| | Cindy Smith, Diane Uzzle, Joan Almond and Miindy Kile |
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| | Haley Parker demonstrates how she milks her cow. |
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| | The pecan exhibit won awards at the New Orleans Fall Garden Show. |
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Events
LSU AgCenter assisting with Shreveport community garden fall events
On Nov. 1, the Cedar Grove Garden of Love will host Breakfast in the Garden and on Nov. 8, Highland Community Garden will have a meet and greet. Both are from 9 a.m. to noon.
Anyone is welcome to bring gloves and gardening tools to help with weeding and planting. Pine straw is needed for garden pathways and composts, said Dr. Grace Peterson, Family Nutrition Program (FNP) garden coordinator for the LSU AgCenter.
Peterson helped revive community gardening and is sharing her knowledge, resources and techniques to community leaders who will then sustain the gardens.
Shreveport Public Assembly and Recreation and Community Renewal International are co-sponsors of the Saturday events.
Three gardens have already held their events: Oct. 11, a Gathering of Gardeners at the Louisiana State Exhibit Museum; Oct. 18, Mooretown Community Faith Garden and Oct. 25, Allendale Garden of Hope and Love. The Oct. 11 event was organized by the Master Gardeners and the Louisiana State Exhibit Museum to bring gardening clubs together in to educate the public and encourage membership.
More than 40 people gathered at Mooretown where children planted seeds. Children bobbed for apples and carved a pumpkin at the Allendale event.
More than 30 people joined together in Allendale to plant mustard greens and garlic along with pansies and snapdragons for winter color. A wheelbarrow was assembled.
A reggae band appeared at the Mooretown event and the Shreveport Fire Department provided blood pressure screenings there and at Allendale.
At Mooretown and Allendale, benches donated by Jon Soul from the Montessori School of Shreveport were painted and placed.
LSU AgCenter mans educational stations at Zwolle Tamale Fiesta
AgCellent Expo, an educational event held at the Zwolle Tamale Fiesta on Oct. 10, attracted hundreds of third graders who learned about wildlife and furs, cows, nutrition, safety, horses and forestry from the LSU AgCenter.
More than 200 third graders in Sabine Parish rotated to the different stations manned by the LSU AgCenter. Paul Morris and Julia Campbell coordinated the event at the request of the Sabine Parish School Board.
Ricky Kilpatrick, area forester, included the children in an activity where they sounded off the actions in the life of a tree. He told them that they could hear nutrients going through a tree if they listened with a stethoscope.
Donny Moon, LSU AgCenter agent, had 17 pelts on display. He talked about what each animal eats and its habitat.
Master Gardeners did a project in which the students planted seeds in gloves that they took home to watch for growth.
David Yount, assistant county agent in Red River Parish, demonstrated differences in roping and cutting saddles, speed of horses and safety around them.
Joe Barrett, LSU AgCenter agent, told the children gun safety starts with them. “Once you pull the trigger, it’s too late to take it back.” He explained that guns are not toys, but tools for hunting.
Haley Parker, a DeSoto Parish 4-H’er, helped others milk a cow. 4-H’er Kayla Sepulvado was Miss Zwolle Tamale Fiesta.
Cheryl Rivers coordinated the educational day for the festival. “4-H has always been a big interest of mine. My children were in it,” she said. “I want to encourage interest; that is why I chose third graders.”
“It is good for the kids to get out and get their hands on some things, to learn where food comes from and have a good time and learn,” said Clay Corley, director of student services for the Sabine school system. “The teachers are happy.”
Cookery contest
Caddo Parish held a nutrition festival on Monday, Nov. 3, from 5 p,m, to 7 p.m. at the Woodmen of the World Lodge on Kay Lane in Shreveport.
Lola Shuttleworth said food categories for judging were meat, eggs, poultry, seafood and pecans.
Connie Aclin presented a healthy snacks program and guests played Nutrition Jeopardy.
Winners advanced to the 2009 Area Cookery Contest.
Parish fairs wrap up
Caddo Parish’s fair Sept. 25-27 featured 148 photo entries, 48 more than last year—one of the fastest growing areas. There were also more livestock and forestry entries. An awards banquet to recognize all youth who participated was attended by 200 people at Riverview Hall.
The Natchitoches Parish Fair ran Sept. 21-27. Events that took place were a horse, rabbit and poultry show, competitive exhibits, 4-H Night at the Fair with an alumni social, 4-H Talent Show and 4-H Glitz and Glamour Goat Show, youth pet show, rodeo, Kid’s Day at the Fair and livestock shows. The Kid’s Day at the Fair, “AgCellent Agventures” focused on agriculture education for grades pre K-second. More than 650 students participated in the two days of AgCellent Agventures.
The Red River Parish Fair was held Sept. 30 to Oct. 4. One of the special events was 4-H Night at the Fair on Oct. 1. 4-H’ers brought their 2008-2009 membership cards and were able to purchase a $10 armband to enjoy the rides on the midway. Another highlight of the week was at the Horse Show on Wednesday night. Associate Extension Agent Cindy Smith’s grandson, Brock Keith, 2, competed in his very first horse show. Livestock shows were held throughout the week.
At the Sabine Parish Fair Sept. 23-27, youth and adults competed in the competitive exhibits and the livestock barn was full of lots of animals mooing, snorting, quacking, and baaing. Several youth got to present demonstrations on their livestock projects for pre-school groups who visited the fair on Thursday.
The Webster Parish Fair was held Sept. 30-Oct. 4. The parish fair committee featured the 4-H Centennial this year. Retired County Agent Buddy Thomas was grand marshal of the parade; Webster 4-H had two floats of 4-H members. Livestock shows included poultry, rabbits, swine, goats, dairy and beef animals and showmanship competition. The annual “Pig Pushin’ Contest” – where 4-H club leaders and principals “showed” pigs in support of the program--was also held. In the Dress Your Pet show, dogs, cats, rabbits, chickens and a turtle competed in their costumes. Centennial marketing materials were all over the fairgrounds: banners, yard signs, stickers and buttons.
Seminars, Conferences, Exhibits
Bulbs topic of LSU AgCenter luncheon
Fall is the time to buy bulbs, said Denyse Cummins, area horticulture agent for the LSU AgCenter, at Lunch and Ag Discovery Oct. 24.
Cummins presented “Southern Bulbs and Using Them in Landscaping,” saying gardeners have until December to get their bulbs in the ground. Fifty-five attended.
Vicky Chesser is November’s speaker. She will discuss balancing holiday eating with physical activities on Nov. 19.
Almond attending obesity summit
Joan Almond will be attending the Southern Obesity Summit with three other nutrition agents from Louisiana.
The summit will be held in Birmingham, Ala., Nov. 9-11. An anticipated audience of 400 will include state leaders and stakeholders from national organizations and state teams inclusive of business, health, education and community members who are addressing obesity prevention.
State teams include Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia.
Keynote speaker for physical activity is Dr. Kenneth Cooper, founder-chairman of the Cooper Aerobics Center in Dallas and Dr. Adewale Troutman, director of health for the Louisville Metro Health Department.
The Louisiana team will also share the Smart Bodies program at one of the share sessions during the conference.
4-H News
LSU AgCenter launches new 4-H Web site at State Fair
A new Web site, Louisiana 4-H Kids’ Clubhouse, was launched at the State Fair of Louisiana on Oct. 29.
The site is tailored to fourth through sixth graders, said Katina Hester, 4-H web content coordinator for the LSU AgCenter. The site features content, free games and activities, downloads and videos. Videos are also on YouTube.
Natchitoches 4-H’er wins Triumph Award through Special Olympics
Zachary Page, a 15-year-old 4-H’er in Natchitoches Parish, has won the Triumph Award through Special Olympics Louisiana.
The award goes to an individual from Louisiana who has significant success or noteworthy achievement in an instance or occasion of victory--an individual with an "overcoming the odds" story.
It will be given by Supriya Jindal on Nov. 21 at a luncheon at the Louisiana State Police Training Center Cafeteria in Baton Rouge.
According to his mother, Belinda Page, Zachary was diagnosed with Asperger's autism in 2007 after 14 years of being told he had attention deficit disorder.
Zachary is an 8th grader at Goldonna Elementary/Junior High School. He has been in 4-H for seven years (two years as a Junior Leader), Fellowship of Christian Athletes and yearbook staff for two years. He is also a youth leader at First Methodist Church in Minden. He has run track in Special Olympics.
“This year at LOST (Louisiana Outdoor Skills and Technology) Camp, through 4-H, he was able to communicate with children his own age and he came out of his shell,” said Page.
LOST is a camp for 7th and 8th graders that gives youth a chance to explore non-traditional areas of study, including forensic science.
“I talked to and made new friends,” Zachary wrote in an essay accompanying the nomination. “I even slow-danced with a couple of girls.”
Zachary has also attended 4-H University, which he said is the most fun because it is on the LSU campus.
“I am very proud of Zachary receiving this award. While working with Zachary over the last two years, I have witnessed his dedication to service and his ability to overcome adversity,” said Laura Brumbaugh, LSU AgCenter assistant extension agent. “This award exemplifies that 4-H is developing life skills to use later on.”
Former 4-H’er returns from assisting Iraq with agriculture
A former 4-H’er found out the lessons he learned in the club 50 years ago came in handy halfway around the world in helping a war-torn nation.
Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Lane Killen, a former Bossier Parish 4-H’er, used his knowledge about raising sheep and leadership as an agricultural adviser on the Diyala Provincial Reconstruction Team in Iraq from May 10, 2007 to March 16, 2008. Killen served with the U.S. Department of Defense in support of the U.S. Department of State.
He was one of 100 employees serving in President George Bush’s New Way Forward, 2007 whose mission is to restore damage from the 2003 war, the tenure of Saddam Hussein and the Iran-Iraq War of 1980-87 as well as create a future vision of a market-driven economy for Diyala, called “The Green Province, Orchard of Iraq.”
Killen helped develop the first provincial agriculture strategy for fighting counterinsurgency. Diyala has the same land mass as Hawaii.
He served as a specialist to assist in formulating agriculture policy to expedite government investment in the agricultural sector and guide formulation of policy to induce private sector investment in agriculture.
“We were advocating the use of commodity line development/value chain analysis for each of the major commodities to determine the weak links in each value chain,” Killen said.
He assisted the government in expanding a network of Agricultural Extension Service offices throughout the province and nation. He helped promulgate new legislation aimed at providing micro-financing to local farmers and sheiks to finance seed, fertilizer, equipment and irrigation canal dredging to jump start the agricultural base of the economy.
“I thought I was going to be a county agent, but ended up being a lobbyist to raise issues,” said Killen, who has more than 36 years of active and reserve military experience in highly technical medical, intelligence and security fields.
Killen spent about three days every two weeks in the embassy in Baghdad, just southwest of Diyala, arriving by helicopter. He dealt mostly with the governor and his staff; director general of agriculture (equivalent to Louisiana’s commissioner of agriculture); Water Resources and their staffs; the farmers’ union; various associations (National Beekeepers, Ag Chamber); and the Provincial Council.
In the embassy, Killen met with the Office of Provincial Administration, Iraq Transition Assistance Office, Water Resources, Electricity, Treasury, Economics Minister, Ag Attache and his staff, various military officials in the Multi-national Force Iraq (MNFI) and Multi-national Corps Iraq (MNCI).
He visited grain silos, warehouses, veterinary supply companies and canning factories.
Killen contacted LSU and Texas A & M before deploying and is a lifelong friend of Dr. Allen Nipper, North Central regional director of the LSU AgCenter. Both served on the Louisiana 4-H Executive Committee as youth. The two used a recent visit to replace Killen’s lost 4-H Key Club pin.
Killen received his B.S. in dairy science from LSU in 1971 and doesn’t drink his coffee black because of his degree and background.
Killen said mentioning that he was a farm boy from the Red River Valley got attention wherever he went. “All of those little surprising things I did raising sheep in the 4-H Club had an application. I milked cows, so was able to talk dairy farming all the time. There is a large rapport among all guys who have done farming.”
Killen said those experiences gave him the ability to establish a rapport with Iraqi people, ranging from older sheiks and governmental officials to youngsters. “They all knew how important agriculture was to their country and wanted to learn more about farming in the United States,” he said.
Killen said his friend Logan Barbee, a Florida extension agent, started 4-H at the Regional Embassy Office in Hilla near Babil (ancient Babylon). “He is a national asset.”
The 1979 Outstanding Young Farmer for Bossier Parish is a product of Waller, Curtis, Rusheon, Parkway and Bossier (1967) schools. He has returned to the intelligence office at the Joint Readiness Training Center and Fort Polk.
Awards/Recognition/Training
Pecan display wins awards at New Orleans Fall Garden Show
A display on pecans won first place in educational excellence and second place in governmental agency at the New Orleans Fall Garden Show held Oct. 18-19.
The show was sponsored by the LSU AgCenter.
John Pyzner, LSU AgCenter pecan-fruit extension specialist, said agents Terry Toombs and Alexis Navarro combined pecan information from the LSU AgCenter Pecan Research and Extension Station with their local materials in creating an award-winning display.
The show offers an educational experience for the home gardener and the professional and includes plant sales and exhibits, educational programs, a plant health clinic, a tree giveaway by Master Gardeners, kids' discovery area and scarecrow trail.
Calendar
State Fair of Louisiana continues through Nov. 9
They celebrated and educated at the 2008 State Fair of Louisiana 4-H Fun Day Oct. 29.
This year’s fair was dedicated to 4-H to help celebrate the centennial of the youth organization. The theme was “Celebrate and Educate.”
Among activities were the 4-H Express, the Ark-La-Tex Ag Council Junior Livestock Sale, launch of a new children’s Web site, a Platoon Patrol skit for pre-schoolers and a Louisiana 4-H Foundation drawing for $10,000.
A large 4-H tent with music and educational information and special activities for each decade of 4-H attracted 1,600 participants, said Karen Martin, northeast and north central regional 4-H coordinator for the LSU AgCenter.
4-H agents acted as conductors and a train whistle blew when it was time for classes to move on to the next exhibit in the express.
Southwestern Electric Power Co. sponsored kits for teachers to take back to the classroom for additional activities.
The first stop on the express was the cotton area where students made necklaces. They wet cotton and put a pinto bean next to it in a small zip bag and will watch it sprout in the next couple of days. The Union Parish Farm Bureau helped with this exercise.
Forestry was the theme of the 1920s area. Students rubbed stencils to make colorful leaves.
Poultry was featured in the next decade. Children pet one-day old chickens and learned about their life cycle.
The 1940’s lesson was on victory gardens. Webster Parish Master Gardeners manned this exhibit and gave students seeds to take home.
The 1950s area featured a 1957 Chevrolet, fashion, records hanging from the ceiling and a chance to Hula Hoop.
The next decades were insects, healthy foods, wetlands and water conservation, outdoor skills and science, engineering and technology where students launched a model rocket propelled by a bicycle pump.
Outside of the tent was a mobile communication unit of laptops where students got to check out a new Web site, Louisiana 4-H Kids’ Clubhouse, that was officially launched at the fair.
At the livestock sale, Dr. Mike Strain, commissioner of agriculture, and Shreveport Mayor Cedric Glover were among guest auctioneers. KPXJ broadcast the auction.
In the Louisiana State Exhibit Museum on the Fair Grounds, Platoon Patrol featured the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program staff in military uniforms with a message on rules for a healthy heart that included regular exercise, a low-fat/high-fiber diet and drinking lots of water and milk.
The team used music to teach the lessons.
It will be repeated Wednesday, Nov. 5, from 9:30 a.m. to noon.
The Louisiana 4-H Foundation wrapped up its $10,000 4-H Centennial Raffle to benefit the Grant Walker 4-H Educational Center. The winner was Dr. Benjamin Legendre.
The (Shreveport) Times featured a page 1 story the day afterwards and KTBS-TV provided extensive coverage of the events. The Forum News featured the 4-H centennial on its cover Oct. 21.
More November events
Nov. 6-7—AgFest at Sciport with cotton exhibits from Red River Research Station faculty
Nov. 14—Info Tech / Communications “Working Smarter” training series at Red River Research Station
Nov. 19—Lunch and Ag Discovery at noon, featuring Vicky Chesser on holiday nutrition tips