STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – There is a lot of work involved in farming and students who joined staff from the MSU Extension Service on a tour found out that not all of that work is in the fields.
“This tour gave us a chance to highlight some of the research that is going on here at MSU. From a drone standpoint to the use of drones, for various applications in addition to some of the ag research trials from corn, cotton, soybeans, and all those resources that we are able to get from various commodity boards,” said Whitney Crow, MSU Extension Service Entomologist.
The tour highlighted technology for crop management, and how to deal with insect problems. MSU Extension Service Entomologist Whitney Crow said she hopes this tour helped students build connections and learn who to turn to when they have questions about agriculture.
“We can show the state of Mississippi some of the things we are able to do, and why it is important to do those things. At the end of the day, our goal here at MSU is to better answer some of the questions that come with agriculture production. By us being able to educate the community on what we are doing, that now provides them with faces and names where they can go to these individuals, that can now answer these questions,” said Crow.
Agriculture brings in more than $8 billion to Mississippi. Crow said she wants to see the state continue to thrive off of the art and science of growing crops and raising livestock.
“If you think about Mississippi as a whole, agriculture is one of our top commodities. There are a lot of people involved in the state who have direct ties to agriculture, so it is important that we continue to use the land that we have to the benefit of Mississippi production. By having these resources, we are able to utilize what we have on what is currently available,” said Crow.
Crow also said she hopes this event shows future MSU students the range of jobs available to them in agriculture.
“For somebody who is not familiar with the opportunities in agriculture or even at MSU, being exposed to these field days just to see some research programs or extension programs to see all the different positions really helps. So rather than be graduate students, staff positions, or even PHD level positions, it really gives you an idea of all the opportunities,” said Crow.
Crow said she is happy with the number of people who showed up for the tour, she also said she wants to continue to do events like this, to highlight things that are going on in the community.
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