The Louisiana Master Farmer Program will once again be hosting several field days and workshops for agricultural producers and industry personnel for the summer and fall of 2010. The program, initiated just over nine years ago, has grown and developed into one of the most widely known and successful environmental stewardship programs in the southern states.
Louisiana is the first and only state to offer this type of voluntary producer-certification program, and the support is evident in the growing number of producers enrolled in the program. Louisiana Farm Bureau, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Louisiana Cattlemen’s Association, Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry and the LSU AgCenter all partner in this effort to certify producers who complete all three phases of the program and fulfill the necessary requirements.
The phases include 8 hours of environmental instruction, attending a “model farm” or program field day where conservation-related topics are discussed, and developing and implementing a comprehensive conservation plan on the entire farming operation. As of January 2010, 115 agricultural producers have completed these requirements and are certified, with just over 2,600 participants in the program.
Field days and workshops that will fulfill the Phase II requirement for 2010 and provide 3 hours of Continuing Education Credits for those certified include:
May 13 – Iberia Research Station Field Day, Cattle, Jeanerette
May 19 – Ed Justice, Wildlife Field Day, Bastrop
June 17 – Northeast Station Field Day, St. Joe
June 23 – Jay Hardwick, Row Crop Field Day, Newellton
June 30 – Michael Hundley/RiceTec Field Day, Mowata
July 6 – Vermilion Parish Rice Tour, Lake Arthur
July 9 – Angie and Scott Tyler, Poultry and Cattle Field Day, Dubach
July 20 – Gary Hollier/Elliott Bizette, Cattle & Forage Field Day, New Roads
August 5 – Dean Lee Field Day, Alexandria
August 27– Biofuels Field Day, Archibald
October 8 – Forestry/Wildlife Field Day, DeRidder
October 9 – Forage Tour (Forage & Grassland Council), Clinton
October 22 - Pasture Walk, Sabine Parish
For more information, please contact Donna Morgan, Ernest Girouard, or James Hendrix.