List of Topics:
Agricultural Educational Services/Program in Richland Parish
Family & Consumer Science Program Accomplishments4-H/Youth Development Agents
Soil Analysis: Soil sampling and analysis for all row crops, pastures, home and gardens.
Irrigation Water Analysis: Analysis for water used in irrigating crops.
Nematode Sampling: Analysis for nematodes in row crops. Make recommendation based on results.
Plant Disease, Weed ID, Insect ID: Identification of pests in-house or send to lab for identification and make control recommendations.
Forage Analysis: Forage sampling and analysis for pastures and hay. Identifying toxic substances such as nitrates and prussic acid and nutrient content for balancing rations.
Balancing Rations for Beef Cattle: Balance feed rations for cattle producers to insure proper nutrition and maximize gain.
Pesticide Recertification: Have parish meetings to recertify private applicators. Provide testing for those needing to acquire license.
Worker Protection Standard Meetings: Have parish meetings and individual contact to certify and recertify farm employees that handle pesticides.
Irrigation: Assist producers in determining optimum timing of irrigation on row crops.
Landowners/Producers Mitigation: Assist with crop and land mitigation in areas disturbed by pipelines, drilling or other activities that impact lands and/or crops.
Commodity Production Meetings: Host regional commodity production meetings held in Richland Parish including cotton, corn, soybean and rice.
Annual Recommendations: Send to agricultural producers each year variety, insect, disease and weed control recommendations through mail and e-mail.
Information Dissemination: Disseminate research based technical information through General Mailing List, E-mail distribution, newsletter, newspaper, news column, and television.
Commodity Demonstration Program: Corn varieties (2), cotton varieties (1), soybean varieties (1),
1 location of Rice Research Station on farm research locations.
On-Farm Trouble Shooting: Farm visits in response to calls for recommendations on soil, fertility, insect, disease and weed control, relating to major row crops, pastures, beef cattle and horses.
Parish Ag Statistics: Compile parish crop yield averages that are used by FSA, financial institutions and other farm related businesses. Complete weekly crop report for National Agriculture Statistics Service.
Aerial Application Fly-Ins: Coordinate the annual event in Rayville and assist with pattern testing.
Borrower Training Classes: Teach course to producers for FSA/FHA loans.
Gin Safety Meetings: Host two gin safety meetings each year though the Soutern Ginner's Association.
NRCS: Serve on Annual Equip Advisory group.
Farm Bureau: Serve as advisor to Farm Bureau Board of Directors.
Richland Cattleman’s Association: Serve as secretary of this group by handling day-to-day functions.
Northeast Louisiana Rice Growers’ Association: Serve as secretary by handling day-to-day functions.
North LA Ag Business Council: Serve on Board of Directors that plans and implements Ag Expo. Assist and address agriculture concerns in north Louisiana.
Northeast Louisiana Rice Field Day: Host and coordinate in Richland Parish.
Northeast Louisiana District Livestock Show: Show Director as well as most of parish staff involvement.
- Respond to homeowner’s calls with problems encompassing gardens, lawns, trees, shrubs, and ponds.
- Send quarterly “Horticulture Hints” educational material to interested mailing list.
- Work with local garden centers on fertilizers and pesticides to maintain for public.
Athletic Field/Golf Courses: Advice to local schools’ athletic fields and golf courses on field maintenance or problems that may arise.
Parish Homeland Security: County Agent is agriculture liaison and point of contact for agriculture damage assessment following disasters.
Ag Adventures: Coordinate this Ag education youth event held annually in Delhi.
Weekly Crop Report: Submit weekly reports on the status and conditions of crops including progress of planting, weather conditions, status of crops throughout growing season, as well as progress of harvest. This data is submitted to the USDA’s National Ag Statistic Service and is used extensively nationwide on the progress of crops which has implications on crop acres and yield estimates that impacts commodity markets.
Community & Resource Development
- Disaster Response Evaluation
: Conducted disaster response evaluations with various demographic and socio-economic groups to determine needs and areas of improvements for local disaster response. This information was conducted and compiled for FEMA.
Regional Leadership Class (LEAD 1): Leadership course for Richland Parish residents in March 2009 in areas of communication, building effective teams, meeting management, and parliamentary procedure, to help build better communities.
Bricks to Clicks Program: Implemented in 2009 to assist rural businesses, city halls, courthouses, etc. with wireless internet capabilities. LSU AgCenter provided technical expertise to install wireless internet at Rayville City Hall. The Rayville Civic Center is next to get wireless capabilities.
Agri-Tourism: CRD Team advising local Christmas tree farm to expand into an agriculture educational experience for youth and other tour groups. The farm now includes a corn maze, pumpkin patch, haystack climbing, corn boxes, horse-a-round, and duck races.
Fire Hydrant Mapping Project: Worked with fire districts and towns to get GPS coordinates on all fire hydrants in the parish and producer maps parish wide as well as for each fire district.
Collaborates with the following agencies to deliver education programs:
- Office of Family Support
- Office of Community Services
- District Court System
- Richland Parish School System
- Early Childhood Supports & Services
- Council on Aging
- Sheriff’s Department
- Richland Detention Center
- Health Unit
- Head Start
- Healthy Start ABC
- Enrolled 40 families in The Little Bookshelf grant. Parents of newborns will receive one storybook per month.
- Distributed 12+ storybooks and literacy fact sheets to 90 parents of newborns.
Presented Basic Parenting and Parenting of Adolescents programs for parents whose children had accumulated excessive absences. Parents had the option of attending parenting to avoid a court appearance.
Presented monthly Advance Life Skills programs to eighth grade students at Mangham Junior High. Topics include:
- Never Shake a Baby: Preventing Infant Abuse
- And They Lived Happily Ever After: Dating and Marriage
- Love is Not Abuse – Dating Violence
- The Dietary Guidelines nutrition program
- My Pyramid nutrition program
- An Ounce of Prevention – proper handwashing techniques, prevention of disease
- Money Values: How We Make Decisions About Money
- Saving Money
- How Teens Earn Money
Presented parent meetings at Mangham Elementary, Delhi Elementary, and Delhi Middle School.
Distributed educational fact sheets to 500 elderly residents at the Food for Seniors distribution sites.
Presented monthly parent education programs to female inmates at the Richland Detention Center.
Created a farm animal's character education puppet show and presented to 400 first graders at Ag Alley.
Presented Character Critters program to Head Start teachers and provided 1500 Critters story books to students.
Served on the Core Competencies task force for the Louisiana Parenting Educators Network.
Presented a series of parenting lessons to OCS client so she could regain custody of her children.
Presented Creating a Safe Home to Council on Aging clients.
Mails Living Well newsletter to 167 homemakers.
Distributed Salvaging Water-damaged Belongings and Avoiding Mold Hazards fact sheets to families impacted by flooding.
Presented 15 child development training sessions to Early Head Start teachers.
Collaborative Nutrition Efforts
Presenting Healthy Happy Me nutrition program to Head Start students.
Enrolls 150 families for monthly EFNEP nutrition programs.
Presented nutrition programs and provided fact sheets to mental health clients.
Participated in Delhi, Mangham, and Rayville Health Fairs and Senior Day at the Lake.
Presented nutrition educational programs at Ag Alley, Ag Expo, and Ag Adventures.
Distributed nutrition fact sheets and recipes to commodity and Food for Senior's recipients.
Sponsored Summer Day Camp in coordination with the 21st Century program and the Summer Recreation Program at Delhi Middle School. A second summer day camp was held at the Eugene Street Center in Rayville.
Presented Family Nutrition Night for Head Start families.
Presents monthly nutrition lessons and samples of healthy recipes to 150 families.
Lesson topics include:
- Dietary Guideline
- My Pyramid
- Nutrition Facts Label
- Eat & Exercise for Good Health
- Healthy Heart
- Fruits, Vegetables & Grains
- Food Safety
- Protein Selections
- Dairy & Calcium
- Eating on the Go
- Thrifty Choices
Presents nutrition lessons on a monthly basis to Delhi Middle School students.
Presents nutrition lessons three times a year to students in PE classes at Delhi Elementary.
Presents nutrition lessons on a monthly basis to Mangham Junior high students.
Youth lessons topics include:
- Healthy Choices
- MyPyramid: Eating the Healthy Way
- Check out the Nutrition Facts Label
- Fat, Cholesterol, Sugar & Salt
- Fascinating Facts about the Dairy & Meat Groups
- Wake Up to a Health Start
- Fruits & Vegetables
- Daily Physical Activity
Presented the Pyramid Bing at the Delhi Back to School event sponsored by Police Jury member, Jesse Washington, and Healthy Start ABC.
4-H Agents conducts monthly club meetings in all public schools (12 clubs), Riverfield Academy (2 clubs), Delhi Charter (2 clubs) and Home School (1 club).
Members: 694 total members 548 traditional members 146 EFNEP members
Volunteers: Nineteen (19) adult volunteers serve as organizational leaders. Their job description includes: organizing the 4-H Club membership at the beginning of the school year; coordinating the election of club officers by October; meeting with officers monthly to plan club meeting agenda; informing school administrators of club activities; completing all required forms and reports and submitting them to the 4-H office; supervising distribution of flyers and making announcements to facilitate membership participation.
– oversees the financial state of the Richland Parish 4-H.
Junior Leader Club – Youth in grades 7-12 are encouraged to participate in the Junior Leader Club. The primary purpose of the club is to help the members become self directing, productive, and contributing members of society, while providing leadership in projects and other 4-H activities throughout the parish. The 2009-2010 Jr. Leader Club has 26 members enrolled.
– 4-H Agent conducts officer training at each club’s convenience. President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Reporter receive officer booklets to help organize and run the meetings.
Leader Training – All 4-H leaders are invited to attend Area Leader Training in September. The training is held in Rayville and gives leaders ideas and resources to increase effectiveness in working with 4-H youth.
) Camping offers opportunities for boys and girls to learn to appreciate the outdoors, live together as a group, get along with others and appreciate people with different interests and backgrounds. Forty-three youth attended in 2010.
TEAM Camp (grades 7-8) TEAM camp is a unique camping experience that leads youth through awesome team-building activities and exhilarating games. In the process, youth improve communication and leadership skills, practice teamwork and make memories to last a lifetime! Ten youth attended in 2010.
Junior Leadership Camp (grades 9-11) The 4-H Junior Leadership Conference provides the opportunity for diverse groups of youth who are currently engaged in significant leadership and /or service learning activities to come together while further learning and developing their leadership and teamwork skills. The educational objective of the Junior Leadership Conference is to increase the leadership skills and knowledge of youth across Louisiana. Two youth attended in 2010.
Co-Op Leadership Conference - A spring weekend conference for 8th - 12th graders to learn the cooperative form of business and to enhance leadership, teamwork and communication skills through fun workshops and activities.
4-H U - A three day event for 13 to 19-year-olds held at LSU in Baton Rouge and includes competition for trips and prizes, educational activities and personal development sessions, as well as the election of state 4-H officers and area representatives. Eight youth attended in 2010.
All contests are designed for the education and enhancement of 4-H Club members.
– The Catfish, Beef, and Corn contests were held at Delhi Elementary School with 20 dishes entered. The Sweet Potato, Egg, Rice and Chicken contests were held at Mangham Elementary with 43 dishes entered. The contests are sponsored by business and industry from the individual commodities to teach youth about locally grown foods. First place winners represent Richland Parish at the Area contest held in the spring.
Great Pumpkin Contest – Sponsored by Richland State Bank, 35 youth entered by obtaining seeds and a project book from the 4-H office. Eight youth brought pumpkins to the contest where they were weighed and auctioned to local businesses. The contest teaches youth horticulture principals, record keeping and that hard work is rewarded. Over $1,000 was awarded to youth who successfully grew pumpkins.
– Sponsored by the Louisiana Cattleman’s Association. Twenty-five youth submitted posters for last year’s contest. Parish winners are sent to state where the winning posters win a monetary prize as well as have their posters made into calendars.
Dairy Billboard Contest – Co-sponsors are the Louisiana Dairy Industry Promotion Board, Louisiana Dairy Products Association and the Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service. Parish winners are sent to state where the winning posters win a monetary prize as well as have their posters made into billboards. Twenty-two youth entered the contest last year.
Christmas Cards – The Christmas Card Contest is also a community service project. Youth are encouraged to make Christmas cards that relate to the theme (2009 theme: A White Christmas). First Place winners in Jr. and Sr. Divisions receive a 4-H t-shirt. Cards entered are given to nursing homes for distribution to residents. Three hundred fifty Christmas Cards were entered.
Bicycle Rodeo - Held during Achievement Day. Each Jr. 4-H Club may send two girls and two boys to compete in the contest. Preliminary bicycle rodeos are held at schools requesting them to determine which youth participate. Skill events include the witch’s board, the slow ride and the cones.
Pet Show – The Pet show is held each year in October. It is sponsored by the Richland Parish Kiwanis Club. Twenty-eight youth entered 25 pets in the contest. This is a fun activity that emphasizes responsible pet ownership instead of registered “blue blood” animals.
Achievement Day – Achievement day is held in Rayville for Jr. 4-H Clubs. In order to qualify to attend, youth must complete and submit for competition at least one project book. 4-H’ers may enter contests held that day that include: photography, child development, demonstrations and the bicycle rodeo. Youth who do not wish to compete rotate through educational activities that are delivered by Richland Jr. Leaders and LSU AgCenter staff. In the afternoon youth are recognized for achievements completed throughout the year. The 2009 4-H Achievement Day was attended by 152 youth and 14 parents and leaders.
Ag Adventures - The Fourth Annual Delhi Ag Adventures was held Feb. 23-24, 2010, in Delhi. Third and fourth graders from six surrounding parishes came to the Delhi Civic Center and show grounds to learn more about rice, sweet potato production, horses and livestock. Four hundred sixty seven youth from Richland Parish schools viewed the hands-on exhibits which were developed and presented by LSU AgCenter agents, researchers and specialists.
- 4-H Agent, Joanna Strong, presents lessons on life science once a month at Mangham Jr. High School reaching a targeted audience of 65, 7th
Community Service/Service Learning - Service-learning combines service objectives with learning objectives with the intent that the activity change both the recipient and the provider of the service. This is accomplished by combining service tasks with structured opportunities that link the task to self-reflection, self-discovery, and content. Each club is encouraged to develop and carry out a Service Learning project at the school level. Richland 4-H has for the past 11 plus years, conducted a food drive in conjunction with lessons about nutrition education and hunger, both locally and globally. Food collected goes to the local food bank, Care & Share. Each year 4-H is recognized as the largest donor to the food bank.
One purpose of the 4-H Livestock and Horse program is to teach youth how to feed, fit, and show their animals. There is, however, a more important purpose of this program. It is to provide young people an opportunity for personal growth and development.
Parish Chair/County Agent
4-H Youth Development
Family & Consumer Science
Please visit the Richland Parish Web site: www.lsuagcenter.com/richland