April 16, 2024, 7:18 pm
About REACH
The REACH Program provides research and education support to document the benefits of conservation to mitigate non-point source pollution from working landscapes and provide other co-benefits (fish and wildlife habitat, soil, and climate) to agriculture landscapes. The program also educates citizens and youth about non-point source pollution and watershed protection and engages stakeholders in stewardship activities.
Our Mission
The REACH program aims to 1) advance conservation delivery and adoption through on-farm research that documents the benefits of conservation to mitigate non-point source pollution and enhance agricultural sustainability, 2) provide education and outreach to professionals and producers on best management practices to protect soil and water resources on farms, and 3) build capacity to support farmer stewardship through student training, collaboration, and growing funding support.
Who We Are
Beth Baker
Associate Extension Professor
662-325-7491
beth.baker@msstate.edu
Beth is an Associate Extension Professor in the College of Forest Resources, Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Aquaculture. Beth holds a B.S. in Biomedical Science, a M.S. in Cell and Molecular Biology, and received her Ph.D. in Forest Resources from Mississippi State University in 2015. She leads the REACH program and has been involved with the program since the it’s inception. The REACH program allows her to expand the focus of her research and extension activities, to assess the most effective management strategies to promote soil and water conservation, and ecosystem services while also helping Mississippi farms remain sustainable and profitable.
Thomas 'Beau' Badon
Graduate Research Assistant
Beau is an Agronomy Graduate Research Assistant in the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences. His thesis investigates the efficacy of cover crops in corn-soybean rotation systems in the Mississippi Delta to reduce nutrient and sediment runoff to surface waters. He received a B.S. from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville in Environmental and Soil Sciences, with a concentration in Conservation Ag and Sustainability, and minors in Watershed Science and Wildlife and Fisheries Science. His internship experiences include urban stormwater management and anadromous fish migration. His academic interests pertain to conservation, water resources, land use, wildlife and fisheries management, environmental science, soil science, and climatology.
Mark Hill
Extension Associate
Mark is a 2018 graduate of the Mississippi State University Department of Biological Sciences where he studied ecology, trophic interactions, and biogeography. His research interests include wildlife habitat conservation and is currently engaged in a project with Delta F.A.R.M. that seeks to quantify the effects of cover crops on water quality in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley in an effort to mitigate nutrient loading to the Gulf of Mexico. Previously he has worked on research projects examining trophic interactions in a changing climate and the effect of timing of prescribed fire on the nutritional phenology of southeast loblolly pine plantations.
Edward Entsminger
Extension Associate
Contact Information
Beth Baker, Ph.D.
Director of REACH
Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, & Aquaculture
Office: 662.325.7491
Cell: 662.552.8781
Email: beth.baker@msstate.edu
Cooperator Spotlight
Mississippi Crop Improvement Association
The Mississippi Seed Improvement Association was organized as the official seed-certifying agency and granted a charter in 1940 as a not-for-profit farmers cooperative.
