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- Directors Statement
Boyd Padgett - Central Region Director
Central Louisiana is the melting pot of the state where north meets south. Most of the major commodities grown in Louisiana are found in the Central Region. Major commodities include forestry, cotton, sugarcane, nursery crops, livestock, corn, grain sorghum, rice, aquaculture, soybeans and sweet potatoes. The region is composed of nine parish extension offices, one administrative office, two research stations, the Louisiana 4-H Museum and the Grant Walker 4-H Educational Center.
Research programs at the Dean Lee Research and Extension Station address needs in row-crop agriculture, weed management, tillage systems, beef cattle management, bull performance testing, forages and animal nutrition.
Extension programs in agriculture, forestry, family and consumer sciences, and 4-H address the needs of all clientele. The completion of a new office complex at the Dean Lee Station has allowed the Rapides Parish extension office to be relocated to the station. In addition to the parish extension staff, five multi-parish extension agents are housed at Dean Lee along with four statewide specialists. The Grant Walker 4-H Educational Center houses 4-H Camp and provides educational programs for more than 5,000 youth each year.
The state evacuation shelter is designed to safely house 3,500 evacuees and a special needs hospital and provides accommodations for 250 emergency workers. During hurricanes Gustav and Ike in 2008, four cooperating agencies with a total staff of 230 workers and 1,000 first responders were located at the shelter.
Call or come by and visit any of our research stations, extension offices, Grant Walker 4-H Educational Center or the Louisiana 4-H Museum at Mansura anytime. You are always welcome.
The LSU AgCenter and the LSU College of Agriculture