John C. Coccaro

Several educational programs are coming up in the next couple of weeks for folks interested in horticulture and forestry. Since the registration deadline for the forestry program is Friday, I will begin this column with its description.

If you go

To register or for information, call 601-636-5442 or visit the Warren County Extension Office, 1100-C Grove St. Events include:

• Muscadine Field Day — 9 a.m. Friday at McNeil Experiment Station vineyard, Mississippi 11 at McNeil.

• Logger Education Class — 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Aug. 28 at Extension Office via interactive video; $75 per person; registration deadline Friday.

• Cool Season Fruit and Vegetable Production Workshop — 6 p.m. Sept. 3 in the Ethnic Building at Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum in Jackson; free, but preregister by Aug. 31.

Foresters — particularly professional loggers — should attend our logger education class scheduled for 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 28. This class will include Introduction to Sustainable Forestry Initiative, Best Management Practices and Timber Harvesting and Transportation Safety, which are three of the four required core classes loggers must complete to become SFI certified.

The course will be in the Extension office via interactive video. Cost is $75 per person, and certified loggers are eligible to receive substantial state sales tax discounts on some equipment, parts and repair labor.  

For you muscadine aficionados, at 9 a.m. Friday, the USDA and Mississippi State University are hosting the annual Muscadine Field Day at the McNeil Experiment Station vineyard on Mississippi 11 at McNeil.

Local residents Mr. and Mrs. Wade Hammack have prioritized this field day as an annual, must-attend outing to this repository of muscadine varieties. In fact, almost every muscadine variety in existence is included in this vineyard. The field day provides a unique opportunity for individuals interested in planting muscadines or expanding their vineyards. Extension horticulture specialist Dr. John Braswell says, “If you have not kept up with the new muscadine varieties as they have been released, you will be impressed with the new releases.”

In addition to a tour of the muscadine vineyard, programs will include trellis construction techniques by Braswell and an overview of the muscadine breeding program by plant geneticist Dr. Steve Stringer.

If you go, take the McNeil exit number 15 off of Interstate 59. Go west to Mississippi 11 in McNeil. Take a left and travel south on Mississippi 11 for about 2 miles. Look for the vineyard on the left. Jack’s Catfish Restaurant is on the right.

Also, I have an announcement for you folks who are interested in producing fruits and vegetables to sell at farmers markets throughout the winter. Several Extension horticulture specialists will serve as instructors for the Cool Season Fruit and Vegetable Production Workshop, set for 6 p.m. Sept. 3 in the Ethnic Building at the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum in Jackson. 

Participants will learn planting and scheduling dates for cool season fruit and vegetable crops, along with the basics of high-tunnel production. The workshops are free, but preregistration is required and is due by Aug. 31. Anyone interested in attending should contact the Extension office to obtain a registration form.

John C. Coccaro is county Extension director. Write to him at 1100-C Grove St., Vicksburg, MS 39180 or call 601-636-5442. E-mail him at jcoccaro@ext.msstate.edu