| | Left to right are Bill Richardson, LSU AgCenter chancellor; Don Gohmert, NRCS director; Scott Wiggers of Winnsboro, one of farmers who have attained master farmer status; Ronnie Anderson, Farm Bureau president; and Bob Odom, LDAF commissioner. (Photo by Michael Danna) |
| | | | | | | |
Thirteen of Louisiana’s finest farmers have completed the rigorous requirements to become a Master Farmer – a title that means they have not only learned the latest in scientifically based conservation techniques but they are voluntarily implementing them on their farms.
"They are an elite group," said Carrie Castille Mendoza, who directs the Master Farmer program for the LSU AgCenter. "These farmers had to successfully complete the three phases of the program. And some of these conservation practices, such as precision land-leveling, can cost thousands of dollars."
Two of the 13 have been in the program for nearly five years, having enrolled in the first Master Farmer class offered back in 2001 in Vermilion Parish – Ernest Girouard and Craig Adam, both of Kaplan.
"Farming is big business. And with any good business, you have to have continuing education," Girouard said.
The other 11 are Thomas M. Batchelor of Ringgold, Johnny Boudreaux of Abbeville, Jess E. Crosier of Cade, Harvey Gonsoulin of Loreauville, George Hains of Rayne, Howard Hardie of Jonesville, Kenneth LaHaye of Ville Platte, Hank Schumacher of Husser, Robert Thevis of Simmesport, and Russell (Rusty) and Scott M. Wiggers Jr., who together have the Wiggers Farm Partnership in Winnsboro.
Nearly 2,300 Louisiana farmers have completed Phase 1 of the program, which involves eight hours of classroom instruction. Instructors from the LSU AgCenter, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF) teach best management practices related to environmental stewardship and water quality regulations.
Of that number, 575 have gone on to finish the second phase, which means they have participated in a tour of a farm selected because of its exemplary use of conservation practices.
The third and final phase is the most difficult, Mendoza said. The farmers have to arrange for a visit from an NRCS agent and devise a conservation plan specific to their farming operation.
Then the farmer has to put this plan into practice, which can involve such things as installing fences to contain cattle or pumps in fields to recycle water. Some of the Master Farmers use GPS equipment to conserve the amounts of fertilizer and pesticides they apply and to improve the drainage on fields through precision land-leveling.
But that’s not all. The NRCS agent has to make a return visit and verify that the conservation prescription is being carried out. Then, and only then, can the farmer apply for certification from LDAF.
"It’s a slow, arduous process. But we expect to have many more certified Master Farmers by this time next year," Mendoza said.
(This article was published in the summer 2006 issue of Louisiana Agriculture.) |