Lamar County Extension Office

05/27/2026

Proud of all our 4-Her's representing Lamar County!

Senior 4-H Horse Judging Contest.
3rd High Point Individual: Annalyn Cates, Lamar 4-H.

05/22/2026

05/21/2026

A terrific opportunity for producers to learn from horticulture experts. Free. June 4. Register now; it will be worth your time and travel.

05/13/2026

Great information on last night’s heavy formosan termite swarm! Thanks Dr. Santos Portugal!

04/06/2026

At Mississippi State University Extension Service, we believe movement is medicine—and walking is just the beginning!!
Magnolia Moves Activity Challenge is an individual or team‑based health and wellness program that encourages people of all ages to increase physical activity and adopt healthier eating habits.
There is no cost to join this 6-week activity program, and you set the pace and choose the activities that you participate in throughout the six weeks. Open to participants of all ages, the program invites you to connect with your community, explore creative ways to stay active, and rediscover the joy of everyday movement.
The challenge officially kicks off on April 20!
Just download the MoveSpring app and it will seamlessly sync with a wide range of wearable devices, including your iPhone, Apple Watch, Apple Health, Android, Google Health Connect, Fitbit, and more. With automatic tracking, your movements and activities are captured by default, giving you a clear, real-time view of your progress and achievements. An alternative to the app is a desktop version that is available.
Need some encouragement? There will be weekly drawings for prizes!
Also, 4-H’ers and other young people who participate in this Magnolia Moves program can count their activity hours towards our nation’s highest youth honor, the Congressional Award.
Find out more about joining the Magnolia Moves Activity Challenge: https://extension.msstate.edu/magnolia-moves

02/27/2026

02/13/2026

Save the date and put it on your calendar! You don't want to miss this one!

Save the date!

02/02/2026

Many landowners would like the opportunity to fish for crappie in their ponds and small lakes, but crappie can cause major problems in smaller bodies of water because the diet of crappie species is very similar to diets of other pond species, such as bass and bream.

When crappie numbers are low, diet overlap with other species is not a problem, but crappie tend to produce inconsistent but sometimes extremely large numbers of young. After stocking, crappie may be rare for several years; then, suddenly, crappie populations explode and fill the pond with small, hungry crappie. They eat all the food needed by both bass and bream, causing bass and bream to grow slowly and become much thinner.

In ponds where good fishing for bass and bream is important, crappie should never be stocked.

If you already have crappie in a small lake or pond or if you absolutely must stock crappie, there are some things you can do to improve your chances at successfully raising this species in smaller ponds. The key to growing larger crappie is to increase the abundance of predators by overcrowding the pond with bass. Large numbers of small, hungry bass will eat most of the young crappie, leaving more food for the fish that remain.

You must understand that you cannot have the best of both worlds. If you want crappie fishing, you must forget about quality bass fishing, as a correctly managed crappie pond usually will not have big bass to catch. In other words, choose one species, and manage for that species.

There are two species of crappie, but black crappie are better suited for ponds than white crappie. The easiest way to tell the two apart is by counting the spines on the fin along the crappie’s back. White crappie have five to six spines, while black crappie have seven to eight.

Before introducing crappie, landowners should be sure that their pond will be relatively clear most of the year. This means you should be able to see a light object in 18 to 24 inches of water except during brief periods (a few days) following heavy rainfall and runoff. Crappie are sight feeders and will not do well in muddy water.

Still want crappie? If so, you can stock 15 adult black crappie per acre in an established, balanced, or bass-crowded bass and bluegill pond. Catch and remove all bass when they are longer than 15 inches. Never harvest smaller bass. This will create a crowd of smaller bass to control the crappie population and allow the remaining fish to grow faster.

Good crappie fishing in farm ponds is difficult to maintain for long periods of time. If the pond gets out of balance and becomes overpopulated with small crappie, stock 30 to 50 adult bass (10 to 12 inches long) per acre. More small crappie will be eaten, helping to reduce the population size.

Winter drawdown is also an effective management technique to prevent crappie overcrowding. The pond should be drawn down to half its normal surface area early in the fall. Bass harvest should stop during this time. The drawdown makes it easier for bass to find and eat the crappie. Let the pond refill during late winter and spring.

01/13/2026

Mark your calendar and get in line early!!Our tree giveaway is coming soon!