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| St. Helena Parish Ag Day participants walk down the rows of vegetable plants on Warner Hall's farm in Greensburg, La. |
Baton Rouge, La. – The Southern University and LSU Ag
Centers held their annual St. Helena Parish Ag Day on June 15 at the Fifth Ward
Recreation Center in Amite, La.
Burnell Muse, SU Ag Center Agriculture and Natural Resources
Extension Agent, and Dawn Mellion-Patin, Ph.D., SU Ag Center’s Vice Chancellor
for Extension and Outreach, welcomed the nearly 90 youth and adults attending
the event before the group left the center to tour several farms.
The group visited the vegetable farms of Warner
Hall and Jerry Hall, both in Greensburg, La. During the visits, both producers
talked to the group about the farming methods they used to grow their vegetables.
Both producers also emphasized the use of pollinator plants in their gardens to
attract bees that help to pollinate their vegetable plants.
The group also toured St. Helena College and
Career Academy’s school garden.
“This event is being held so farmers can
showcase the activities on their farms and for the kids to see what actually
happens on a farm, where their food comes from and the process involved in
growing food,” said Muse.
The 65 youth in attendance participated in a
plant propagation demonstration which was facilitated by SU Ag Center staff
members Mila Berhane and Stephanie Elwood.
Jay Meadows with the Louisiana Department of Ag
and Forestry also spoke to the youth about forestry fire protection.
The adults participated in a produce safety/Gap
Certification training conducted by SU Ag Center’s Fatemeh Malekian, Ph.D. and
Emily King.
Kimberly Knighten with United Health Care also
facilitated a health and wellness workshop.
Muse said the two Ag Center’s incorporated
health on the farm into the program this year after noticing that several older
farmers were in poor health.
“We want to start conditioning young farmers early
in life to protect their plants, but also to protect their bodies,” said Muse.
Dennis Ware, with the USDA’s Natural Resources
Conservation Service; Patrick Babineaux, with the Farm Service Agency, the St.
Helena Cattle Company and Tri-Parish Community Farmers also spoke to the group.
For more information about agricultural
programs and services in St. Helena Parish, contact Burnell Muse at 225-222-4136.
Photos from the St. Helena Parish Ag Day are available here.
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