November 2016 Mississippi Landmarks Magazine

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

Mississippi State University

Volume 12, Number 4

MSU Works to Protect the State’s Water Resources… page 16

NOVEMBER 2016

Contents

On the CoverMississippi’s water resources are crucial to industry and everyday life in the state, and they must beprotected for future generations. Many efforts at Mississippi State University are underway to sus-tain the quality and abundance of the state’s streams, rivers, and aquifers. The most famous exam-ple of these resources is the Mississippi River, shown on the cover at the Natchez–Vidalia Bridge.(Photo by Kat Lawrence)

4 Top 10 in Ag Research Spending

MSU supports Mississippi’s $8 billion agricultural industry with a $99 million research program.

8 Training Tomorrow’s Physicians

Rural Medical Scholars Program works to recruit more primary-care doctors for Mississippi.

11 Twenty-Five Years of Growth

Celebrating their silver jubilee, Mississippi Master Gardeners are proud of impressive growth since 1991.

12 Putting a New Timber Product to the Test

Sustainable bioproducts researchers study how well a cross-laminated timber product stands up to the harsh environmental conditions of the South.

14 Endowment Enables Critical Care Expansion

Veterinary training and client services are improved in the expanded Joe Ann Ward

Internal Medicine and Critical Care Unit.

16 Mississippi’s Abundant Water Resources

MSU has multifaceted research, extension, and academic programs to protect and pre- serve the state’s valuable water resources.

23 Better Decisions for Timberland Owners

Findings from a study in the Forest and Wildlife Research Center will help landowners in the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley make better-informed decisions.

24 Encouraging Future Scientists

The Undergraduate Research Scholars Program allows students to experience science outside the classroom.

27 County Profile

Rankin County boasts a variety of natural resources, including access to Ross Barnett Reservoir.

28 News Notes

DAFVM takes note of faculty, staff, and student accomplishments.

30 Development Corner

Jimmy and Kay Bryan establish the Bryan-Burger Endowment for Bobwhite Habitat

Restoration to promote a legacy of conservation.

4

8

14

16MISSISSIPPI LANDMARKS

Dear Friends,

In the pages of Mississippi LandMarks, we

share with you a small portion of the re-

search, teaching, and extension conducted by

members of the MSU Division of Agriculture,

Forestry, and Veterinary Medicine. We value

the investments made in our people and pro-

grams, so we strive to be transparent, accountable, and informative. We also work

hard to convey our gratitude by delivering practical, needs-based, real-world solu-

tions to Mississippi’s greatest challenges.

In the classroom, at field days and turn-row talks, through publications, and via

online sources, our goal is to honor the commitments made to our students, our

clients, and our stakeholders as we all work together to build a strong and vibrant

future for our state, region, nation, and world.

As 2016 draws to a close, we celebrate the harvest and look forward to collecting

data related to agricultural production and economic impact. We are proud to be part

of Mississippi’s largest industry and strive to help producers become ever more sus-

tainable in their production practices. Our researchers constantly study ways to lever-

age our valuable state products and make the best use of available resources. For

example, on page 12, you can read about a new project in the College of Forest Re-

sources Department of Sustainable Bioproducts related to using small trees and ex-

isting timber industry byproducts to create a viable construction material.

We also celebrate our role in MSU’s record-breaking enrollment of 21,622 stu-

dents in fall 2016. DAFVM colleges enjoyed a total enrollment of 3,558 students, a

4.2 percent increase over 2015. Each college set enrollment records: College of Agri-

culture and Life Sciences, 2,440 students; College of Forest Resources, 576 students;

and College of Veterinary Medicine, 542 students.

Global food security continues to be a high priority for MSU President Dr. Mark

Keenum and for the division. Mississippi growers export a high percentage of their

crops to feed the world’s growing population. The lack of rain at key points during

the 2016 growing season reinforced the importance water plays in our lives, and we

encourage you to read about MSU’s involvement in a variety of water-related initia-

tives in the Focus Section beginning on page 16.

In addition to expressing my thanks for the ongoing support offered to all of

the units in the division, I want to thank everyone in the division for contributing

their best efforts to our work. Just before the semester began, we were able to honor

division employees through our annual awards program. DAFVM launched the Stel-

lar Staff Awards, which will recognize one professional and one support staff member

each year. With the support of Regions Bank’s ongoing funding, we also recognized

the talent, hard work, and dedication of professors in five key areas with Regions

Bank-DAFVM Superior Faculty Awards (see News Notes on page 28).

With warm wishes for a bright holiday and happy new year,

Gregory A. Bohach

• • • • •

Vice President’s Letter

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

Mark E. Keenum President

Gregory A. Bohach Vice President Gary B. Jackson Director, MSU Extension Service George M. Hopper Dean, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Dean, College of Forest Resources Director, Forest and Wildlife Research Center Director, Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station Kent H. Hoblet Dean, College of Veterinary Medicine

Mississippi LandMarks is produced by the Office of Agricultural Commu-nications.

Elizabeth Gregory North Executive EditorRobyn Hearn Associate EditorKeri Collins Lewis Associate Editor

Annette Woods Graphic Designer

Vanesa Beeson WritersLinda Breazeale Bonnie CoblentzSusan Collins-SmithNathan GregoryAddie Mayfield Russ Houston PhotographersKevin HudsonKat LawrenceKenner PattonTom Thompson

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

We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants willreceive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, re-ligion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, orany other characteristic protected by law.

Available on the World Wide Webwww.dafvm.msstate.edu/landmarks

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

3 • • • NOVEMBER 2016

MISSISSIPPI LANDMARKS • • • 4

Agriculture and forestry areconsidered the largest sectorsof the Mississippi economy,employing nearly 30 percent ofthe state’s workforce and gen-erating a total farm-gate valueof $8.03 billion in 2015.

Farming has always been achallenging endeavor, but pro-ducers face increasing pressureto maximize yields while de-creasing costs and protectingthe environment. It is onlythrough technology and inno-vation that producers can meetthese mandates. Fortunately, amajor source of innovation is based in the state’s land-grant insti-tutions, which deliver cutting-edge resources in research, educa-tion, and outreach to help producers increase efficiency, improveprofits, and become better stewards of the environment.

One confirmation of the level of support Mississippi Stategives the state’s largest industries can be found in the annual Na-tional Science Foundation ranking of university research and de-velopment expenditures. NSF recently ranked MSU eighthnationally in agricultural research spending with expenditures ofmore than $99 million.

“MSU has been ranked in the top 10 for 17 consecutive years,”said Dr. Gregory Bohach, vice president of the MSU Division of Agri-culture, Forestry, and Veterinary Medicine, which conducts much ofthe university’s agricultural research. “When grants and contractsawarded are combined with state- and federal-appropriated funds,it allows the division to remain in the top 10 nationally in researchand development expenditures in the agricultural sciences.”

DAFVM is home to three academic units: the College of Agri-culture and Life Sciences (CALS), College of Forest Resources(CFR), and College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM). Research in thedivision is conducted through the Mississippi Agricultural andForestry Experiment Station (MAFES) and the Forest and WildlifeResearch Center (FWRC). Through the MSU Extension Service, thedivision delivers the latest science-based information to all sectorsof the state.

Bohach said the recentNSF ranking is a reflection ofthe hard work, talent, anddedication of faculty, staff,and students throughout thedivision. “Time and again, our fac-

ulty members and scientistsreceive recognition for beingleaders in their fields,” Bo-hach said. “From internation-al and national awards toprestigious fellowships topublished articles, our facul-ty, researchers, and Extensionpersonnel represent the best

of the best. Similarly, our students win national and internationalcontests, participate in study-abroad programs, and serve as un-dergraduate research scholars. To date, more than 100 studentshave been selected as undergraduate research scholars.”

MSU President Mark E. Keenum, a Mississippi State agricul-tural economics alumnus, understands firsthand how agriculturedrives state, national, and global economies. Keenum served asundersecretary of agriculture for farm and foreign agriculturalservices in the U.S. Department of Agriculture before he becamethe university’s 19th president.

“As a land-grant institution, our mission is threefold as wefocus on research, teaching, and service,” Keenum said. “We de-velop relevant, real-world solutions that not only contribute to theMississippi producer’s bottom line but also advance the healthand well-being of all Mississippians.”

Keenum noted that Mississippi State has expertise across abroad spectrum, including crop production, postharvest process-ing, livestock, aquaculture, food policy, water resources, geospatialtechnologies, and biofuels—to name just a few.

“Our faculty and staff are working to improve animal healthand commodity production and to maximize the usage of naturalresources while training the leaders of tomorrow through academ-ic pursuits and research and Extension opportunities,” he said.

Following are a few examples of how MSU researchers, edu-cators, and Extension personnel strive to help producers feed,

NSF Ranks Mississippi State in the Top 10 for Agricultural Research Spending

“Our faculty and staff are working to improve

animal health and commodity production and

to maximize the usage of natural resources

while training the leaders of tomorrow through

academic pursuits and research and Extension

opportunities.”

MSU President Mark E. Keenum

Supporting Mississippi’s Largest Industries NSF Ranks Mississippi State in the Top 10 for Agricultural Research Spending

5 • • • NOVEMBER 2016

clothe, and shelter the world’s growing population. MSU expertshelp producers plant the seeds of success, enhance producerprofits, improve animal production, leverage technology, andsustain environmental stewardship, all while training the leadersof tomorrow.

Planting the SeedSuccessful production begins with choosing the right crop va-

riety for optimal performance in the different climates and soiltypes found in Mississippi. MAFES researchers constantly evalu-ate existing varieties and work to develop new ones. Two MAFESinitiatives focused on these goals include the Official Variety TrialProgram and the rice-breeding program.

The variety-trial program evaluates commercially availablecorn, soybean, cotton, wheat, sorghum, oat, rice, peanut, and for-age varieties. These trials provide unbiased data that help produc-ers make informed decisions when it comes to variety/hybridselection and management in Mississippi. Many Mississippi pro-ducers use MAFES variety-trial results as a decision tool.

Like other plant-breeding programs at MSU, the MAFES rice-breeding program seeks to meet the needs of Mississippi farmersby developing new and improved varieties that are locally adapt-ed for the state’s production systems, climate, and soils. The breed-ing program is focused on developing high-yielding rice varietieswith consumer-preferred grain quality. In 2016, the program re-leased Thad, named after U.S. Senator Thad Cochran, as a high-yield alternative to the high-amylose rice varieties currentlyavailable. Rice high in amylose, a component of starch, is looseand fluffy when cooked. It is used in common parboiled products.

Increasing Producer ProfitsScientists in the Experiment Station and the Extension Service

work together to ensure research results are passed along to pro-ducers in a timely manner and to keep abreast of emerging issuesand concerns that producers want addressed in future research.MSU research findings are disseminated to producers throughfield days, short courses, producer advisory councils, and the Mis-sissippi Crop Situation Blog, which provides timely informationon crop issues producers are facing.

Several MSU scientists have made advancements and devel-oped and tested best practices at the field level to help producersimprove production efficiency and increase profitability. For ex-ample, MSU irrigation experts showed producers that the use ofsurge valves could increase irrigation efficiency by 20–25 percent,which meant a savings of $10 per acre.

MSU plant pathologists determined that a once-routine fun-gicide application was not economically beneficial for corn grow-ers. Because of this research, many producers saved money whenthey stopped automatically applying the treatment.

MSU entomologists spent the last few years on the front linesfinding ways to protect grain sorghum, a $41 million crop in Mis-sissippi, from sugarcane aphids.

MSU crop specialists and weed scientists discovered that zincdeficiencies in corn in the Mississippi Delta were being misiden-tified as herbicide injury. The team showed producers how toidentify and correct the deficiency, saving time and money.

Improving Animal ProductionAnimal production is a big part of Mississippi agriculture. In

fact, poultry is the state’s largest commodity, totaling $3.25 billionin production value in 2015. From poultry to aquaculture to cattle

Photo by Kat Lawrence


to horses and more, MSU researchers strive to develop andimprove efficient, humane, and cost-effective animal produc-tion systems that optimize environmental stewardship.

MAFES poultry researchers are working to combat a bacte-rial pathogen called Mycoplasma gallisepticum, which costs theglobal poultry industry approximately $780 million a year.

Researchers at the Thad Cochran National WarmwaterAquaculture Center have developed feed formulations and cost-effective disease and production management programs current-ly used by catfish producers. Recent advancements include thedevelopment of a vaccine for a common catfish disease thatcould affect every catfish fingerling in the Mississippi Delta. Thevaccine has tremendous potential to improve the profitability ofcatfish farming.

MAFES and CVM researchers are studying how stocker cat-tle producers can improve livestock health. Their findings sug-gest that cow/calf operators have economic incentives tovaccinate and deworm cattle before marketing them. Stocker op-erators place a higher value on calves that have been castrated,dehorned, vaccinated, and dewormed at an earlier stage.

Leveraging TechnologyDivision scientists are continually leveraging technology

to enhance research methods and find ways to improve pro-duction systems.

FWRC researchers are developing a mobile device soft-ware application that would help carpenters select the stiffest,strongest pieces of lumber at the point of sale. The app couldimprove not only the quality of thousands of homes and struc-tures each year, but also the value of Southern forests, a multi-billion-dollar industry that includes 125,000 Mississippilandowners.

Faculty and staff in the Extension Center for TechnologyOutreach have developed two apps for cattle producers andseveral apps for landowners interested in managing naturalresources.

MAFES and FWRC researchers are using unmanned aerialvehicles for a number of projects including research on every-thing from row crops to forestry to wild hog control and more.

MAFES scientists also are evaluating other precision-agri-culture tools. For example, researchers are studying the use ofground-based reflectance sensors to manage nitrogen applica-tions. Another study is focused on using geospatial data fromglobal-positioning-system collars on beef cattle to learn moreabout animal movement and behavior.

Dr. Jane Parish serves as an Extension beef cattle specialist and aMAFES scientist. She conducts research on applied beef cattle produc-tion systems. She helped develop MSUES Cattle Calculator, a free appfor mobile devices that aids in beef cattle decision-making. (Photo byKat Lawrence)

Louis Wasson, left, a senior Extension associate with the Geosystems ResearchInstitute, and Sean Meacham, unmanned aircraft system (UAV) flight coordi-nator, prepare a UAV for flight. MSU researchers study the advantages of usingUAVs for a variety of purposes—from precision row-crop production to wild-hog control. (Photo by Kevin Hudson)

The poultry industry is the state’s largest agricultural enterprise, totaling$3.25 billion in production value in 2015. (Photo by Kat Lawrence)

Enhancing Environmental Stewardship

Many DAFVM programs focus on promoting environmentalstewardship. Two of these initiatives are the Natural Resource Enter-prises program and the Research and Education to Advance Conser-vation and Habitat (REACH) program. Both programs helpMississippi landowners improve efficiency and maximize profitabilitywhile protecting the environment.

Natural Resource Enterprises is a research and outreach programof MAFES, FWRC, Extension, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.The program teaches landowners how to supplement the income fromtheir property through outdoor recreational businesses such as agri-tourism operations, hunting leases, and nature trails, and it offersguides on the best wildlife habitat management practices.

REACH works to create a network of cooperative Mississippifarms that use a variety of agricultural practices. The program’s goalis to demonstrate the advantages of implementing conservation prac-tices. Participating farms exemplify how agriculture can be highlyprofitable while also enhancing landscape stewardship and sustain-able production. REACH collaborators include MAFES, FWRC, CFR,Extension, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Mississip-pi Department of Agriculture and Commerce, the Mississippi WaterResources Research Institute, and the Environmental ProtectionAgency Gulf of Mexico Program.

Whether it’s a partnership at the field level or a collaboration atthe regional, national, or global level, MSU agricultural research fo-cuses on solving the problems of today and tomorrow by improvingefficiencies, improving producer profits, protecting the environment,helping to feed the world, and training the next generation of agricul-tural experts.

By Vanessa Beeson

7 • • • NOVEMBER 2016

The MAFES rice-breeding program develops new and improved varieties adaptedfor production in Mississippi. In 2016, the program released Thad, a high-yieldingvariety with excellent milling qualities. Dr. Ed Redoña is the rice breeder and aMAFES professor at the Delta Research and Extension Center. (Photo by KennerPatton)

Dr. Deke Barron works alongside veteran practitioner Dr. Edward Hill asthey allow future medical students to shadow their activities in the FamilyMedicine Residency Center in Tupelo, Mississippi.

When Barron was a rising high-school senior considering a medical ca-reer in 2003, he took part in the MSU Extension Rural Medical Scholars(RMS) Program. The Hernando, Mississippi, native returned as an RMScounselor in 2007 and 2010. The 5-week summer program at MississippiState seeks to identify and encourage the state’s future primary-care doc-tors.

“I remember the shadowing experience as being very helpful when Iwas making career decisions,” said Barron, a 2014 medical-school graduatewho is completing his third year of residency at the North Mississippi Med-ical Center in Tupelo.

Hill is not surprised to hear Barron’s positive review of the RMS Pro-gram. He has supported the program since its first year in 1998 by recruit-ing doctors to be shadowed by participating scholars.

“Most doctors are very willing to participate because they recognizethe importance of the shadowing experience,” Hill said. “Watching a doctoris totally different from the classroom experience and certainly impacts de-cisions on the type of medical career the student wants to pursue.”


Rural Medical Scholars ProgramWorks to Produce More Primary-Care Doctors for Mississippi

“I remember the shadowing experience asbeing very helpful when I was making careerdecisions.”

Dr. Deke Barron,2003 Rural Medical Scholar

Dr. Edward Hill discusses an X-ray with rural medicalscholar Kaylee Jacobs, a senior at Oakhill Academy inWest Point. (Photo by Linda Breazeale)

Photo by Kevin Hudson

Additionally, Hill pointed to the Hippocratic oath that all doc-tors take. The second line in the oath calls for doctors to “gladlyshare such knowledge as is mine with those who are to follow.”

“Mississippi has a critical need for primary-care doctors, whichinclude family practitioners, pediatrics, internal medicine, and ob-stetrics/gynecology,” Hill said. “We can reduce medical costs andprovide higher quality of care when we have adequate numbers ofphysicians to serve all our communities.”

Hill’s commitment to the RMS Program extends to futureneeds. To improve the overall health of Mississippians, he wantsto see efforts that reach younger students with messages that willguide them to healthy lifestyles and possible medical careers.

“The earlier you start, the better,” Hill said. “We need healtheducation from prekindergarten on up. The need for more pri-mary-care doctors goes hand in hand with public health. Plus,when there is a shortage of doctors, there is a greater chanceof burnout.”

Barron does not have as many years of experience as Hill, buthe recognizes the need to continue learning from veteran practi-tioners. He also remembers the process of making career decisions.

A 2012 RMS participant, Abby Matthews of Summit, Missis-sippi, worked this summer as one of the two counselors for the2016 scholars. She said the program and counselors stress the valueof students focusing on rural communities.

“We want to convince them that rural communities are worththe effort,” she said. “Ideally, rural communities need people whoalready appreciate small-town living.”

Matthews received a competitive scholarship from the Missis-sippi Rural Physicians Scholarship Program, which provides fund-ing for medical school and academic enrichment, along withfaculty and physician mentoring. She learned about the scholarshipprogram when she participated in RMS and applied during hercollege undergraduate years.

Matthews, working as the RMS Program’s female counselor,guided the scholars around the MSU campus, to doctors’ offices,and through college biology and sociology classes.

The scholars pelt their counselors with questions such as,“What’s the MCAT like?” or “How do you improve your medical-school application?”

9 • • • NOVEMBER 2016


Both of those questions are high on Matthews’s list, as well. She will earn her undergraduate degreein May 2017 and has already been accepted to early-entry admissions status for medical school.

“It can be overwhelming for them when they consider all they need to do to get into med school—goodgrades, shadowing experiences, campus involvement, and volunteer work,” Matthews explained. “We tryto reassure them that it’s possible to manage their schedules, be involved, and keep their grades up.”

Ben Rushing, a 2013 medical scholar, returned this year to assist students as their biology tutor.“My job was to review their lessons with them until they felt comfortable with the material, but we

also talked a lot about the college experience,” Rushing said. “They need to understand that good gradeswill get their foot in the door, but then they need to be active in other areas to be well-rounded.”

Rushing said he tried to listen to each scholar and understand individual struggles and successes.“It was fun to see the program from another level,” he added. “As a scholar, you can’t see the big

picture. Now, I see a little more but know there will be more to come. It was also interesting to see whatit takes for the program to accomplish its goals. I’m glad participants didn’t just benefit from the expe-rience, but they also enjoyed it.”

The Monticello, Mississippi, native said he hopes the program convinced the future medical pro-fessionals to return to rural communities across the state.

“The Rural Medical Scholars Program engages quality Mississippi high school students in an effortto interest them in primary medical care,” said Dr. Will Evans Jr., head of the MSU Department of FoodScience, Nutrition, and Health Promotion. “The goal of RMS is to increase the number of ‘home-grown’rural medical physicians in Mississippi.”

By Linda Breazeale

Rural medical scholars (top, leftphoto) work with a simulationdummy at the University of Missis-sippi School of Medicine Simula-tion and Interpersonal EducationCenter. The lab is used to simulatevarious emergencies to train med-ical students. (Photo Submitted)

Dr. Steven Brandon (top, rightphoto) of The Family Clinic inStarkville talks to Tyler Wilson, asenior at Columbus High School,during a shadowing experience.(Photo by Kevin Hudson)

Abby Matthews (bottom photo)was a 2012 rural medical scholarand returned to serve as a coun-selor in the 2016 program. (Photoby Kevin Hudson)


CLT Timber

Products:Do They Spell“TLC”for Mississippi Industries?

“CLT products could be grown in America, made in America, and used in

America to benefit our manufacturing companies, our forest product industries,

our timber growers, and our construction companies.”

Dr. Beth Stokes

Kelly Magee and Dr. Beth Stokes examine wood samples in the field. Magee, afreshman sustainable bioproducts major from Jackson, works with Stokes aspart of the Undergraduate Research Scholars Program in the College of ForestResources. (Photo by Kat Lawrence)

13 • • • NOVEMBER 2016

A new “super plywood” product—cross-laminated timber (CLT)—could be an en-vironmentally friendly boon for theconstruction industry, but does it havewhat it takes to survive harsh conditionsthat can degrade wooden building materi-als in the South? Research supported bythe Forest and Wildlife Research Center istesting the versatile, cost-effective, engi-neered wood panel.

CLT is made of small pieces of lumberboard glued together at 90-degree angles.Several layers of these boards are assem-bled into a glue-laminated mass timberproduct that is enticing contractors world-wide to take a second look at how woodcan create more sustainable, environmen-tally friendly structures. The structuralpanels are being used to construct apart-ment buildings in Australia, corporatecomplexes in Wisconsin, and universitybuildings in Canada.

Mass timber products sequester car-bon, are made from a renewable resource,and offer numerous advantages in design,manufacture, and construction. In particu-lar, they provide the option to build tallerwooden buildings—in the five- to 15-storyrange—which is an entirely new market.

However, Mississippi has a drasticallydifferent climate than the regions whereCLT has been used, said Dr. Beth Stokes, anassistant professor in the Forest andWildlife Research Center Department ofSustainable Bioproducts. She is putting thetimber product to the test by subjectingsamples to some of Mississippi’s most infa-mous foes, including termites and fungi.

“The Southeast in general is in a high-er degradation zone than anywhere thisproduct has been used previously,” Stokesexplained. “We want to expose CLT to allof the degradation systems we experience:heat, humidity, termites, beetles, andfungi—and we have some fairly aggres-sive fungi. Ultimately, we need to developprotection systems to make this productmore durable.”

Stokes said her goal is to make sureCLT can resist the conditions it would facebefore construction begins in earnestusing this lightweight, durable, and ver-satile material.

“This technology has been developingfor the last decade in Europe,” she added.“Currently in North America, it’s beingstudied, manufactured, and used in Cana-da, Oregon, and Montana. CLT tests well in

many physical properties and has becomevery desirable to use by contractors.

“MSU will be one of the first universi-ties in the U.S. to investigate and attempt toimprove the durability of CLT,” Stokes con-tinued. “We’re partnering with the USDAForest Products Lab out of Madison, Wis-consin. CLT has a lot of potential for inno-vation.”

CLT products could be a great boon forthe Southern forest industry, timber own-ers, and construction contractors, but it isvital to first determine how well the struc-tural panels weather the region’s environ-mental conditions, she said.

“Using CLT before being sure it’sdurable and suitable for the Southeast’s cli-mate could set back the timber industryseveral years,” Stokes said. “Imagine if peo-ple used CLT to build apartments, dorms,or other large buildings, and it failed—what a nightmare! Imagine if a huge con-struction company started using CLTpanels across the South, with wide varia-tions in hot, wet climates, and half of thosebuildings rotted in 10 years. That companywould never touch a timber product again.

“Our role is to address that issue todayso that it does not become a problem later,”she explained. “We are confident it canwork and want to be sure we can walk be-fore we run.”

Mississippi has a high inventory ofpine and pineland, Stokes said. These re-sources could be ideal as a source of rawmaterials for producing CLT products.

“We have a lot of lesser value timberand underutilized trees that can’t be usedfor standard lumber,” she said. “Wouldn’tit be nice to cut shorter and thinner boards,use short sections to create cross-laminatedproducts, provide a protectant, and developan entirely new industry that creates amass-panel production process?”

CLT offers several advantages overother building materials, Stokes continued.Mass timber products are effective at insu-lating, and they are lighter and more envi-ronmentally friendly than steel or concreteequivalents. They have a high amount offire resistance because they char insteadof burn.

CLT can be used to quickly constructentire buildings or select elements, such asroofs, floors, walls, or beams, she added.Large panels can be designed with precutdoors, windows, service channels, andducts for rapid installation projects. Plus,CLT panels are easy to integrate into exist-ing construction processes.

Wood is the material of choice forhome building in America, but buildingcodes usually limit its use to five or six sto-ries, said Dr. Rubin Shmulsky, professorand head of the Department of SustainableBioproducts.

“Mass timber and CLT can be used tobuild higher, which offers the possibility oftaking on new markets, such as taller apart-ment buildings, light commercial construc-tion, mixed-use developments, and others,”Shmulsky predicted. “The strong environ-mental performance, local availability, andrapid speed of construction are pullingthis technology into the market. It’s a veryexciting time to be in the timber business,and Dr. Stokes is at the forefront of this na-tional research.”

Shmulsky and Stokes both see this re-search as the perfect example of land-grantresearch benefitting the state, regional, andnational economies.

“CLT products could be grown inAmerica, made in America, and used inAmerica to benefit our manufacturing com-panies, our forest product industries, ourtimber growers, and our construction com-panies,” Stokes said. “This is something ap-plicable to the Southeast region, andMississippi in particular. We just need totake this existing idea and make it better,make it work for us.”

By Keri Collins Lewis

Stokes examines a sample of cross-laminated timberin a CFR laboratory. (Photo by Kevin Hudson)


At about 4:15 p.m., Dr. Marc Seitz begins cage-side rounds inthe Joe Ann Ward Internal Medicine and Critical Care Unitwith students finishing the day shift and staff scheduled towork the night shift. He listens to the students identify eachpatient, review its active problems, and offer updates on theday’s activities.

Seitz asks students about symptoms they would expectto see to support possible diagnoses. As a team, they talkthrough options and argue for and against their ideas. Theydiscuss what is “classic,” or typical, and what is more rare.As a result of this quiet but lively dialogue, both shifts havemade discoveries and gained a greater understanding oftheir patients.

The MSU College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) inten-sive care unit is a relatively quiet place—much quieter than aveterinarian’s waiting room or the clinic down the hall.

“We support patients during critical illness and work tominimize suffering and pain,” Seitz explained. “Critically ill

Improved Vet Training andClient Services:

Critical Care Unit Expanded

Under Ward Endowment

“We support patients during

critical illness and work to

minimize suffering and pain.

Critically ill patients tend to

be quieter, but we also try to

minimize noise so they can

have a quiet place to heal in a

less stressful environment.”

Dr. Marc Seitz

��

Dr. Theresa Smith and Dr. Marc Seitz perform an ultrasound on a patient in the newlyexpanded College of Veterinary Medicine Critical Care Unit. (Photo by Tom Thompson)

15 • • • NOVEMBER 2016

patients tend to be quieter, but we also tryto minimize noise so they can have aquiet place to heal in a less stressful envi-ronment.”

As 5 o’clock draws near, more peoplearrive to check patients, get updates, andmake notes. Seitz asks the night shift vet-erinarian if any emergency patients havearrived as the transition begins.

The emergency room and the ICUshare the same space physically, but theyoffer different services, depending on thetime of day. The ER’s goal is to serve thegeneral population by providing a placefor after-hours pet care. It also acceptstransfer patients from general practition-ers. The ER is open from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m.and on weekends.

“ER patients may or may not end upstaying in the ICU,” Seitz said. “If we canfix them up and send them home, we do.Or we stabilize them and wait for the spe-cialists to return. A good percentage of pa-tients we see in the ER go home, but if aveterinarian sends a case, the patient usu-ally stays in the ICU.”

A wide variety of situations occur inthe ER: abuse, burns, vehicular traumas,gunshot wounds, respiratory distress, andtoxins from accidental ingestion, to namea few.

“There is very little we can’t handle orhelp with,” Seitz said.

Unlike ER patients that have beenbrought in by their owners, ICU patientsare under the primary care of a specialist,such as a neurologist or an oncologist. Per-sonnel in ICU provide support. Seitz of-fered a recent case as an example.

“A dog came into the ER sufferingfrom a broken leg due to a traumaticevent—we assume it was hit by a car,” hesaid. “On the surface, it looked like justa break.”

Further examination revealed the doghad multiple injuries: a broken femur, ar-rhythmia, gastrointestinal problems, andbruised lungs. Before specialists could per-form surgery to fix the femur, the patientneeded to be under constant surveillance inICU for several days to stabilize.

Typically, Seitz—whose training andexperience make him best qualified for ERwork—has the night shift. Dr. BrittanyThames, a trained criticalist, is the ICUservice chief. They switch roles for a weekeach month.

Thames began as a CVM facultymember and emergency and critical-careveterinarian in August 2014 after a 3-yearresidency at Texas A&M University insmall-animal emergency and critical care.Since her arrival, she has worked with ad-ministration to redesign the ICU space toincrease the capacity for serving patientsand teaching students. An endowmentfrom Joe Ann Ward made the ICU expan-sion possible.

“We asked, ‘How can we make carebetter for the patient while also making theenvironment better for everyone whoworks in this space?’” Thames said. “Beforethe expansion, we used wet wipes to cleanpatients. Now, we have two sinks and a wettable. We installed a dishwasher to thor-oughly clean food and water bowls to

avoid potentially transferring infectiousdiseases. We increased our capacity to servepatients, both in number and in size—wecan now serve 35 patients instead of 20, andwe invested in a stand-alone, large animalenclosure for large-breed dogs.”

On this particular day, a Great Dane issprawled across the bottom of the enclo-sure, fully using the space.

Thames and the CVM team planningthe expansion also invested in medicalequipment.

“We have two oxygen cages, one ofwhich is portable, plus we can deliveroxygen to every cage in the unit if need-ed,” Thames explained, pointing to a rowof pull-down equipment fastened to theceiling. “We also have syringe pumpsfor delivering a constant-rate infusion ofmedications, which is a more accurateway to provide pain control.”

A glass-walled feline ward allows catsto heal in a reduced-stress situation, but itcan also be used for dogs.

“The ultrasound machine is a hugeadvantage when we see emergency pa-tients,” Thames added. “We can morequickly see air and fluid in places where itshould not be, which speeds diagnosis.”

The ER/ICU team uses a Cubex se-cured dispensing system for medications.

“It’s like having our own pharma-cy,” Thames observed. “It reads our fin-gerprints, requires approval for studentsto take out medicine, and charges eachclient. It allows us to serve patients moreefficiently.”

In addition to improved client servic-es, teaching opportunities are also en-hanced in the expanded unit, said bothThames and Seitz, who are CVM alumni.

“Brittany is on days, and I’m onnights or vice versa, so we are capable ofteaching two-thirds of the day,” Seitz ob-served. “We have time and space to inter-act with students more, and the studentshave been very receptive. Teaching is oneof the main reasons I came back toStarkville. Being a clinical teacher similarto the ones I had when I went throughbrought me back to CVM.”

By Keri Collins Lewis


Protecting Our Vital Water Resources Is a Top Priority at MSU Mississippi’s water resources support life, business, and recre-ation. Fresh water flows inexpensively from taps in homes,while migratory birds, alligators, and other wildlife find homesin Mississippi wetlands. Waterways transport commodities,and agricultural producers pump what they need to grow theircrops. Lakes, rivers, and streams provide plentiful opportuni-

ties for boating, hunting, and fishing. Water is so abundantin Mississippi that many people take it for granted and un-derestimate the need for ongoing efforts to conserve and pro-tect it. Mississippi State University stands committed tosafeguarding this life-giving resource and ensuring its qualityand abundance for generations to come.

FOCUS on H20:

Since 2014, California and other Western states have suf-fered from a drought that has forced municipalities to cutwater use by as much as 25 percent. According to a 2013 Unit-ed Nations report, nearly 780 million people worldwide do nothave access to clean water, and in developing countries, asmuch as 90 percent of wastewater flows untreated into rivers,lakes, and other waterways. Water use is one of the most sig-nificant and controversial topics of the 21st century.

Mississippi State recognizes the importance of this essen-tial natural resource and invests significantly in its conserva-tion. The Mississippi Water Resources Research Institute(WRRI), located at MSU, leads these efforts in the state.

Dr. Bill Herndon, WRRI interim director, said the instituteis part of a nationwide network of similar water centers, locat-ed primarily at land-grant universities, charged with conduct-ing research and outreach activities related to water issues.

“Our institute partners with numerous state and federalagencies, along with agricultural, industrial, and municipal or-ganizations and universities to address water issues in Missis-sippi,” Herndon said. “Despite being in a water-rich region,we still have water-quality and quantity concerns.”

From managing stormwater to storing water for later use,the challenges are diverse and pressing. MSU leverages the ex-pertise of a variety of scientists to engage in water-relatedteaching, research, and Extension efforts across the state.

For example, WRRI is a key participant in efforts to restoreCatalpa Creek, which runs through the MSU campus beforemeandering through Oktibbeha and Lowndes Counties. Aspart of that effort, the university established the WatershedDemonstration, Research, Education, Application, Manage-ment, and Sustainability Center at the H. H. Leveck AnimalResearch Center. The center will showcase watershed manage-ment strategies through activities and best management prac-tices in the Catalpa Creek Watershed.

In addition to demonstrating interventions, researcherswork to quantify the economic value of conservation efforts.One strategy developed at MSU is the creation of location-based, whole-farm budgets that assimilate financial informa-tion related to implementing statewide nutrient-reductionstrategies. These analyses help producers better understandthe impact of adopting best management practices.

17 • • • NOVEMBER 2016

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

Agriculture is the largest component of Mississippi’s economy,posting an annual value of production of more than $8 billion.Maintaining a plentiful water supply and using it efficiently are es-sential to the state’s economic health.

Delta producers rely heavily on the Mississippi AlluvialAquifer for farm irrigation. After years of constant and ever-in-creasing demand, the level of this once seemingly unlimited sourceis declining.

To begin reversing the aquifer’s decline, researchers requiredhard data on water use. In 2014, Mississippi producers voluntarilybegan to meter irrigation wells in the Delta. The Mississippi De-partment of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) oversees this meas-urement program, which provides valuable information used tomore carefully manage water resources.

“This was an important first step in quantifying water use withthe goal of increasing irrigation efficiency and protecting theaquifer,” Herndon said. “With the collaboration of key partners,Delta producers met the goal of 10 percent voluntary metering inFebruary 2016.”

In addition to monitoring the water supply, farmers are be-coming more efficient in their use of water. For example, the Row-Crop Irrigation Science Extension and Research (RISER) programprovides side-by-side comparisons of irrigation practices. RISER isa program of the Extension Service and Mississippi Agriculturaland Forestry Experiment Station (MAFES). Participating producersmanage production using traditional decision-making processes,while RISER personnel oversee production on adjoining fieldsusing best management practices for irrigation.

Dr. Jason Krutz, who serves as the Extension irrigation special-ist and as a MAFES researcher, leads the RISER program. After har-vest, Krutz compares irrigation decisions, water usage, expenses,and yields to determine water and cost savings realized from theRISER practices.

Since 2013, approximately 15 different Mississippi farmershave participated in this program each year. Data shows that theproducer-managed and MSU-controlled fields produced similaryields, but the RISER fields used up to 40 percent less water.

“It sounds absurd to say that you can apply half the water younormally apply, maintain or improve your yield almost guaran-teed, and improve your profitability by cutting way down on yourwater cost,” Krutz commented. “But we’ve done it repeatedly.”

The tools to make it happen are soil-moisture sensors, surgeirrigation, and a computer program that calculates the properhole size and distribution for polypipe to furrow irrigate rowcrops efficiently.

The Research and Education to Advance Conservation andHabitat (REACH) program is another MSU effort aimed at improv-ing agricultural water-use efficiency in the state by improving landmanagement. REACH is a collaboration of Extension, MAFES, andthe Forest and Wildlife Research Center (FWRC).

“The REACH program asks farmers what they need help withand then suggests ways to solve problems in ways that benefit bothagriculture and conservation,” Herndon explained. “Then weshowcase the fine job these growers are doing with land steward-ship, so other producers can see for themselves how these strate-gies work.”

On-Farm Conservation Efforts Showcase Stewardship

“Our institute partners with numerous state and

federal agencies, along with agricultural, industrial,

and municipal organizations and universities to

address water issues in Mississippi. Despite being

in a water-rich region, we still have water-quality

and quantity concerns.”

Dr. Bill Herndon,Interim Director, Water Resources Research Institute

Photo by Kevin Hudson



Rainwater runoff from urban landscapes is a significant sourceof water pollution. (Photo by Kat Lawrence)

Through watersheds, the water-management activities on one farm or inone town may have ripple effects on others far away. A watershed is the entireregion drained by a river or stream, or the area that drains to a single point.Running water carries with it whatever nutrients, sediments, or contaminantsit has picked up along the way.

Water used to wash a car, drained from a swimming pool, or sprayed ona field, as well as rain that falls on a chemically treated lawn, eventually endsup in the watershed. It mingles as runoff and flows through ditches, culverts,and low spots. Without human interference, geography directs this water toa central point by natural means, such as creeks, streams, and tributaries.Curbs, storm drains, and other types of infrastructure also route water.

In Mississippi and several other states, water eventually ends up in theGulf of Mexico, carrying with it whatever materials it may have picked upalong the way. Over the years, the buildup of nutrients, such as nitrogen andphosphorus, has created a zone of hypoxia—a dead zone—in the Gulf. Thesenutrients cause the growth of excessive algal blooms that prevent sunlightfrom penetrating surface waters. Bacteria break down dead algae, depletingoxygen during the decomposition process and causing the death or migrationof marine life in the zone.

Through WRRI, MAFES, FWRC, and Extension, Mississippi State is oneof 12 land-grant universities in Southern Extension and Research ActivitiesCommittee 46 (SERA-46), which works in partnership with the MississippiRiver/Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Task Force. This consortium brings togetherresearchers and Extension specialists to develop state-level strategies to curbnutrient loading and Gulf hypoxia. SERA-46 members focus on a number ofissues, including soil conservation, water quality, and nutrient movementthrough waterways. Scientists and policy experts work to put science intopractice by providing educational programs for farmers, businesses, and con-servation and watershed management professionals.

Some MSU scientists are looking for ways to reduce the amount of non-point-source pollution entering the waterways. According to Extensionwater specialist Dr. Mary Love Tagert, facilities such as factories and waste-water-treatment plants can be point sources of pollution; in other words, pol-lutants sometimes flow directly from these sources into waterways.However, it is harder to track down nonpoint sources, which are spread outover a wider area. For example, fertilizers spread on home lawns or farmfields can be washed away by rainfall and flow into the watershed.

“There are various sources of nonpoint-source pollution, which includesediment, nutrients, pathogens, and some pesticides,” Tagert explained.“Sources are not just from agriculture but from land use in general. Somecommunities are reluctant to put in restrictions on land use, and that some-times has negative impacts on the environment.”

In Mississippi, the Big Sunflower Watershed is a priority-designatedwatershed that includes the Porter Bayou Watershed. MSU researchers areaddressing nutrient concerns in water coming from agricultural fields inthis area.

Watersheds and the Human Element: The Ripple Effect

19 • • • NOVEMBER 2016


Since 2011, MSU has studied on-farm water-storage systems througha USDA grant. These systems collect water runoff from irrigation and rain-fall and store it for reuse in future irrigations.

“On-farm water-storage systems provide two benefits,” Tagert said.“They have some major nutrient-reduction benefits, but they also providewater for irrigation. Farmers are installing them because they need water,especially in the Delta where the aquifer is declining, and in northeastMississippi where groundwater is not really an option farmers have forirrigation.”

In the summer, the evapotranspiration rate—the rate of evaporation,combined with the amount of water used by plants—is significantly higherthan rainfall rates, so farmers need to irrigate to maintain profitable yields,Tagert said.

“If we can catch and store rainwater in the winter when we don’t needit, it would be available for irrigation in the summer,” she concluded. “Wehave been monitoring three on-farm water-storage systems to measure andquantify the nutrient-reduction benefits and determine how much watercan be stored. So far, the farmers we’ve been working with have beenpleased with these systems.”

For several years, MDEQ officials have monitored nutrient levels inagricultural waters to determine reasonable nutrient standards. To reducethe nutrients running off fields from irrigation or rainwater, farmers areusing tailwater-recovery systems and storage ponds. Tailwater refers towater that has run all the way through the furrows of a field withoutbeing absorbed.

Jason Krutz said eliminating tailwater runoff is the goal. Water thatleaves the field has the potential to transport sediment and nutrients awayfrom the field and into nearby creeks and streams.

“If you have water in the ditch, the plants you are growing can’t useit,” he observed. “Our goal is to become efficient in irrigation and notapply more water than the plants can use. Using tailwater-recovery sys-tems is a way to allow that water to be recycled and used again. The waterstays on the farm, and the next irrigation event has the opportunity to usethat water.”

Mississippians take for granted the ability to turn on a faucetand get plentiful, safe water. About 90 percent of the state’s resi-dents are on public water systems, and most drinking water comesfrom underground sources. A few public surface-water systemsoperate in the state, including Jackson and Tupelo. Groundwateris often cheaper to use than surface water.

“In Mississippi, we’re fortunate that we have good soil andgood groundwater, and we’re able to drill a hole and get waterjust about anywhere,” said Dr. Jason Barrett, an assistant Extensionprofessor working with community water issues and policy.

Municipal systems make up about a quarter of the water sys-tems in the state and serve more than half the population. Rural

associations, utility districts, and privately owned water systemscover the remaining water needs.

For many years, the majority of the state’s population was onprivate wells. After the initial setup cost, well owners had unlim-ited access to water for the cost of operating the pumps that drawit out of the ground.

The federal government made a significant effort in the 1950sand 1960s to move people onto public water supplies, where qual-ity could be more carefully monitored for safety. Low cost was theselling point to convince people to leave their private wells andmove onto the public system.

A Cup of Cold Water: It’s Complicated

Dr. Mary Love Tagert studies on-farm water-storage systems,which collect water runoff from irrigation and rainfall and store itfor reuse in future irrigations. (Photo by Kevin Hudson)



“With public supply, customers are essentially paying for in-frastructure and quality of water getting distributed to theirhouse,” Barrett explained. “It’s inthe ground and free, but you’reselling availability, access, andquality.”

Government subsidies keptcosts artificially low as Mississippi-ans were moved from private wellsto public water systems. Althoughwater is still plentiful, infrastruc-ture costs are high.

“The true cost of water to resi-dents is about $5 to $5.25 per thousand gallons in Mississippi, eventhough we pay less than that,” Barrett said.

Agricultural economists calculate the cost of water based part-ly on plant and system size, as well as condition of the treatmentand distribution facilities. The cost of sustaining the water supplyoften exceeds this estimate in various systems around the state.

Local governments and water associations often face the bal-ancing act of meeting infrastructure needs of the residents they

serve and keeping costs for those services affordable. TunicaMayor Chuck Cariker and the northwest Mississippi town’s board

of aldermen knew recently that en-terprise fund revenues were becom-ing insufficient to support the waterand sewer services they provided.

Cariker credited the Exten-sion Center for Government andCommunity Development withhelping the city streamline its budg-eting process to generate the rev-enue required to provide theservices its citizens need. In the past

year, the center has assisted more than a dozen municipalities andrural water associations by conducting studies comparing themto peer size systems and providing local leaders with informationthey can use to achieve that balance.

After examining the city’s rate structure, Barrett found thatTunica’s enterprise fund was operating at a $424,000 deficit eachyear. He and Extension associate Hamp Beatty compared the city’srates to similar systems in five other Mississippi cities.

“In Mississippi, we’re fortunate that we

have good soil and good groundwater,

and we’re able to drill a hole and get

water just about anywhere.”

Dr. Jason Barrett helps communities address water issues and poli-cies, and he works with homeowners across the state to improve theuse of private wells. (Photo by Kat Lawrence)

Dr. Jason Barrett

21 • • • NOVEMBER 2016


Based on this research, city leaders adjusted the number ofgallons covered by the minimum base fee from 6,000 gallons permonth to 4,000. This adjustment had no effect on the 45 percent ofconsumers who were using only 4,000 gallons or less, and the citywas able to make up its revenue shortfall by the cost increase tothose who used more water.

“If we do a rate study in house, it becomes political and with-out an expert,” Cariker said of Tunica’s efforts. “We get asked whythe current rates need to be adjusted and whose idea it was to con-sider doing that. The Center for Government and Community De-velopment studies those situations for municipalities around thestate. Our citizens looked to them as experts because they were anindependent group with experience in evaluating water and sewerrate structures.”

Barrett also works with homeowners across the state whohave private wells. In September, Extension held a program inPoplarville that allowed private well owners to get their watertested for bacteria, along with a well-management workshop toteach well owners how to sample their wells, interpret results, andprotect wells from contamination.

“The majority of Mississippians get their water from munici-pal supplies or rural water associations, but there are thousandsof homes in rural areas that depend on private wells,” Barrett ob-served. “In fact, an average of 12 percent of households in thestate’s 82 counties rely on private wells. In four of those counties,more than 40 percent of homes have private wells.”

Beneath the Surface: The Impact of Reservoirs on the Economy

Dr. Kevin Hunt planned to be an en-gineer like his father, who served as thehead civil engineer of the nation’s secondlargest water-distribution system, locatedin Fairfax County, Virginia. In the Hunthousehold, water had one purpose—human consumption—and anything thatcomplicated the process of providing ahigh-quality, clean product for the com-munity was a problem, including recre-ational fishing.

But when he was in high school, theyounger Hunt became so enamored withfishing he made a decision that changedthe path of his entire career. Hunt con-fessed that he became a fisheries biolo-gist to counteract his father’s antifishingperspective.

As a professor in the FWRC Depart-ment of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Aquacul-ture, Hunt has spent years investigatingthe social and economic impact of recre-ational fishing at reservoirs to show howmuch they are worth to local and stateeconomies.

The three primary purposes of reser-voirs in the U.S. are hydroelectric, floodcontrol, and water supply for human use.Recreation typically is considered a sec-ondary benefit. But in rural Mississippi,the potential for reservoir-related recre-ation is significant.

“It may not be important to thosewho manage the reservoirs from a tech-nical standpoint, but to the communities,it’s their lake,” Hunt explained. “It pro-vides them a sense of place, it bringsnew money into their local economy, itcreates jobs, and it has an economic im-pact as they adapt to support users ofthat resource.”

Recreation is a big business, but thejobs it creates are not all in one building.This distinction makes it difficult to recog-nize the economic impact of these jobs.

“The economic impact is spreadaround the community, especially in ruralcommunities, with ‘Mom and Pop’ busi-nesses that sell equipment, supplies, ice,and beverages, and with local rentals orhospitality-related businesses,” Hunt said.“Fishing is the second most popular out-door recreation activity among adults 25years old and older, and fourth amongthose younger than 25 in America. Missis-sippi is capitalizing on that.”

In addition to fishing, Mississippi wa-terways and adjacent areas offer recre-ational boating, jet skiing, kayaking,swimming, camping, birding, and wildlifewatching, as well as hunting and trappingopportunities.

The results of a national survey con-ducted every 5 years by the U.S. Fish andWildlife Service confirm the increasing in-terest in these activities, said Dr. SteveGrado, George L. Switzer Professor ofForestry and FWRC economist.

“The most recent report is from 2011and found more than 90 million U.S. resi-dents age 16 and older participated insome type of wildlife-related recreation,

Photo by Kat Lawrence



which was up 3 percent from the previous 5 years,” Grado observed. “They spent $144.7 billion in2011, which is 1 percent of the gross domestic product. This is a significant amount of money, andMississippi has the natural resources to be able to capitalize even more on this growing interest.”

Water quality plays a big part in the recreational value of reservoirs and lakes, he stressed. “Everyone says they hate litter and pollution, yet they don’t think throwing out a can or cigarette

butt, or pouring oil or chemicals down a storm drain, is going to impact their experience,” Hunt ob-served. “But everything is connected. Water quality affects fish and wildlife populations, which inturn affects people using the reservoir for recreation. Loss of fish production means fewer fish, whichmeans people go elsewhere. Good water quality is imperative for quality recreation.”

Leaders in Mississippi, Texas, and Puerto Rico have used Hunt’s work quantifying the socialand financial benefits of recreation to guide important economic development decisions.

“If someone wants to change a land-management practice upstream of the reservoir that mightaffect fishing, pollute the water, or put a lot of soil into the system, tourists will find somewhere elseto go,” he said. “If you show the dollar impact of potential developments and how it might hurtrecreation, then show the impact that losing one-half of the fishing efforts at the reservoir wouldcreate, you can show impact on jobs and the economy.”

By Bonnie Coblentz, Nathan Gregory, and Keri Collins Lewis

Participants in an MSU Extensionboating and sun safety event enjoycanoeing on Lake Pushmataha inNeshoba County. (Photo by KevinHudson)

23 • • • NOVEMBER 2016

Landowners and forest managers with property in the LowerMississippi Alluvial Valley (LMAV) now have new informationthat can help them decide how best to manage their bottomlandhardwood forests.

Sunil Nepal, a graduate student in the MSU College of ForestResources (CFR), conducted a simulation study to compare theeconomic differences between even-aged management and un-even-aged management of bottomland hardwood forests in thehistorical flood plain of the lower Mississippi River. Managedeven-aged forests contain trees of similar age and height and areideal for oaks and other commercially important species. Uneven-aged forests contain trees of at least three different ages, providingstructural diversity that can offer vital wildlife habitat.

Dr. Brent Frey, assistant professor of silviculture in the CFRDepartment of Forestry and one of Nepal’s faculty advisors, saidnew management approaches advocated by wildlife-orientedgroups have fueled renewed interest in bottomland management.Some wildlife habitat managers prefer uneven-aged management.

“Unfortunately, there is limited guidance or economic analy-sis that compares the economic tradeoffs between the two man-agement styles in bottomland hardwood forests,” Nepal said.“This study allows people to better understand how much eco-nomic gain or loss they may realize by adopting one of theseforms of management.”

Landowners generally choose to manage forests for wildlifehabitat or timber production. The decisions they make depend oninitial stand conditions, including tree species composition, aver-age tree diameter, stand density, and stocking levels, Nepal said.

“Based on knowledge from other forest types, such as pines,timber production over time may be lower for some forest typesand stand conditions if managed using uneven-aged silviculturalapproaches as compared with even-aged management for com-mercial timber production,” Nepal said. “The management ap-

proach they choose depends on what they start with and theirmanagement goals.”

In his Forest and Wildlife Research Center study, Nepallooked at four of the more common bottomland hardwood foresttypes found in the LMAV. These four forest types make up abouthalf of the forest cover in the valley.

He used U.S. Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysisdata that provide forest stand types and ages and diameters oftrees in the LMAV. Nepal entered the data in the Forest ServiceForest Vegetation Simulator software to mimic forest growth andyield. He then calculated the economic benefits of each manage-ment practice.

Even-aged management produced higher timber revenue inmost of the stands in each forest type. However, some stands pro-duced higher revenue with uneven-aged management. Revenuedifferences depended on the initial stand conditions. Stands withhigher average diameter and commercially desirable species pro-duced higher revenue with even-aged management.

“Both management types can offer timber and wildlife habitatvalues,” Nepal said. “These values vary greatly from one site tothe next. This analysis defined the economic tradeoff in terms oftimber production only.”

However, the timber revenue tradeoff can provide some in-sight into wildlife habitat values, said Dr. James Henderson, anassociate professor of forestry and Nepal’s coadvisor.

“A landowner may see greater value in the wildlife habitatassociated with uneven-aged management for their property thanthe higher revenue they could generate with an even-aged ap-proach,” said Henderson, who also is an Extension economist.

The LMAV contains 7.6 million acres of bottomland hard-wood forests that support commercially important tree speciesand many wildlife species.

“Based on knowledge from otherforest types, such as pines, timberproduction over time may belower for some forest types andstand conditions if managedusing uneven-aged silviculturalapproaches as compared witheven-aged management forcommercial timber production.”

Landowners

Sunil Nepal

By Susan Collins-Smith • Photo by Kevin Hudson

Can Now Make Better Hardwood Timber Management Decisions


Undergraduate Research Scholars Program

More than 130 undergraduate students inthe College of Agriculture and Life Sci-ences (CALS) and College of Forest Re-sources (CFR) have taken on the role ofresearch scientists in the innovative Un-dergraduate Research Scholars Programsince it began in 2013.

The CALS program is funded in partby the Mississippi Agricultural andForestry Experiment Station. The CFR pro-gram is funded in part by the Forest andWildlife Research Center. Both programs

provide undergrads the chance to pursueresearch beyond the traditional class-room experience.

“This program puts undergraduatestudents at the helm when it comes todeveloping and conducting original sci-entific experiments,” explained Dr.George M. Hopper, who serves as deanof both colleges and as the director ofMAFES and FWRC. “This is a chance totrain the researchers of tomorrow. Stu-dents develop the skills and learn the

methodologies necessary to succeed intheir future fields.”

Each research scholar is paired with afaculty mentor. Participating students en-gage in hands-on fieldwork, collect andanalyze data, and formulate hypotheses.They also learn how to present the find-ings in a professional manner throughconference presentations and the prepara-tion of a peer-reviewed manuscript. Fol-lowing are a few examples of work beingdone by the undergraduate scholars.

T R A I N S S C I E N T I S T S O F T O M O R R OW

Optimizing Fertility in Beef Cattle

Jacob Dix, a senior from Gulfport in the CALS Departmentof Animal and Dairy Sciences, evaluated the reproductive cycleof beef cattle. Under the guidance of faculty mentor Dr. JamieLarson, Dix’s study was part of a larger project focused on opti-mizing fertility in livestock.

“Several follicles, which help nourish the oocytes they con-tain, grow and regress during a reproductive cycle of a cow,” ex-plained Larson, an associate professor in animal and dairysciences. “We believe that some contain a more fertile oocyte, oregg, than others.

“We are trying to identify which follicles might contain thesemore fertile oocytes,” the mentor added. “The more fertile theoocyte, the more likely the cow will conceive and carry the preg-nancy to term. Jacob’s project evaluated if the timing of folliculardevelopment might affect the fertility.

“He specifically studied the exposure to progesterone andwhether this affected the concentration of hormones in circula-tion in that cow or the concentration of enzymes in her liver thatclear that hormone from her system,” Larson said. “His research

JACOB DIX

25 • • • NOVEMBER 2016

indicated that although concentrations of progesterone were dif-ferent, the concentration of enzymes in the liver was similar andthis did not seem to affect overall fertility of the animals.”

Dix, who plans to attend the MSU College of Veterinary Med-icine, said the experience helped bring the fundamentals he learnedin the classroom to life.

“I am a hands-on learner, so being able to be out there everyday and work with the cattle and see what enzymes were doing,what we could test for, and what we could control helped me un-derstand scientific concepts we were learning in the classroom,”he said.

Teresa Chapman is a senior in animal and dairy sciences, butshe studied cotton genetics in the CALS Department of Biochem-istry, Molecular Biology, Entomology, and Plant Pathology. Chap-man, a Madison native who also hopes to attend the veterinarycollege, said her background in biology and an interest in geneticsled her to the cotton research project.

Chapman studied cotton with a reduced expression of a genecalled “phytochrome PHYA1.” Compared to other cotton plants,this line showed greater vegetative growth, flowered earlier, pro-duced more flowers and bolls, showed earlier boll-maturing phe-notypes, and exhibited improved fiber length, strength, andmicronaire (finer fiber).

“This cotton line served as a model to study how the suppres-sion of one specific gene impacted plant yield and fiber quality,”

explained faculty mentor Dr. Din-Pow Ma, a professor in biochem-istry, molecular biology, entomology, and plant pathology. “Thisfoundational research was useful in understanding molecularmechanisms of fiber development and will hopefully help aid inthe development of early-maturing and productive commercialcotton cultivars with superior fiber quality.”

While she felt the experience was challenging, Chapman saidall the hard work and effort paid off.

“The research taught me more about genetics, which will helpme in my major,” she said. “It was also neat that this research mighteventually have real-world application. As a researcher, I learnedthat you have to have persistence and dedication. You just have tostick with it and keep trying in order to persevere.”

Understanding the Genes Behind Cotton Quality

TERESA CHAPMAN


By Vanessa Beeson and Susan Collins-Smith • Photos by Kevin Hudson

Joshua Byers, a senior natural resources and environmentalconservation major in the CFR Department of Forestry, studiedways to help struggling, young upland oak seedlings survive inthe forest understory among their native competitors.

In Kentucky, Byers collected data on how prescribed fire affectsthe survival and growth of upland oaks that are less than 3 yearsold. Oaks are valuable not only as a food source for wildlife, butalso as a source of lumber for manufacturing a variety of commer-cial products. Upland oaks need strong sunlight and can be over-come by competing species, such as red maple.

“Scientists are concerned about the rate of regeneration of up-land oaks,” Byers said. “Mature oaks are plentiful, but the currentnumber of young, growing upland oaks is very low. We will see anecological and economic impact if these trees are lost.”

Traditionally, prescribed fire is used in softwood forests, but itcould play an important role in upland hardwood systems, as well.To help shed light on the topic, Byers compared data on unburned

stands and stands burned at different intervals and severities todetermine what species fill in the understory after a prescribed fire.

“The main question we want to answer is how do we preparean oak forest for success,” Byers explained. “That’s been the stand-ing question with lots of research projects over the last severalyears: looking at how to do that.”

Dr. Heather Alexander, an assistant professor of forestry whohas conducted prescribed fire research aimed at oak forests for sev-eral years, is Byers’s mentor.

“Fire restoration may be a key management approach for up-land oak sustainability, but there is still much we do not under-stand about the role of fire in current-day oak forests, including therequisite timing, frequency, and severity of fire,” she explained.“Josh’s research will tell us whether or not burning benefits oakseedlings during a critical part of their life cycles.”

Examining the Benefits of Prescribed Burns

JOSHUA BYERS and DR. HEATHER ALEXANDER

County seat: Brandon

Population: 148,070

Municipalities: Brandon, Pearl, Flowood, Florence, Richland, Pelahatchie, Puckett

Communities: Sandhill, Star Commodities: timber, hay, cattle/calves, poultry, soybeans, cotton, corn

Industries: Mississippi Baking, Siemen’s Energy, Nucor Steel, O’Neal Steel, Blue Cross Blue Shield, KLLM Trucking, Color Box, Ergon, WeyerhauserNatural resources: Ross Barnett Reservoir, Pearl River, Strong River History notes: This county is named in honor of Christopher Rankin, a Mississippi congressman who served from 1819 to 1826.

Attractions: Mississippi Braves, Bass Pro Shop, Outlets of Mississippi, Trustmark Park, Yogi on the Lake

Did you know? A not-so-well-known fact is that Mississippi Baking in Pelahatchie is the exclusive supplier of hamburger buns to about 3,400 McDonald’s restaurants.

From farmers who keep agriculture a vibrant part of county life to growing towns that maintain theircharm in the face of a retail boom, Rankin County is one of the state’s fastest growing counties withan attractive balance of rural flavor and modern convenience.

Doug Carter, MSU Extension County Coordinator

Rankin County Office, MSU Extension Service

601 Marquette Road

Brandon, MS 39042

(601) 825-1462

[email protected]

1/82: Rankin County

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

The Ross Barnett Reservoir is one ofRankin County’s most prominent naturalresources. (Photo by Kevin Hudson)

27 • • • NOVEMBER 2016


NEWS NotesA founding faculty member of the MSU Col-lege of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) wasposthumously honored by the American Col-lege of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia(ACVAA). Dr. E. Wynn Jones of Starkville,who died in April at the age of 92, has beenawarded a lifetime achievement award. Hewas cited for leadership in the establishmentand continued progress of veterinary anesthe-siology as an academic discipline. In 1975,Jones was among the seven diplomates whofounded ACVAA to encourage creation of aspecialty in veterinary anesthesiology. A na-tive of Oswestry, England, Jones graduatedfrom London’s Royal Veterinary College andcompleted a doctorate at Cornell Universityin Ithaca, New York. Before coming to MSU in1982, Jones held faculty or consultant posi-tions at Oklahoma State, Auburn, TexasA&M, and Washington State universities. Heserved for many years as a professor and vicedean of MSU-CVM. After retiring, he becamea professor emeritus and continued to workon behalf of his academic unit and the univer-sity as a whole.

A national and international expert on agricul-tural risk management and crop insurance hasbeen named head of the MSU Department ofAgricultural Economics. Dr. Keith Coble, alongtime faculty member in the department,has assumed the role as head after serving asinterim head for the last 8 months. In makingthe announcement, College of Agriculture andLife Sciences (CALS) Dean George Hoppersaid, “Dr. Coble is a well-known and highly re-spected economist who brings a wealth of ex-perience and leadership to the Department ofAgricultural Economics.” A 19-year veteran ofMississippi State, Coble earned bachelor’s andmaster’s degrees in agricultural education fromthe University of Missouri. He earned a doctor-al degree in agricultural economics from TexasA&M. An MSU William L. Giles DistinguishedProfessor, Coble also served as chief economistfor Senator Thad Cochran and the minorityleadership on the Senate Agriculture, Nutri-tion, and Forestry Committee during develop-ment of the most recent farm bill. Hecontinually provides guidance to policy makersthrough his work on the Council on Food,Agricultural, and Resource Economics’ BlueRibbon Panel of Experts and his founding rolein the Agricultural Data Coalition. In additionto his work at Mississippi State, Coble serves asvice president of the Starkville Oktibbeha Con-solidated School District Board of Trustees.

MSU researchers with the Thad Cochran Na-tional Warmwater Aquaculture Center at theDelta Research and Extension Center inStoneville received a major honor from theAmerican Fisheries Society. Dr. David Wise,coordinator of the center, worked with scien-tists in CVM and the Mississippi Agriculturaland Forestry Experiment Station to develop avaccine to protect catfish from enteric sep-ticemia of catfish, a bacterial disease caused byEdwardsiella ictaluri. This is the most commonlyreported disease affecting catfish and can causecatastrophic losses if left untreated. Final trialsof the MSU-developed oral vaccine currentlyare underway, with the possibility of commer-cial release in the near future. The AmericanFisheries Society awarded its 2016 Robert L.Kendall Award to the research team for a reporton the development of the vaccine that was fea-tured in the Journal of Aquatic Animal Health.

Harvin Hudson, a longtime agriculture andnatural resources agent with the MSU Exten-sion Service, was named Philadelphia andNeshoba County’s 2016 Citizen of the Year bythe Community Development Partnership. Hewas recognized for his contributions in theareas of civic, industrial, religious, educational,cultural, recreational, and social issues. Hudsonhas been active in many county and state or-ganizations from the Neshoba County ForestryAssociation to the Mississippi Cattlemen’s As-sociation. He was instrumental in coordinatingefforts to begin a farmers market more than 20years ago. In 2012, he helped launch a secondmarket. Hudson manages the market and as-sists vendors, often after-hours and on Satur-days. He has coordinated livestock shows andthe exhibit hall at the Neshoba County Fair for25 years. He initiated plans for the first WildlifeJamboree and has served as leadership chair-man for more than 20 years. Well-known as acommunity volunteer, Hudson was recognizedfor his outstanding volunteerism, as he grillsand cooks for a number of organizations.“Harvin has mentored so many people thatmanage their timber, hayfields, farms, and gar-dens … we can only imagine how many liveshe has enriched in our county and across Mis-sissippi,” his nomination letter stated.

Mississippi dairy farmers have a new special-ist to advise them on best management prac-tices and solutions to problems. Dr. AmandaStone began work in August with the Exten-sion Service as an assistant Extension professorin the CALS Department of Animal and Dairy

Dr. Jim DelPrince

Dr. E. Wynn Jones

Dr. Keith Coble

Dr. David Wise

Harvin Hudson

Dr. Amanda Stone

Sciences. Stone’s responsibilities will be 80 per-cent Extension and 20 percent teaching. Shewill work directly with Extension agents, dairyproducers, and MSU students. A native ofPennsylvania, Stone became interested in thedairy industry during her undergraduatework on a farm at the University of Findlay inOhio. She completed her master’s and doctoraldegrees in dairy systems management at theUniversity of Kentucky. “The future of Missis-sippi’s dairy industry is bright,” Stone said,“and I think Mississippi dairy farms are under-estimated. I see farmers who work hard inorder to provide for their animals and families,put food on everyone’s tables, and protect theenvironment. We also have primarily pasture-based dairies and several producers do on-farm processing, which, in an industry drivenby consumers, is a real advantage.”

Dr. Jim DelPrince, MSU Extension floral de-sign specialist, earned a national award for hissignificant contribution to the floral industry.DelPrince accepted the American Institute ofFloral Designers (AIFD) Award of Distin-guished Service to the Floral Industry at the or-ganization’s annual National Symposium.DelPrince was honored for his tireless and con-tinued support of AIFD as a leader, mentor,supporter, volunteer, and friend. Inducted intoAIFD in 1992, he has helped further the floralindustry through his contributions to industryresources and education. After teaching MSUstudents for 23 years, DelPrince joined the Ex-tension Service in 2015. Based at the MSUCoastal Research and Extension Center, he of-fers classes, workshops, and other educationalopportunities to amateur floral enthusiasts,professional designers, and members of Missis-sippi’s green industry. DelPrince is also anAIFD Laureate member, a special distinctionfor individuals who have belonged to the insti-tute for 21 or more years and attended at least10 national symposia.

The MSU Division of Agriculture, Forestry, andVeterinary Medicine recently honored facultymembers with the Regions Bank-DAFVM Su-perior Faculty Awards in a program designedto highlight exemplary work in five key areas.A recent university ceremony sponsored by Re-gions Bank recognized the latest Superior Fac-ulty Award winners: Dr. Richard Harkess,teaching award, professor of plant and soil sci-ences, CALS and MAFES; Dr. Donald Grebn-er, research award, professor of forestry,College of Forest Resources (CFR) and Forestand Wildlife Research Center (FWRC); Dr.Bronson Strickland, outreach award, associate

professor of wildlife, fisheries, and aquaculture,FWRC and MSU Extension; Dr. MichaelBarnes, service award, professor of sustainablebioproducts, CFR and FWRC; and Dr. RajaReddy, international service award, professorof plant and soil sciences, MAFES.

A food safety specialist with industry and pub-lic service experience recently joined the Exten-sion Service. Dr. Courtney Crist is a newassistant Extension professor in the CALS De-partment of Food Science, Nutrition, andHealth Promotion. She will provide support,expertise, and programs in muscle foods, foodsafety, food regulatory guidance, new businessdevelopment, and new product development.Additionally, she will support Extensionthrough program development across the statefor local agents regarding food safety, homepreservation, cooking practices, and businessdevelopment. During her undergraduate pro-gram at the University of North Georgia, sheinterned in the Quality Assurance Departmentat Southeastern Mills in Rome, Georgia, whichsparked her interest in food science. She trans-ferred to Mississippi State to pursue a food sci-ence degree. After working in the MuscleFoods/Meat Chemistry Lab, she decided topursue her master’s degree and minor in agri-cultural and Extension education. Crist thenobtained her doctoral degree at Virginia Tech infood science and technology. “I am looking for-ward to developing relationships with commu-nities, faculty, industry, and agents across thestate, as well as continuing to learn and exploreMississippi,” Crist said. “I think the Extensionmotto of ‘Extending Knowledge, ChangingLives’ is relevant and needed in today’s societywith the growing misinformation surroundingfood and health.”

The CALS School of Human Sciences has twonew majors. MSU students can now major inhuman development and family science orfashion design and merchandising. Replacingthe former degree offered in human sciences,these majors offer different focus areas or con-centrations. In human development and familyscience, students can concentrate on child de-velopment, family science, youth development,child life, and family and consumer sciencesteacher education. Fashion design and mer-chandising has concentrations in fashion mer-chandising and apparel design anddevelopment with emphasis areas that includemarketing, finance, leadership, communica-tion, and information technology systems.

29 • • • NOVEMBER 2016

Dr. Courtney Crist

Dr. Richard Harkess

Dr. Donald Grebner

Dr. Bronson Strickland

Dr. Michael Barnes

Dr. Raja Reddy

Nearly 20 years ago, Jimmy Bryan began searching for ways to restorebobwhite quail populations on his family farm. Despite being rootedin richly productive soils of the Blackland Prairie region of ClayCounty, years of cropping practices designed to enhance agriculturalefficiency had eliminated essential habitat and the farm’s ability tosustain wildlife. When Bryan turned to the experts at MississippiState University, he never imagined the opportunities that wouldunfold. “Many people don’t realize that this area has a rich traditionof quail hunting,” said Bryan, a former MSU Foundation Boardmember. “The first National Field Trial Championship was actuallyheld here in Clay County in 1896. I wanted to try to bring that bird-hunting tradition back.” Under the guidance of Dr. Wes Burger, an MSU professor ofwildlife ecology, Bryan implemented comprehensive conservationpractices that proved successful in bringing more than quail backto the family farm. This renewal process was further augmentedthrough assistance from Wildlife Mississippi. Over the years, the progressive efforts transformed the land—once solely limited to agricultural production—into a thriving, mul-tifunctional wildlife enterprise known as Prairie Wildlife, LLC.Today, Bryan and his wife, Kay, are returning the support to MSUthrough an endowment that will ensure continued success of Mis-sissippi’s wildlife conservation. The Bryan-Burger Endowment for Bobwhite Habitat Restora-tion, established in the College of Forest Resources (CFR), will pro-vide perpetual funding to build upon this model of collaborative

conservation and working lands research. Although primarilydirected toward bobwhite conservation, the endowment alsoemphasizes habitat restoration of the historical elements of theBlackland Prairie ecosystems in Mississippi and Alabama. “Previous efforts for this type of research have depended onfunding from state and federal grants,” said Burger, who alsoserves as associate director of the Mississippi Agricultural andForestry Experiment Station and the Forest and Wildlife ResearchCenter. “The Bryans’ generous endowment will ensure the univer-sity’s long-term commitment to bobwhite and prairie-conservationresearch.” Results of the collaborative research and conservation effortsspanning the last 19 years have contributed to more than 60 scien-tific publications, as well as the development and evaluation of theCP33 conservation practice. CP33, which involves establishingstrips of vegetation around the edges of crop fields to serve as habi-tat buffers, was nationally implemented by the USDA Farm ServiceAgency under the Continuous Conservation Reserve Program in2004. Additionally, 14 MSU students have performed graduateresearch on Bryan’s farm. “Mississippi State is known for its ‘boots-on-the-ground ap-proach,’ especially in the applied-science programs,” Bryan said. “Ihad seen public-private partnerships supporting bobwhite researchin other regions of the country and thought that, with the valuableresources available in the university’s Department of Wildlife, Fish-eries, and Aquaculture we could do something similar that directlyapplies to the people here in the Southeast.”


DEV

ELOPM

ENT CORNER

Jimmy and Kay Bryan established the Bryan-Burger Endowmentfor Bobwhite Habitat Restoration to support continued conserva-tion research at MSU. Jimmy Bryan, left, is pictured with wildlifeecologist Wes Burger on Bryan’s Prairie Wildlife property.

Bryan EndowsLegacy of Conservation

Jud Skelton

College of Agriculture and

Life Sciences/Real Estate Giving

(662) 325-0643

[email protected]

http://www.cals.msstate.edu/

Charlie Weatherly

Director of Development Emeritus for

Agriculture, Forestry, and Veterinary Medicine

(662) 325-3471

[email protected]

http://www.cals.msstate.edu/

Jeff Little

College of Forest Resources

and The Bulldog Forest

(662) 325-8151

[email protected]

http://www.cfr.msstate.edu/

Jimmy Kight

College of Veterinary Medicine

(662) 325-3815

[email protected]

http://www.cvm.msstate.edu

Will Staggers

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

and MSU Extension Service

(662) 325-2837

[email protected]

http://www.cals.msstate.edu

By Addie Mayfield • Photos by Russ Houston31 • • • NOVEMBER 2016

For More Information

��

Historically, bobwhites were an accidental byproduct of land-usepractices in agricultural landscapes. Today’s highly mechanized farmingpractices require intentional creation of wildlife habitat. Prairie Wildlifeembodies this concept, implementing a suite of conservation practices thatminimally impact crop and livestock production systems and providesubstantial returns to the larger ecosystem context through well-plannedresource management. “The goal was to increase bobwhite populations, but once we start-ed establishing habitat and restoring native communities, we began tosee many other valuable and sometimes unexpected returns,” Burgersaid. “Water quality in Town Creek improved dramatically, a diversecommunity of butterflies and other native pollinators colonized in re-stored grasslands, and grassland birds increased in abundance. The morerestoration we did, the more benefits Jimmy saw and the more he wantedto do. Now, his farm serves as a model for how wildlife conservation andproduction agriculture can coexist.” In addition to conservation and agriculture, Prairie Wildlife also hassignificant recreational aspects included in its well-balanced portfolio.Beyond quail, the enterprise delivers exceptional dove, deer, and rabbithunting, as well. It also is one of five Orvis Wingshooting School locationsand home to the Bluff City Land Rover Driving Experience. The lodge, which contains corporate meeting rooms, a pro shop, andguest rooms, enables visitors to experience the benefits of the renaissanceof Bryan’s farm. Alternatively, a more private retreat can be found nestledamong the hardwoods in a restored cabin, originally built in 1844. “The initial idea was to have a small sporting operation in with thecattle and row-crop production,” Bryan said. “But it kind of outgrew itself.” As a working lands laboratory for MSU’s continued research, eval-uation, and demonstration of innovative conservation practices—nowsupplemented through support from the Bryan-Burger Endowment—Prairie Wildlife helps shape the standards of modern land management.The mutually beneficial partnership helps to improve MSU’s academicand research practices while enhancing the overall productiveness ofBryan’s farm. “The Bryans’ gift truly makes an infinite impact, not just for futuregenerations of students who will study on his farm, but also for thewildlife that are now finding habitat in this prairie ecosystem,” said Dr.George Hopper, dean of CFR and the College of Agriculture and LifeSciences. “This type of ecosystem restoration is a great demonstrationfor other landowners to see the benefits of managing natural resourcesin agricultural production systems.” The Bryans’ recent endowment augments their longtime support ofthe university, which extends to many areas, including scholarships andathletics. The West Point natives also contributed land in their hometownfor the MSU Extension Service 4-H Youth Complex, which opened in 2014.A presidential endowed scholarship (one of the university’s most compet-itive student awards) and an endowed animal externship in the Collegeof Veterinary Medicine also bear the couple’s name. In fulfilling the fundamental charge to serve, Mississippi Statehelped rewrite the future of Bryan’s farm. In turn, his endowment isenabling MSU to extend the legacy of comprehensive conservation. Asfamily traditions of farming and sportsmanship are often passed down,so too are the investments in education and research, which lay thefoundations for success and carry the torch of the MSU impact on tofuture generations.

Nonprofit OrganizationU.S. Postage PAID

Tupelo, MSPermit No. 290

Box 9625Mississippi State, MS 39762

Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station research associate Scott Langlois, left, and associate researchprofessor Dr. Gene Blythe measure “Spike,” a rare titan arun plant housed at the South Mississippi Branch ExperimentStation. The 9-year-old plant, commonly known as a “corpse flower,” bloomed for the first time in June. (Photo by KatLawrence)

Documents

November 2016 Mississippi Landmarks Magazine