoba Lake, Pushmataha Lake

History notes:

Philadelphia is known as “Our Fair City” because of two world-renowned fairs: the Choctaw Indian Fair and the Neshoba County Fair. The Choctaw Indian Fair was originally called the Coldwater Fair when it was first held in 1889. Two years later, the fair was organized as a private corporation called the Neshoba County Stock and Agricultural Fair Association. The Neshoba County Fair has grown from a 2-day meeting of local farmers and their families to an 8-day house party in more than 600 cabins and 200 RV campers.

Attractions:

Williams Brothers General Store, African-American Heritage Driving Tour, Pearl River Resort, Neshoba County Fairgrounds, Choctaw Indian Fair, Ham Jam Arts Festival, birthplace of Marty Stuart, Red Clay Hills Barn Quilt Trail, Parks & Recreation’s Imagination Station and special needs playground

Did you know?

The name Neshoba is Choctaw for wolf.

“Blessed with natural forested beauty and small-town charm, Neshoba County offers the best in recreation, relaxation, and family living with a historic downtown, three farmers’ markets, Pearl River Resort, and Mississippi’s giant house party—the Neshoba County fair, the largest campground fair in the nation.” Karen Benson, MSU Extension County Coordinator

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

• • • JUNE 2016

NEWSNotes Two College of Veterinary Medicine researchers pioneered a technique to help advance the study of Listeria monocytogenes, one of the deadliest foodborne bacteria in the United States. Dr. Atilla Karsi, an associate professor of basic sciences, and Dr. Mark Lawrence, a basic sciences professor and associate dean of research, discovered a method to efficiently select colonies of bacteria intended for study. This technique will allow researchers to focus more on finding ways to combat the bacteria and treat infections. The team has had about 15 requests for the new plasmid since the research paper detailing the method was presented at a research symposium in early 2015. The paper was published in the journal Plasmid in May 2015 and currently ranks ninth in the mostdownloaded articles list.

Dr. Atilla Karsi

Dr. Mark Lawrence

Dr. Harold Grier, the first African American to earn a doctoral degree at Mississippi State University, was honored during the annual College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Super Bulldog Weekend breakfast. Grier grew up on a small farm in central Georgia. His pursuit of scholarly activities began at an early age. At 14, he was writing a weekly column for the Atlanta Daily World. He was valedictorian of his high school at the age of 16. Grier attended Georgia State College, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in 1941. He went on to earn a master’s degree from the University of Minnesota in 1948 and a PhD from Mississippi State University in 1971. Grier served in the U.S. Army from 1942 to 1945 and worked at Alcorn State University and Mississippi State University as a faculty member. Grier currently resides in his native Georgia and continues to work as a retiree on policy issues related to government housing.

Dr. Harold Grier

Dr. Tom Allen

MSU Delta Research and Extension Center researchers Drs. Tom Allen and Wayne Ebelhar are, respectively, 2016 soybean and corn researchers of the year. Both received their awards at the 19th Annual National Conservation Systems Cotton and Rice Conference, Southern Corn and Soybean Conference, Southern Precision Ag Conference, and Delta States Irrigation Conference. Allen conducts research on diseases in soybean and other crops as an associate Extension/research professor with the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station. Ebelhar, a research profes-

Dr. Wayne Ebelhar

Amy Taylor Myers

MISSISSIPPI LANDMARKS

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sor, leads MAFES investigations on a range of agricultural commodities. Two MSU Extension employees received a national award from the National Association of County Agricultural Agents. Amy Taylor Myers, an Extension associate in the Office of Agricultural Communications, and Dr. Gary Bachman, associate Extension and research professor at the Coastal Research and Extension Center, received an achievement award for their Southern Gardening radio segments. Bachman writes and narrates the segments. Myers edits, adds music, and sends them to radio stations around the state. Ann Sansing, Extension community health coordinator and an Extension instructor in the Department of Food Science, Nutrition, and Health Promotion, was elected to the board of the Mississippi Rural Health Association, the primary resource for professionals and advocates for rural health in the state. The nonprofit organization aims to provide resources, education, and advocacy in support of rural healthrelated matters. The association focuses its collective energy on events and activities that provide the largest degree of support, including rural health clinic workshops, tobacco cessation trainings, diabetes awareness, and a variety of communication tools that include the most up-to-date information pertaining to health. The MSU Crosby Arboretum recently received the Garden Excellence Award from the American Public Gardens Association. Arboretum director Pat Drackett said the prestigious award is presented to one public garden each year based on its commitment to supporting and demonstrating best horticultural practices. Operated by the MSU Extension Service, the arboretum consists of more than 700 acres dedicated to research, education, and preservation of the Pearl River Drainage Basin ecosystem. Cultural, scientific, and recreational programs are offered throughout the year at the garden’s 104-acre interpretive site. Unlike other public gardens that focus on exotic plant collections, the Crosby Arboretum showcases native plant species of Mississippi in their natural communities.

Dr. Gary Bachman

Ann Sansing

Pat Drackett

Travis R. Crabtree

Canton area residents now have access to an expanded resource and referral center for child care and early education. Early care and education providers, parents, and other residents will be able to use lending library materials, such as books, toys, puzzles, die-cut machines, and other instructional resources, while also having access to early child care professionals at the downtown center. The Central Mississippi Resource and Referral Center is a collaborative project between the Mississippi State University Extension Service, the Early Years Network, and Excel By 5. A recent MSU graduate from Madison is among a select group being honored with a major international design honor. Travis R. Crabtree traveled to Chicago to accept an American Society of Landscape Architects community service award. The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences graduate was among five landscape architecture majors who designed, constructed, and installed four wooden letters spelling “read” at the Starkville Public Library. For that achievement, he is among nearly two dozen students selected recently for 2016 ASLA recognitions. Nearly 330 students representing more than 80 schools around the world were considered for this year’s awards. In addition to Crabtree’s ASLA honor, the MSU “read” project is being featured in the October issue of Landscape Architecture magazine. Two MSU groups are working with the Starkville Boys and Girls Club to help promote long-term healthy eating habits among local youths. University students in a fourth-year School of Architecture design studio are making plans to transform the club’s community garden into a larger, more accessible, and efficient horticultural space. The architecture majors are joining with others on campus to

organize a sustainable program in which club members learn to maintain the garden and take home vegetables they grow. Once the new beds are built and ready for planting, students in the MSU Horticulture Club will supply and recommend plant materials, conduct educational sessions on gardening preparation and maintenance, and help guide Boys and Girls Club members through the planting process. Senior agronomy student Matthew A. Tucker of Carthage took second-place honors in oral presentation during the National Student Research Symposium Contest. Tucker, a College of Agriculture and Life Sciences student concentrating in golf and sports turf management, is a President’s List Scholar, as well as a member of Phi Kappa Phi national honor society. He is a 2014 graduate of East Central Community College. Tucker’s work involved an examination of screening methods for water stress in seedlings and identification of drought-tolerant lines of tall fescue and bermudagrass. Kellie Mitchell, an MSU biochemistry major, is conducting research she hopes will one day help save lives. By studying the heart cells of swine with metabolic syndrome, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences student is working to unlock clues to help detect heart disease in humans. The Chelsea, Alabama, native is part of the Undergraduate Research Scholars Program, an immersive experience designed to engage undergraduate scholars in research and creative activities beyond the traditional undergraduate curriculum. In this 12-month experience, undergraduate students work as junior colleagues within a faculty scholar/mentor’s research program to discover new knowledge, enhance their discipline-specific expertise, and gain critical thinking skills.

Matthew A. Tucker

Kellie Mitchell

• • • JUNE 2016

DEVELOPMENT

CORNER

WAIDE SCHOLARSHIP Promotes Mississippi Veterinary Care

Candidates for the awards must be A new scholarship will help draw more of members of a Mississippi county Farm Buthe state’s aspiring students to the field of “The MSU College of Veterinary reau. Additionally, in an effort to build veterinary medicine. Mississippi’s agriculture-related and ruralRecently, the Mississippi Farm BuMedicine’s programs are widely based veterinary services, preference will reau Federation’s Young Farmer Scholarrespected and recognized be given to students who plan to focus on ship Foundation contributed a $50,000 gift production animal medicine within the to MSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine nationally. This scholarship will state upon graduation. to support the creation of the David Waide Serving as the state’s only veterinary Scholarship. help attract and retain more of college and one of only 28 in the United Since its establishment in 1974, the our local, top-notch students to States, MSU-CVM delivers world-class edCollege of Veterinary Medicine has worked ucation, research, and service through suto improve the standard of living for aniserve within the state. We are perior diagnostics, clinical care, and shared mals and humans alike. The college seeks learning. MSU-CVM holds accreditation to uphold MSU’s reputation as “The Peograteful to the Mississippi Farm from the American Veterinary Medical Asple’s University,” and one of its greatest Bureau Federation for their sociation’s Council on Education. contributions is producing skilled graduWith more than 192,000 member famiates who provide quality care to animals continued support of MSU.” lies in 82 counties, the Mississippi Farm Buthroughout Mississippi. reau Federation is the largest general farm “The MSU College of Veterinary organization in the state. The voluntary, Medicine’s programs are widely respected nongovernmental, nonpartisan organizaand recognized nationally,” said Dr. Kent tion serves farm families seeking solutions Hoblet, dean of the College of Veterinary Dr. Kent Hoblet to problems that affect their lives, both soMedicine. “This scholarship will help atcially and economically. tract and retain more of our local, top-notch students to serve within The Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation has contributed to the state. We are grateful to the Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation various MSU programs. Its most recent scholarship will accompany for their continued support of MSU." the previously established David Waide Endowed Scholarship, Established in honor of the eighth president of the Mississippi which was created to support the university’s College of Agriculture Farm Bureau Federation, the David Waide Scholarship recognizes and Life Sciences and College of Forest Resources. Waide’s commitment and efforts on behalf of agriculture. The West Point native served as the organization’s president for 14 years. The David Waide Scholarship will provide two annual awards for full-time students enrolled in the college’s Doctor of Veterinary By Addie Mayfield • Photos by Tom Thompson Medicine program. Scholarship recipients will receive the $5,000 award during their fourth year of the degree program.

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MISSISSIPPI LANDMARKS

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SCHOLARSHIPS: • • •

A Rewarding Investment

Much of the MSU College of Veterinary Medicine’s success is made possible through generous ﬁnancial contributions from alumni and friends. Whether through annual gifts, multi-

For More Information 鵻鵼 Jud Skelton College of Agriculture and Life Sciences/Real Estate Giving (662) 325-0643 jskelton@foundation.msstate.edu http://www.cals.msstate.edu/

year commitments, or deferred giving, the investments from loyal supporters greatly beneﬁt the college’s mission. Scholarships provide direct and powerful impacts. By establishing or contributing to scholarship awards, donors can help make an education from the MSU-CVM more accessible to students while aiding in recruitment. Additionally, endowed scholarships provide a per-

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/

petual resource that will empower future generations of Bulldog scholars. Behind each gift is a unique story that reﬂects the loyalty of alumni and friends of the

Jimmy Kight College of Veterinary Medicine (662) 325-3815 jkight@foundation.msstate.edu http://www.cvm.msstate.edu

university. For more information on establishing your own legacy through a gift to the MSUCVM, contact Jimmy Kight, director of development for the college, at (662) 325-5893 or jkight@foundation.msstate.edu.

Will Staggers College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and MSU Extension Service (662) 325-2837 wstaggers@foundation.msstate.edu http://www.cals.msstate.edu

The Waide Scholarship will be awarded to students who plan to focus on production animal medicine in Mississippi.

• • • JUNE 2016

Nonprofit Organization U.S. Postage PAID Birmingham, AL Permit No. 1776

Box 9625 Mississippi State, MS 39762

Fashion design and merchandizing students Zimrie Magee (left) and Fleshia Gillon participated in a natural dyeing workshop at the Sam D. Hamilton Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge in April. Students and others interested in sustainable dyeing techniques collected plants and flowers to make natural dyes. (Photo by Kevin Hudson)