Ag Institute opens for new applicants

Applications are now being accepted for the Small Farmer Agricultural Leadership Institute. The Institute is a two-year course of study specifically designed to guide small, socially disadvantaged, limited resource, or minority farmers through the transformative process of becoming successful agricultural entrepreneurs. 

The deadline to apply is September 1. 

For more information, visit www.aginstitute.suagcenter.com or contact Dawn Mellion Patin,Ph.D., MBA, agricultural speciaist and Institute project director, at (225) 771-2242 ext. 201 or dawn_mellion@suagcenter.com

Back to School Summit to encourage teens to 'Change the World'

"It's Back-to-School Summit time again and we expect this year to be one of the best ones yet," said Edna Lastrapes, assistant area agent for the Southern University Ag Center.

This year, the summit takes on the

 theme "Knowledge is Power: Change the World," encouraging nearly 2,300 eighth graders from St. Landry, Evangeline, St. Martin, and Pointe Coupee parishes to change their clothes, change the channel, change the minds, change their direction, change their attitude, and change the world.

The summit will bring together music, drama, humor and inspiring speakers to help the preteens and teens make healthy choices and to choose abstinence until marriage as the healthiest lifestyle. Each summit is a full day of activities from 8 am to 2 pm on Friday, August 21, 2009, in Opelousas; and from 8:30 am - 2:00 pm Friday, August 28, 2009, in Ville Platte; Thursday, September 3, 2009, in Cade and Friday, September 11, 2009 in New Roads.

All programmatic areas of the Ag Center will be on display at each summit.

The summit is an annual collaboration between the Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center- through its Southwest Center for Rural Initiatives and 40 other nonprofit organizations, state agencies, local municipal governments, and businesses.

For more information, contact the Southwest Center for Rural Initiatives at (337) 943-2410 or email Edna Lastrapes at Edna_lastrapes@suagcenter.com.

We're on Facebook

Southern University Ag Center invites you to become a fan of the Southern University Ag Center's Facebook Page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Baton-Rouge-LA/Southern-University-Ag-Center/67357504781.

SU Ag Center helps 10 become Master Cattlemen

Eleven farmers from five parishes completed the 10-week Master Cattleman program organized by Glenn Dixon, Southern University Ag Center agent, East and West Carroll parishes. 

Master Cattlemen classes help aspiring cattlemen and current producers learn best management practices for producing high quality beef in an environmentally beneficial way. 

The course was conducted via distance learning in collaboration with the LSU AgCenter. 

Participants represented West Carroll, Richland, Morehouse, Ouachita, and Franklin parishes. For more on the program contact Dixon at 318-559-0060 or 318-428-3571 or  glenn_dixon@suagcenter.com.