West Carroll Parish Profile

About the LSU AgCenter

The LSU AgCenter is dedicated to providing innovative research, information and education to improve people’s lives. Working in a 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.

Program Highlights

Family and Consumer Sciences

Flavors of Health is a community nutrition and health education program in place to motivate and empower Louisianans to make healthy food and fitness choices to live a healthful life. The Flavors of Health Nutrition Agent provides expertise on a variety of topics that supports healthful eating patterns, including how to set realistic goals, make small changes in daily behaviors, transform healthy behaviors into healthy habits and select healthful foods.

Many nutrition workshops, events, and activities were held throughout the year at the West Carroll Parish Extension Office for both youth and adult clientele. Nutrition topics included Dining with Diabetes, Break Up With Salt, Stay Independent: A Healthy Aging series, Smart Portions (Weight Management Series), Baking Workshops for adult and youth, Walking Nutrition Education Sessions, and Outdoor Adventure Camp: Handwashing and Food Safety.

4-H Youth Development

West Carroll youth can participate in ever growing project clubs like shooting sports, livestock, heathy living, and leadership. Parish schools also participate in enrichment opportunities where the 4-H Agent provides educational curriculum and experiences including embryology, financial literacy, and wetlands.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

Agriculture in West Carroll parish is as diverse as the soil types found in the parish. Production practices, irrigation strategies, and crop varieties that might maximize production in heavy alluvial soils off the Macon ridge will not show the same results as the sandy loam soils of the Macon Ridge. To address these diverse conditions and challenges AgCenter county agents work crop variety trials both on and off the Macon Ridge.

Whom We Reach:

  • 1467 youth contacts with 181 4-H members and 8 4-H Clubs
  • 3672 adults (3,500 through agriculture and natural resources and 172 adults and 37 youth through family consumer sciences)

How We Reach Them:

4-H Clubs, school enrichment, field days, publications, newsletters, class series, website, social media and workshops

Expanding Our Efforts:

4-H Clubs, school enrichment, field days, publications, newsletters, class series, website, social media, and workshops

Parish Facts:

LSU AgCenter county agents provide research-based information on plant and animal enterprises to West Carroll Parish residents. The total dollar amount from these commodities were: Animal enterprises, $10,674,065; plant enterprises, $86,767,281

Land area — 361 square miles; Population —9,751; Population under 18 years old — 23.1%; Population 65 years old and over — 19.6%; Median household income — $45,035; Persons below poverty — 19.2%

Local Issues and Plans for This Year:

Increase productivity and profitability of Louisiana agriculture

  • Conduct producer training on herbicide draft mitigation
  • Conduct on farm variety trials
  • Write news column, webpage content and seminars on agriculture practices
  • Conduct farm and home educational visits

Promote the wide use of natural resources and protection of the environment

  • Educate producers on current disposal of pesticide containers and waste
  • Educate producers on Best Management Practices and Integrated Pest
  • Educate producers on effective irrigation strategies and the use of innovative irrigation technologies

Build leaders and good citizens through 4-H Youth Development

  • Develop and implement service-learning projects throughout the parish focusing on Special Needs Inclusiveness (state-wide initiative)
  • Offer programming and opportunities to develop and enhance leadership skills at the local, state, and national level (4-H University, CWF, camps/conferences, project clubs, workshops, contests, etc.)
  • Improve knowledge of youth and adult volunteers by increased number of trained volunteers

Strengthen families and communities

  • Offer food preservation workshops for youth and adults to help address the need of food insecurity
  • Conduct physical activity and fitness workshops throughout the year to address childhood obesity and to improve overall quality of life for both youth and adult community members
  • Conduct a series of 5 nutrition education programs annually: Dining with Diabetes, Smart Portions, Small Changes Healthy Habits, Break Up with Salt, and Stay Independent: A healthy aging series
  • Conduct monthly programming throughout the parish on trending nutrition and health topics
  • Conduct culinary cooking camps throughout the year for adult and youth clientele to enhance cooking skills and preparation of healthful meals and snacks

Innovate . Educate . Improve Lives

The LSU AgCenter and the LSU College of Agriculture

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