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LSU AgCenter Business Plan

Leading Agriculture into a Better Tomorrow

The mission of the LSU Agricultural Center is to conduct agricultural research, extension and teaching programs that advance and maintain Louisiana’s highly diverse agricultural industry and sustain Louisiana’s natural resources; to provide research and educational programs in the field of nutrition; and to develop Louisiana’s youth and families through the 4-H program.

LSU AgCenter Business Plan

In this article:
Research
Extension and Outreach
College of Agriculture
4-H Youth Development
Agricultural Technology
Nutrition
Rural Development
Globalization

Research

  • ResearchjpgIncrease faculty development and competitiveness in obtaining external funding
  • Expand efforts with major commodity groups to meet clientele needs
  • Partner with private industry to increase likelihood for adoption of early stage technology
  • Establish collaborative, cross-disciplinary efforts to achieve sustainable agricultural
  • improvements to meet global food demand
  • Recruit and retain nationally and internationally recognized research scholars in disciplines critical to Louisiana

Extension and Outreach

  • Extension and outreachjpgIncrease certification for master programs (Master Farmer, Master Gardener and Master Cattleman) to improve sustainability and productivity
  • Expand the multiparish agent model tomeet clientele needs
  • Provide continuing education for specialists and agents in specialized areas (invasive species, crop insurance, risk management, market support programs, etc.)
  • Establish a medicinal plants research and education initiative
  • Increase awareness and use of electronic program / information delivery to stakeholders

College of Agriculture

  • College of agriculturejpgIncrease student participation in at least one experiential learning opportunity, such as internships, study abroad or service learning, to reach 100%
  • Increase scholarship funding support for current students to allow them the opportunity for educational and professional development and international experiences
  • Recruit and retain a diverse student population dedicated to improving lives through agriculture sciences and implement best practices for diversity and inclusion
  • Expand opportunities for students through 2+2 agreements with community and technical colleges
  • Grow, enhance and increase steward relationships with alumni, friends and industry to support students and faculty

4-H Youth Development

  • 4-H and youth developmentjpgIncrease public awareness on the variety and quality of youth development opportunities and experiences offered by Louisiana 4-H
  • Increase diversity, inclusion and participation in youth development programs through expanded outreach
  • Provide educational experiences based on research-based theories and models
  • Increase the volunteer base of well-trained, screened and supportive individuals in order to expand the capacity of the 4-H program
  • Expand support to 4-H through the development of new and existing collaborations and partnerships in order to strengthen the impact of 4-H programming

Agricultural Technology

  • Agricultural TechnologyjpgIncrease teaching, research and outreach in digital agricultural technologies
  • Implement strategic hires with multifaceted capabilities in ag technology research and extension
  • Partner with private industry to access data and technologies to train agriculture and natural resource agents
  • Establish an annual outreach event for producers promoting on-farm use of digital ag technologies
  • Obtain external funding and establish demonstrations illustrating model farms across Louisiana

Nutrition

  • NutritionjpgExpand the Food Innovation Center to increase value-added opportunities for emerging food businesses
  • Increase community health and nutrition programs through workshops and training on issues, which include food safety, nutrition, SNAP-ED, EFNEP and economic development
  • Conduct community-based surveys to measure routine behaviors associated with eating and physical activity over time to measure change
  • Develop probiotic delivery systems that improve the gut health of general and specific population groups, such as the elderly, infants, adults or groups with specific disease states
  • Conduct food safety trainings for consumers and the food industry and testing for validation, shelf-life studies and pathogen detection for the food industry

Rural Development

  • Rural developmentjpgImplement telecommunication opportunities for rural development
  • Implement telemedicine program in collaboration with LSU Health Sciences Center to improve health in rural areas
  • Improve local government relationships with parish offices
  • Engage elected officials for participation in local and statewide events
  • Enhance statewide infrastructure to maximize broadband delivery to field offices

Globalization

Globalizationjpg

  • Capitalize on research agreements and faculty/student exchanges with partner universities in Central Europe and Eastern Europe and Central America and South America
  • Create interdisciplinary programs to train domestic and international students for agricultural jobs
  • Increase investment in proprietary crop variety development that feeds the world
  • Promote new ways of thinking and practices to achieve sustainable systems and profitable enterprises
  • Support the One Health concept linkage among humans, livestock and environment

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