(02/11/22) WEST MONROE, La. — The spirit was there, but the number of people who normally attend Ag Alley and Ag Expo in West Monroe to kick off ag events in northeast Louisiana each year, just couldn’t be found.

This is the first year to have Ag Expo since the pandemic shut everything down in 2020. And LSU AgCenter agents like Bruce Garner and others in the northeast region were concerned that kids wouldn’t be able to attend Ag Alley this year.

Each year, two days before the annual Ag Expo at the Ike Hamilton Expo Center in West Monroe, students from throughout the region come for their field trip to learn about agriculture.

Garner said the prospect of having the young kids come as in former years just didn’t seem too likely from the beginning of their planning.

“We started making calls to teachers in the fall to see if they would be doing field trips in the spring,” he said. “And sure enough, the answer was 'no' they didn’t think they would be taking field trips in the spring due to the pandemic’s surge.”

Garner said the call was made in October that there would not be an Ag Alley this year for the kids.

“But that’s when the agents and staff began working on a plan B,” he said. “So we decided that we could put something together for the adults and the kids.”

AgCenter regional director Melissa Cater said they adapted to the situation and provided educational programming.

“Instead of having the schools in two days before the expo, we put together 38 presentations and brought Ag Alley to the two days of Ag Expo for the adults and children,” she said.

In past years, Ag Alley would showcase informational booths on agriculture, nutrition and health, and 4-H youth development programs as well as interactive exhibits such as the Germ Cave and 4-H mini-farm.

Garner said on a normal year, there would be 2,000 people in attendance on Friday afternoon. But this year, he said there were only about 600.

“On the Saturday of Ag Expo you could expect around 4,000 people, but at noon this year, there were only about 1,000,” he said. “People just stayed home. And I can’t blame them with Covid and everything that’s going on.”

Even in the midst of a pandemic, Ag Alley continues to bring agriculture to life with informative presentations about how food and other agricultural products are made.

Cater said they normally see about 1,000 kids at Ag Alley each January. But even with the decreased attendance it was just good to get back out with some ag awareness programming.

Bethany Corona, LSU AgCenter 4-H Agent in Richland Parish, is doing an activity at the 4-H and Nutrition booth with children attending the LSU AgCenter’s Ag Alley at Ag Expo recently in West Monroe. Photo by Camryn Price/LSU AgCenter

Lekeisha Lucas-Powell, LSU AgCenter 4-H Agent in East Carrol Parish, helps children hold chicks at the petting farm at the LSU AgCenter’s Ag Alley at Ag Expo recently in West Monroe. Photo by Camryn Price/LSU AgCenter

Ag Expo participants holding baby chicks at the petting farm at the LSU AgCenter’s Ag Alley recently in West Monroe. Photo by Camryn Price/LSU AgCenter