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| Click on the image above for the PDF version of the 2011 Winn Parish Profile. |
Program Highlights
4-H Youth and Family Development
Over six hundred and forty third, fourth, fifth and eighth grade students receive training on Square Foot Gardening each month. Currently, Winn Parish has 778 4-H club members enrolled in 16 4-H clubs throughout the parish. Our educational focus for the 2011-2012 club year is Environmental Education/Character Education. Each month educational programs are conducted by agents that pull together Square Foot Gardening, Environmental Education and Character Education. This year our 4-H program showed growth in adult volunteers in the Cloverbuds, Outdoor Skills and the 4-H Youth Energy programs. Winn Parish 4-H has an additional 18 new volunteers and leaders in these projects.
Approximately 80 4-H youth participate in monthly educational programs offered by the Winn Parish 4-H Outdoor Skills program. This club year, 56 youth participated in a Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Hunter Education program in which 45 of the 56 youth completed the program successfully. The project is volunteer leader driven and utilizes our 4-H Outdoor Environmental Education Complex.
Agriculture and Natural Resources
The local economy as well as our state and national economy are seeing many companies having to trim their work forces. With this concern of many people having to find ways to reduce/cut back on their budgets you are seeing many people going back to raising their own food. A Winn Parish Master Gardener Program was conducted from which 16 adults graduated. These individuals will now be able to assist many homeowners in the preparation and maintenance of their home hgardens and landscape. This will allow the Agcenter to reach more clients by having trained people using Agcenter publications to deliver at their programs.
The Winnfield Senior High School (WSHS) entered into a cooperative effort with the LSU AgcCenter Field of Excellence Program. The Field of Excellence Program is based on providing the school assistance and training on how to improve the quality of their football field. The WSHS footbal field was named the 2011 Field of Excellence Award winner and was presented with a $500 check from the Louisiana Turfgrass Association.
The LSU AgCenter Winn Parish Extension Service has taken over the management of the local Winn Farmers' Market. The farmers's market committee has developed a calendar of events for quarterly education programs. The Winn Farmers' Market committee along with the Winn Parish Master Gardener's have decided to make improvements to the market to encourage more public exposure.
Who we reach:
1000- Youth Monthly (includes 778 4-H members and 16 school 4-H clubs)
900- Adults (monthly) 600 Ag and Natural Resources 300 Family Development
How we reach them:
4-H clubs, Class series, School enrichment, Demonstrations, Field days, Workshops, Newsletters, Websites, Publications, and Social media.
Expanding our efforts:
130- Volunteers - 4-H, Family and Community, Out door Skills, Livestock, Master Farmer, Master Gardener
Parish Facts
LSU AgCenter county agents provide research-based information on plant, wild-life, forestry and animal enterprises to Winn Parish clientele. The 2010 total dollar amount from these commodities was: —Plant enterprises - $49,527,924
Data from the Louisiana Ag Summary Website: LSUAgCenter.com/agsummary
Population - 15,331
Land area (square miles) - 950.49 Persons under 18 years old - 22.4%
Persons 65 years old and over - 14.5%
Median household income - $31,108
Local Issues and Plans for this year
A. Increase productivity and profitability of Louisiana Ag-riculture.
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Write articles and columns for newspaper and Web page on best management practices in agriculture.
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Conduct a Master Gardener program.
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Conduct field days/clinics on plant and animal production.
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Conduct quarterly producer meetings for local farmers’ market.
B. Promote the wise use of natural resources and protection of the environment.
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Work with farmers with t-tape and drip irrigation for water conser-vation.
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Write articles concerning resource conservation.
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Implement a parishwide square-foot garden project that covers organic vegetable production and conventional methods at Calvin High School, Atlanta High School, Winnfield Primary School, Dodson High School and Winnfield Intermediate School.
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Incorporate water resources education in our 4-H and adult plant and animal production meeting.
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Winnfield Primary School will participate in a coastal restoration project with others acrtoss the state.
C. Build leaders and good citizens through 4-H youth development.
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Winn Parish Junior Leaders will participate in Forest Awareness, Roughin’ It and 4-H Camp as 4-H group leaders developing their leadership skills.
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Junior and Senior 4-H club members will develop and im-plement service learning projects that are beneficial to the parish.
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An increase in enrollment of 4-H members that focuses on participation in Junior Leaders, 4-H University, Forest Awareness, 4-H Camp, Forest Festival and Roughin’ It Camp and Survivor/Leadership Camp.
D. Strengthen families and communities.
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Four hundred and fifty pre-K through 5th grade students will participate in the Body Walk at Winnfield Kindergarten School, Atlanta High Sschool and Dodson High School
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Write and post articles related to nutrition/diet/health.
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Provide clients with money management and budgeting information.
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Conduct a series of workshops for Mount Grace Teen challenge, focusing on proper nutrition.
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Plant fruit trees at the Winn 4-H Outdoor Environmental Education complex. Provide fruti to the local Community Food Pantry.