Desoto County Extension Office

06/01/2026

Are you struggling to MOVE and don't have extra time- just put on your tennis shoes and take intentional breaks! Get up and move throughout the day. Take a quick walk to the mail box, park at the end of the parking lot, or walk around your neighborhood to clear you to refocus your mind and refresh your mind. If you visit us you can take a stroll on the walking trails after seeing us! Every steps counts!

05/31/2026

Warmer weather means it’s grilling season! Summer grilling is all about bringing people together. Have you hosted a family cookouts yet this summer? A little caution goes a long way when using a grill. Whether you use a charcoal or propane grill, we have a few tips for you to keep in mind when firing up the grill.

👐Always wash your hands before and after handling raw meat or poultry.

🍽️Cross-contamination can happen if you don’t pay close attention to which plate or utensil you’re grabbing. Set out new plates and utensils so you don’t accidentally use a plate contaminated by raw meat.

To ensure your food is safe for everyone to eat it’s a good idea to keep a food thermometer handy to check the level of doneness in your meats. If your meat isn’t cooked all the way, that encourages bacteria to grow. You don’t want to make anyone sick!
🍔Hamburgers - 160°F
🍗Poultry - 165°F
🐷Pork - 145°F
🐟Fish - 145°F
🥩Beef steak - 145°F for medium-rare, 160°F for medium, 170°F for well-done.

🔥Before placing any meat on your grill, turn the heat on and let it sit for about 10-15 minutes to burn off any bacteria and extra build-up on the grates. Just like you preheat an oven, preheating a grill ensures it reaches the proper temperature for cooking.

🔥Cleaning the grill after use is important to keep it in good shape. Clean off any build-up on the grates before and after grilling.

🔥After a few uses, you’ll notice the bristles of a steel brush start to rust and get loose. Inspect the brush before using. If you notice it is worn down, it’s best to throw it away. The last thing you want is to accidentally consume a bristle in your food!

🔥To prevent burning your hand while dealing with flare-ups, consider wearing heavy-duty heat-resistant gloves, such as welding gloves or those specifically designed for grilling.

🔥Be sure to never leave your grill unattended while it's in use!

05/30/2026

Need an idea of something to add to your garden this year?!?! Try zinnias!

Zinnias require very little ongoing maintenance during the season. Proper fertilization is critical to maintaining the gorgeous flowers. Apply a slow-release fertilizer monthly or a water-soluble fertilizer biweekly to help keep constant levels of nutrition.
Zinnias tolerate droughty weather, but the flower production is reduced, so supply supplemental irrigation during dry times. Soaker hoses or other forms of drip irrigation are really useful during the summer months and help to keep the water bill down.

Zinnias are great to have on hand to create a floral cutting garden if you want to be a farmer florist! Bring fresh flowers inside throughout the summer. Read more about growing zinnias here https://bit.ly/4wLz0Ig

Light pruning through the summer helps maintain the size and tidiness while stimulating more flowering and a bushier structure. Fertilize twice per month with a water-soluble fertilizer to maintain flowering potential. In the early spring -- now is the perfect time -- cut them back hard to about 4 to 6 inches from the ground to make room for new growth.

05/29/2026

It's a good idea to always be weather aware! Be prepared always! Basically you need to always be alert & weather aware to stay safe 24/7.

We have several Extension disaster recovery publications that could be helpful if in the event you need them in the future. Find them here https://extension.msstate.edu/community/disaster-response . Check out this part of our website to help you be prepared if in the event we have a disaster.

Understand these "weather" terms. Make sure your family members understand them as well. It's a good rule of thumb to always keep a close eye on the sky, the TV, and your phone and be weather aware at all times. Always have multiple ways to stay informed in an emergency!
📍Watch- the time to be prepared. This is issued hours ahead of possible storms.
📍Warning- the time to take action! This is issued minutes of imminent storm.

Time to seek shelter in an interior room of a sturdy structure away from windows.
✔Identify a safe spot in your home or nearby safe building to where everyone is to meetup at with the warming is issued.
✔Keep off the roads if possible unless you need to be out and about during bad weather.
✔Create a disaster go-to box so you're PREPARED if we have a disaster. Read more here https://bit.ly/3gIV9RQ
✔Create a pet disaster kit. Read more here https://bit.ly/3kyEpOC

05/28/2026

Tips for Growing Tomatoes

Plant tomato transplants deeper than they were growing in the tray; the deeper, the better.

Pick a location that does not hold water and receives as much direct sunlight as possible.

Try to pick a variety with as many letters after the name as possible. The letters all have meanings: F means fusarium tolerance, V means verticillum tolerance, TMV means to***co mosaic virus tolerance, and N means nematode tolerance.

The two types of plant growth for tomatoes are determinate and indeterminate:
➡️Indeterminate means varieties grow, blossom and produce tomatoes throughout the growing season. Because of this abundant lush growth, pruning and staking is recommended.
➡️Determinate tomato plants are relatively compact and produce a full bushy plant ideally suited to growing in cages. The plants flower, set fruit and ripen in a short period of time so that the main harvest is concentrated into a few weeks.

Tomatoes need an inch to inch and a half of water per week throughout the whole season, whether that be through irrigation or rainfall.

All tomato plants must be supported off the ground in some manner to prevent loss of fruit to rots and sunburn. Wooden stakes, placed at planting time or shortly after, are the most common type of support.

Tomatoes start ripening from the blossom end. For the sweetest, most flavorful tomatoes, allow the top of the tomato to get red before harvesting. The riper the tomato, the less acidic it tastes.

If you are interested in growing tomatoes and other vegetables, this Extension publication is a MUST READ: https://bit.ly/44rJTDa

You can also contact Extension Agent Matt Thornton if you have tomato questions too! Call 662-469-8480.

05/28/2026

🍀💚We are so proud of these 4-Hers!

Red, white and blue! Check out our BIG DeSoto County Delegation! Our 4-Hers, volunteers and agents had a great 1st day at 4-H Congress. Help us wish our 4-Hers good luck as they compete and network this week while on the MSU campus 🍀💚

05/27/2026

You’ve probably heard of alpha-gal syndrome, and you may know that those who have it can’t eat red meat. How do you get it? Ticks.

But what exactly is alpha-gal syndrome? Alpha-gal syndrome, or AGS, is spread to humans by the bite of infected ticks. These ticks picked up the alpha-gal molecule by biting a mammal that naturally carries the molecule in their blood. Most mammals do. But humans are one of the few exceptions.

Because we don’t have this molecule in our blood, we can have an allergic reaction when our body recognizes this molecule as an intruder and tries to defend itself. This is how humans develop AGS. However, not every person bitten by these ticks will end up with AGS.

Watch this video https://www.facebook.com/share/r/17Uw3g1gr3/

Or read more on this topic check out this read on the Extension For Real Life Blog https://extension.msstate.edu/blogs/extension-for-real-life/what-alpha-gal-syndrome

05/26/2026

Today’s FAMACHA training was a hands-on success! Participants practiced proper goat handling techniques and learned how to use the FAMACHA scoring system to help identify signs of anemia caused by barber pole worms. Through live demonstrations and guided practice, attendees gained valuable skills to support herd health and parasite management.

Thank you to our sponsor Tri-County Farm Services for the lovely lunch!

Thank you to everyone who attended and helped make today’s training engaging and educational! 🐐👏

05/26/2026

Make sure you're keeping your lawn happy and stress-free! Here's 10 Mowing Tips to help you establish and manage your home lawn!

1️⃣Be sure the mower blade is sharp. This saves wear and tear on the engine and also prevents damage to the turfgrass.
2️⃣Don’t let lawn grasses become overgrown before mowing. Follow recommended mowing heights and frequency of mowing to avoid removing more than one-third of the leaf area.
3️⃣Before mowing, always walk over the lawn area in search of rocks, wire, and other debris that could be a hazard to the operator or bystanders.
4️⃣Wear safety equipment recommended by the manufacturer of your mowing equipment.
5️⃣Always check the oil level before starting the engine.
6️⃣Always adjust the mowing height of the equipment before starting the engine.
7️⃣In general, mow coarse-textured grasses higher than finer-textured grasses.
8️⃣Mow grasses grown in the shade one-half inch higher than the recommended cutting heights.
9️⃣Grass clippings make excellent additions to the compost pile.
🔟Avoid using grass clippings as a mulch, since the grass seed and w**d seed may contaminate the planting area in flower beds, shrub beds, and vegetable gardens. When added to the compost pile, however, these materials generally decompose and can be used later for soil amendments and mulching.

Read our guide to establish and manage your home lawn publication to help you get started... https://extension.msstate.edu/publications/establish-and-manage-your-home-lawn

If you have home lawn management questions please feel free to give us a call at 662-469-8480 or email [email protected]

05/26/2026

We've got a few spots available for Kids in the Kitchen!

Register this week to reserve your child's spot!