Click on image above to download complete PDF version of the parish profile.

A PDF of the Parish Profile can be accessed below.

Pointe Coupee Parish Extension Office
180 East Main St. New Roads, LA 70760 
Phone: 225-638-5533 
Fax: 225-638-5550 

Email: pointecoupee@agcenter.lsu.edu 
Website: lsuagcenter.com\pointe+coupee 

Office Hours: 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. 

Miles Brashier, Parish Chair                                                                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                       
Elaine Delatte/Cindy Steib, Adminstrative Coordinators

Programs

4-H and Youth Development

Agriculture & Natural Resources (ANR)

• Agronomic Crops: Corn, Soybeans, Grain Sorghum, Cotton, Wheat, Rice
• Fisheries: Crawfish
• Livestock/Cattle Environment/Watersheds
• Horticulture/Lawns and Gardens
• Pest Management
• Soil & Water Conservation

Family & Consumer Sciences (FCS)

• Parents Preparing for Success
• Family Resource Management
• FNP -Family Nutrition Program
• Nutrition and Health
• Parenting and Family Development
• Child Care Provider
• Character Critters
• Workplace Preparedness

About the LSU AgCenter
The LSU AgCenter is dedicated to providing innovative research, information and education to improve people’s lives. Working in a unique statewide network of parish extension offices, research stations and academic departments, the LSU AgCenter helps Louisiana citizens make the best use of natural resources, protect the environment, enhance agricultural enterprises and develop human and community resources.

Program Highlights

Family & Consumer Sciences
With today’s economy, more parents are in the workforce. Parents of pre-school aged children are in need of good quality childcare providers. Finding qualified child care centers and family care providers in Louisiana can be challenging. Over the past year, the LSU AgCenter Family Development agent conducted a series of four classes (12 hours total) for 46 child care providers throughout the tri-parish area. Topics included in the series were: Infant Brain Development, Teaching Your Child Responsibility, Childhood Literacy and Childhood Nutrition. Following the courses, 184 certificates were issued to participants. The LSU AgCenter helps participants complete recertification hours to maintain their state licensing for quality child care in Louisiana.

4-H Youth Development
As the nation strives to produce more young scientists, the 4-H program in Pointe Coupee Parish joins in the efforts to promote Science, Engineering and Technology (SET) to elementary and high school students. Approximately seven hundred and twenty 4-H’ers meet at monthly school club meetings to participate in a variety of SET experiments conducted by Pointe Coupee 4-H Agents. Each month the students are introduced to the intriguing and exciting sides of science, engineering and technology. From biofuel experiments to forensic science crime scenes, the 4-H’ers are exposed to hands-on lessons that create further interest in this field and promote careers in these occupations.

Agriculture & Natural Resources
Pointe Coupee is a major agricultural parish that produces soybeans, sugarcane, cotton, corn, wheat, grain sorghum and rice, all being grown on 165,000 acres. Pointe Coupee farmers rely on information from the LSU AgCenter to stay productive. Therefore, the parish hosts an annual Farm Forum with presentations from specialists and researchers who provide the most current research based information available. Due to this specialized training, farmers have been able to reduce inputs thus saving millions of dollars over the past ten years. The Tri-Parish Master Gardeners have actively participated in Habitat for Humanity by landscaping ten Habitat houses in the past three years. Publications from the LSU AgCenter provide the homeowners educational information on caring for the plants that were placed in the landscape.

Who we reach:
2,184 - Youth
(includes 720 4-H members, 20 school 4-H clubs, 975 students working in school gardens & 489 students in Food & Nutrition Program)

15,666 – Adults
7,285 Ag & Natural Resources
8,381 Family Consumer Sciences

How we reach them:
4-H Clubs                                                     
Master/Jr. Master Gardener Program             
School Enrichment                                         
Field days                                                      
Newsletters                                                    
Publications
Class Series
Demonstrations
Workshops
Web sites
Social Media

Expanding our efforts:
225 Volunteers – 4-H, Master Gardeners, Family & Community, Master Horsemen

Parish Facts:
LSU AgCenter County Agents provide research-based information on plant, aquaculture, wildlife and animal enterprises to Pointe Coupee Parish clientele. The 2008 total dollar amount from these commodities were:
—Plant enterprises - $103,360,599.
—Aquaculture and wildlife - $3,006,607.
—Animal enterprises - $9,694,655.

Data from the Louisiana AgSummary website: LSUAgCenter.com/agsummary

Population - 22,401
Land area (square miles) - 557.34
Persons under 18 years old - 24%
Persons 65 years old and over - 14.7%
Median household income - $38,131
Persons below poverty - 21.4%

Local Issues & Plans for this year:

1. Increase productivity and profitability of Louisiana Agriculture.

• Conduct variety and verification trials in corn, soybeans and wheat
• Make farm and home visits to provide educational information to solve problems
• Conduct Master Gardener, farmer, cattlemen and horsemen classes
• Use graduates of these classes to provide community service and service learning
• Promote agriculture to the general public
• Sugarcane Field Day
• Environmental training through Farm Forum
• Prescribe Burn School for sugarcane producers

2. Promote the wise use of natural resources and protection of the environment.

• Junior Master Gardener Program
• Work with NRCS to promote conservation programs and conservation tillage programs
• Certify pesticide applicators and Worker Protection Standards (WPS) through Farm Forum and Iberville Sugarcane Growers Meeting
• Promote wise use of Best Management Practices (BMP) through horticulture and agronomic programs

3. Build leaders and good citizens through 4-H youth development.

• Promote Science, Engineering and Technology (SET) Programs throughout the parish
• Junior Leaders will participate in a year long Garden/Environmental Community Service Project
• Create budget and programming awareness

4. Strengthen families and communities

• Focus on childhood obesity through Nutrition Program
• Through Financial Management Program, clients will receive training in soft skills such as writing resumes, cell phone messaging and preparing for job interviews
• Through Family Development Program, FCS agents will promote parent involvement in child literacy

How we are funded:

You are the local supporters and beneficiaries in the LSU AgCenter’s Extension programs. Just 20 percent support keeps these programs in your community. Your parish extension office offers programs in:

• Sustaining Louisiana’s agriculture, forestry and fisheries.
• Building leaders and good citizens through 4-H youth development.
• Family, nutrition, health and community development to enhance the quality of life for Louisiana citizens.

 
*Local funding
Pointe Coupee Parish School Board
Pointe Coupee Parish Police Jury 2009