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The summer was a busy one for West Feliciana 4-H. The State Horse Show took place at Beauregard Parish Arena from July 8-11. West Feliciana Parish had several youth attend and they all did very well!! We also had 4-H’ers attend Marsh Maneuvers and Wetlands Camp conducted by the State 4-H Office. Also, this summer, Camille Hebert participated in the Louisiana Outdoor Science and Technology (LOST) Camp. In August, West Feliciana Parish 4-H was honored to have a team compete at the Great American Seafood Cook Off at the New Orleans Convention Center. Cade Bush and Caden Gates did a phenomenal job with their shrimp dish and placed fourth.
During 4-H University, several of our 4-H’ers were chosen to severe on state leadership boards. Caden Gates and Peyton Daniel will serve on the State 4-H Food and Fitness Board, Valarie Patin and Evelyn Pollet will serve as Wetland Ambassadors, and Taylor Triche will serve as an Equine Ambassador. These 4-H’ers took part in WeLEAD and participated in their summer retreats to learn about their responsibilities and outreach goals for their boards. After a busy summer, West Feliciana Parish 4-H’ers rolled right into a new school year.
August and September brought the start of school and the start of our 4-H Club Meetings and Project Clubs. Our 4-H Agent conducts clubs at the following schools: Bains 4, Bains 5, West Feliciana Middle, West Feliciana High School, Parkview Flex, and Home School Co Op. We also offer 4-H to those who are members- at- large. West Feliciana 4-H offers our members nine project clubs including Junior Leaders, Horse Club, Mission Nutrition Cooking Club, Shooting Sports – Archery and Shotgun, Rabbit Club, Sewing Club, Livestock Club, and Horticulture Club. We are piloting the new Horticulture Project Club which will be led by our Ag & Natural Resources- Horticulture Agent.
This year, during our 4-H club meetings, 4-H’ers will be participating in three different lesson studies- Thriving in the Jungle/Living Your Financial Experience (LYFE) where our junior leaders will focus on career readiness and financial literacy, Pollinators-Environmental Education- where our elementary students will learn about different pollinators and Food, Fitness and STEM where our middle school youth will learn about nutrition, science and fitness. 4-H’ers are currently selling sweet potatoes and pecans for their annual fundraiser. They are also looking forward to our fall events. Currently, we are preparing for many workshops/activities including our Wetlands and Wildlife Day, Culinary Arts Contest, and Clover Bud workshops. Fall is sure to be a fun time for our 4-H’ers.
The Feliciana Master Gardener Class began on August 1 with 18 students. The class features lessons in botany, soils, vegetables, ornamentals, and more! Master Gardener students are required to volunteer 40 hours in the community after taking the class.
Current Master Gardeners are busy collecting school garden items that teachers requested for use in their school gardens. They will donate soil, garden gloves, seeds, transplants, tools, and more for multiple school gardens in the Feliciana Parishes. They are also still involved in the library refresh of the landscape.
Tropical sod webworms have been detected in the Felicianas. If you have large sections of grass dying in your yard, this is likely to be the culprit. Call our Horticulture Agent, Jessie Hoover, if you need more information.
16 livestock producers in East Feliciana and surrounding parishes began the Master Cattleman Program on August 20th. The program includes ten classes providing information on animal health, reproduction, pasture management and other livestock-related topics. The program will conclude on October 22nd.
Our Nutrition & Community Health (NCH) Agent worked with the West Feliciana Parks & Recreation to deliver nutrition programs during their summer camp. During the Kitchen 101 Program, she taught the campers how to measure dry and liquid ingredients, what type of measuring tools to use for different ingredients, and cooking terms and tools. The campers made fruit salsa and cinnamon chips using an air fryer. The campers learned about common vitamins found in fruits and vegetables, the forms one can find fruits and vegetables, along with foods that were nutrient dense in the Make Half Your Plate Fruits & Vegetables Program. Apple fruit salad along with a yogurt- cinnamon drizzle was prepared by the campers. During the Eating Out Program, the youth were provided with suggestions on how to make healthy choices when eating out at fast-food and sit-down restaurants. They participated in a fast-food line-up where they discovered the calories in some of their favorite foods. The campers prepared pizza bagels in the air fryer.
Educators from both West Feliciana and East Feliciana participated in a School Garden Teacher Training Workshop hosted by our Horticulture, 4-H, and NCH Agents. Those participating received valuable info on establishing and sustaining a school garden. They also received resources to aid in their school garden programs.
Our NCH Agent continues to provide monthly nutrition resources to the West Feliciana Food Pantry. She also continues to provide a Taste of Herbs & Spices to the West Feliciana Parish Library. She prepares and supplies herb/spice samples along with factsheets to the library. The Taste of Herbs & Spices for the last quarter included: cayenne pepper, celery seed, and bay leaves. Each month our NCH Agent also shares the Taste of Herbs & Spices factsheet with a teacher at the Family Service Center to share with the Early Head Start homebase families she serves. She also continues to work with the West Feliciana Parish Library to add more items to their Library of Things. If you have not had the chance to check out the items you can borrow from the library, stop by today!
Nutrition and school garden programs at Bains Lower Elementary started in September. Eight Pre-K and seven kindergarten classes are participating. Our NCH Agent is working with Play 60 Coach, Lanya Mayer to deliver the programs. Students learned the rules and tools of the garden and types of gardens. The kindergarteners became members of the Green Thumb Club. Both Pre-K and kindergarteners took part in a garden scavenger hunt- finding and learning about the tools used in the garden.
Also, during September, the 4-H Mission Nutrition Project Club met. The 4-H’ers learned about food safety, how to read a recipe, how to accurately measure ingredients, and how to use a chef’s knife. The 4-H’ers worked in teams to prepare bean dip- which was a hit!
