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.

4-H, SET

Science and the careers that come from it have been the focus of this year’s club program.The educational programs presented each month to club members in our school clubs concentrated on a different kind of science each month such as chemistry, engineering, physics, and aerospace and then focused on different jobs and careers that stem from each of them.Club members learned about roller coaster engineering, chemical reactions in everything from baking to fuel production, and that the gummy bears they eat come from cows and pigs bones.Clover Buds are our third grade science students who receive lessons on completing a task related to their state testing.Each month every third grader is challenged to use text features to crack to code and solve each problem presented through resources in a task.With the environmental focus of these tasks we hope to be a curriculum partner that helps each student to raise test scores.

4-H Youth Development

“4-H Makes the Best Better” is the motto that drives our members to accept the responsibility to make a difference in the community.Each of the 21 traditional school clubs and several project clubs, with 26 local club leaders and over 100 youth volunteers, are participating in service all over the parish.They have volunteered with the elderly, the state park, veterans, city wide clean up, cancer patients, and many needy in the parish and region.4-H Members from nearly every school held holiday food drives and collected over 2 tons of food that was donated to food banks in Mamou, Pine Prairie, Basile, and Ville Platte and directly help those in our own communities.Our many youth and adult volunteers support our 4-H program on a parish, regional, and state level in the areas of service learning, community service, and school enrichment programs.

Agriculture & Natural Resources

By attending AgCenter production meetings, field days and clinics, Evangeline crop and livestock producers gain knowledge and understanding of recommended varieties, herbicides, insecticides and fungicides. These producers learned the most efficient, economical, and environmentally friendly methods, materials and application procedures called Best Management Practices. By utilizing these practices, productivity and efficiency are increased and negative environmental impacts are decreased.

Who we reach:

• 3,129- Youth (includes 1000 4-H members & 42 school 4-H clubs)
• 7,176-Adults
• 2,872 Ag & Natural Resources 4,304 4-H

How we reach them:

• 4-H clubs Clover Buds
• School Enrichment Demonstrations
• Field days Workshops
• Newsletters Web sites
• Publications Social media/Radio ( ANR & 4-H)

Expanding our efforts:

326 - 4-H Volunteers

Parish Facts:

LSU AgCenter County Agents provide research-based information on plant, aqua-culture, wildlife and animal enterprises to Evangeline Parish clientele. The 2017 total dollar amount from these commodities were: (Data collected from the Louisiana Ag Summary: Website - LSUAgCenter.com/agsummary

• Plant enterprises - $54.537,693
• Aquaculture and wildlife - $22,233,631
• Animal enterprises - $20,004,234

Other Parish Facts:

• Population - 33,708
• Land area (square miles) - 662.38
• Persons under 18 years old - 25.4%
• Persons 65 years old and over - 14.9%
• Median household income - $31,745
• Persons below poverty - 23.6%

Local Issues & Plans for this year:

Increase productivity and profitability of Louisiana Agriculture.

• Field days, field clinics, and field visits for livestock, crop production and pest management.
• Commodity production meetings for rice, soybeans, forages, and livestock.
• Farm, home educational, and school visits and on-site demonstrations.
• Conduct variety test and pest management research plots for rice, soybeans and forages.
• Cooperate with Farm Bureau, Cattlemen’s Association, Rice Grower’s Association, FSA, NRCS, LDAF and Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.
• Attend professional improvement meetings, tours and conferences in several agricultural commodity areas.
• Athletic field management and maintenance demonstrations.

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

• Junior Leadership Club and several local clubs across the parish plan and implement service learning projects across the parish.
• Promotion of Youth Development through participation in Summer Camp, LOST Camp, Regional Challenge Camp, Junior Leadership Conference, Marsh Maneuvers, Co-op Camp, and the many workshops offered throughout the school year.4-H members participate in curriculum based programming such as Youth Wetland Week, Careers in Science, and LEAP enrichment with Science Tasks.
• Youth will have the opportunity to participate in a variety of traditional parish programs including gardening, cooking and nutrition, clothing and textiles, and livestock, as well as some programming that is newer to 4-H like shooting sports, outdoor skills, science, engineering, and technology, and wetlands preservation.It is through all of these program opportunities that we hope to help our club, our community, our country, and our world.

How we are funded:

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

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

LSU AgCenter State Appropriated Funds for FY 2019-2020:

• State general direct: 74.9%
• Federal funds: 13.6%
• Self-generated: 7.1%
• Statutory deductions: 4.4%