These short courses are popular among landowners and are often filled to capacity. As a part of the forestry program, Extension sponsored workshops in professional logging, focusing on safety and profitability. Since 1996, Extension has conducted more than 200 such workshops involving almost 7,400 participants. Soybeans Mississippi farmers plant about 2 million acres of soybeans each year. This improvement in yield occurred in spite of severe drought that reduced yields across the state.
Extension provides educational assistance to dairy farmers as well as beef farmers.
Last year, dairy cattle in Mississippi produced 487 more pounds of milk than in 1997, bringing the average to 13,489 pounds per cow. This was one of the greatest increa ses in milk production in the southeast. Corn Interest in corn production has increased in recent years because of options made available by the current farm bill and the advantages of adding corn to crop-rotation programs. The Mississippi Medallion Plants program is a joint effort by Extension, the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, the Mississippi Nurserymen's Association, and the Mississippi Plant Selection Committee. This program evaluates ornament al plants and identifies top performers.