Southern University Ag Center and College of Agriculture: April 2019

Wednesday, April 10

SU Ag Center set to host its Annual Spring Garden Workshop on April 24

Event Flower

Baton Rouge, La. – The Southern University Ag Center’s Wisteria Alliance Program - in partnership with the Flower Lovers’ Garden Guild and the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Program - will host the 3^rd Annual Spring Garden Workshop on April 24 at the Maurice A. Edmond Livestock Arena, 14600 Scenic Hwy., Baton Rouge, LA 70807.

Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. with the conference opening at 9 a.m.

The free workshop will include interactive sessions and demonstrations on:

· Cut Flower Production

· Hibiscus Production

· Creating an Edible Landscape

· House Plant Health

· Constructing a Raised Bed

· Rain Barrel Construction

· Urban Chicken Breeds

· Food Safety Tips

This conference is the ideal event for gardens, flower lovers and urban agriculturalists.

The Wisteria Alliance Program prepares women to own and operate their own farms and other agricultural based businesses. It began in 2012 as a pilot program aimed at providing practical, hands-on training for women who live on farms, and those whose interest lie in starting a farm, and/or urban or community garden.

The Flower Lovers’ Garden Guild begin on November 20, 1953 with a group of women gathering to organize a club that would enable them to learn more about flowers, to exchange ideas about their culture and to fellowship. In March 1954, the women decided to call the club the “Town and Country Garden Club.” In October 1956, the name of the club was changed to the “Flower Lovers’ Garden Guild.” Its focus is the beautification of the community and homes with flowers and plants.

For additional information, visit www.suagcenter.com or email zanetta_augustine@suagcenter.com.

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SU Ag Center teaches individuals how to be heart healthy during 4th Personal Health History Workshop

Cardiologist Jay Hollmen, MD, MA, discusses the warning signs of a heart attack in men and women during the 4th Personal Health History Workshop held on April 5. The event was hosted by the SU Ag Center's Family and Human Development Unit.

Baton Rouge, La. – Nearly 90 individuals learned how to remain heart healthy during the Southern University Ag Center’s 4^th Personal Health History Workshop on April 5.

The event was hosted by the Center’s Family and Human Development Unit in the Smith-Brown Memorial Student Union on the campus of Southern University.

During the workshop, Baton Rouge area cardiologist Dr. Jay Hollman, discussed the warning signs of a heart attack in men and women and Nena Verrett-Gipson, the Coordinator of Fitness/ Wellness at Southern University demonstrated exercises to help your heart remain healthy.

The workshop also included sessions on Power of Attorney and Living Wills, the harmful effects of tobacco, understanding your child’s personal health, eating for a healthy heart, healthy tactics for personal safety and security, mental health and well-being and Medicaid and Medicare.

“We also provided the participants with personal health history journals to assist them in keeping track of their health conditions, medications, treatments and any past medical procedures they may have had,” said Delores Johnson, event organizer and Parent Educator at the SU Ag Center. “This information is often asked for by medical professionals when being admitted to the emergency room or seeing a doctor for the first time,” added Johnson.

This is the fourth personal health history workshop hosted by the Family and Human Development Unit. The previous workshops focused on bone and joint health, developing a health journal to keep track of an individual’s person health history, proper foot care, how blood pressure and blood sugar levels respond to dietary factors, and low impact exercises.

For additional information about the personal health history workshop series or the SU Ag Center’s Family and Human Development Unit, contact Delores Johnson at 225-771-3704 or Milissia John-Baptiste Cole at 225-771-2583.

Photos from the workshop are available here.

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SU Ag Center honors three during Louisiana Living Legends Banquet

Standing from left are Dr. Andra Johnson, SU Ag Center Vice Chancellor for Research; Terrence Marshall, honoree for the area of Extension; Dr. Gary Simon, honoree for the area of Teaching; Dr. Calvin Reuben Walker, Interim Chancellor-Dean of the SU Ag Center and the College of Agricultural, Family and Consumer Sciences and honoree for the area of Research; and Dr. Dawn Mellion-Patin, SU Ag Center Vice Chancellor for Extension.

Baton Rouge, La. – The Louisiana Living Legends Banquet was held on the evening of March 15 in the Felton G. Clark Activity Center on Southern University’s campus. The annual banquet is held as a part of the Louisiana Small Farmer Conference and honors individuals who have made significant contributions to Southern University in the areas of teaching, research, and extension.

Alisa Welsh, Principal of Madison Preparatory Academy, served as the keynote speaker for the banquet.

The 2019 honorees were Dr. Gary C. Simon, Southern University Veterinarian and Professor of Animal Science (Teaching); Dr. Calvin Reuben Walker, Interim Chancellor-Dean of the Southern University Ag Center and the College of Agricultural, Family, and Consumer Sciences (Research); and Terrence S. Marshall, retired County Agent for the Southern University Ag Center (Extension).

The legends are nominated by the faculty and staff of the SU Ag Center and the College of Agricultural, Family and Consumer Sciences and selected by a vote of members on the Louisiana Small Farmer Conference committee. Nominations are open to anyone in the agricultural and food sciences with ties to Southern University, not just alums.

The banquet was created in 2005 by Dawn Mellion-Patin, Ph.D., Vice Chancellor for Extension and Zanetta Augustine, Extension Associate, both with the SU Ag Center. To date, 30 individuals have been honored with this recognition.

Photos from the banquet are available here.

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SU Ag Center and College of Ag teach students the importance of Agriculture during National Ag Day

Youth touch a rooster during the Southern University Ag Center and College of Agriculture's National Ag Day celebration on March 26. The event was held on the lawn of the Mayberry Dining Hall and the Southern University Event Center.

Baton Rouge, La. – More than 1,600 elementary, middle and high school students learned how agriculture impacts their daily lives during the Southern University Ag Center’s National Ag Day.

The event was held on March 26 on the lawn of Mayberry Dining Hall and the Southern University Event Center.

During the “Agricultural Block Party,” students toured several exhibits, which included live animal and food demonstrations, technology, horticulture, and family and consumer sciences.

"Each year, the Southern University Ag Center and the College of Agricultural, Family and Consumer Sciences celebrates National Ag Day to teach students where their food comes from and to allow the students to journey through agriculture by gaining innovative hands-on learning experiences that they will never forget," said Dr. Renita Marshall, event organizer and chair of the department of agricultural sciences in Southern University's College of Agriculture.

National Ag Day, which was recognized on March 14, is a nationwide effort to tell the true story of American agriculture and remind citizens that agriculture is a part of everyday life from the food we eat, to the clothes we wear, and the fuel that powers our vehicles. The SU Ag Center held their celebration on March 26 due to a scheduling conflict on March 14.

Photos from the event are available here.

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Thursday, April 4

SU College of Agriculture holds Annual Awards & Recognition Banquet

Several members of the 2019 Blue and Gold Student Awards and Recognition Banquet Committee posed for a photo with the banquets speaker, Dr. Ron Jackson, in the Cotillion Ballroom of the Smith-Brown Memorial Student Union on March 21.

Baton Rouge, La. – Southern University students enrolled in the College of Agricultural, Family and Consumer Sciences with a 3.0 or higher grade point average were honored during the College’s Annual Awards and Recognition Banquet on Thursday, March 21.

The event, which was themed “Building Excellence: A Lifetime of Harvest,” was held at 6 p.m. in the Cotillion Ballroom of the Smith-Brown Memorial Student Union on Southern University’s campus.

Students who participated in internship and received scholarships for the Fall 2018 – Spring 2019 academic year were also recognized during the banquet.

Ron Jackson, Ph.D., Chief Learning Officer, was the keynote speaker for the event.

The banquet is held annually to recognize the College’s honor students, scholarship recipients and highlight student research efforts and student clubs and organizations.

The evening was chaired by Renita Marshall, Kenyetta Nelson-Smith, and Zhu Ning. Their committee members included Yaw Twumasi, Meguna Johnson, Alice Dyson, Mila Berhane, Keisha Ceasar, D’Andre Lee, LaKeeshia Giddens Lusk, Angela Phelps, Jacqueline Dixon, Calvin Walker, Yadong Qi, Harold Mellieon, Patricia Meyinsse, Cheryl Atkinson, Gary Simon and Allison Johnson.

Photos from the event are available here.

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SU Ag Center set for 46th Annual Jaguar Trail Ride

Event Flyer

The Southern University Ag Center, along with the It’s All About Us Trail Ride Association, will host the 46^th Annual Jaguar Trail Ride from April 12-13 at the M. A. Edmond Livestock Arena, 1400 Scenic Hwy., in Baton Rouge, La.

Gates will open at 12 p.m. on April 12 with roping, breakaway, and tie-down activities occurring throughout the day.

On April 13, the gates will open at 6 a.m. with barrel racing events starting at 9 a.m., the trail ride departing at 1 p.m., club recognitions at 4 p.m. and a concert featuring Lil Nate and the Zydeco Big Timers beginning at 7 p.m.

Cash, as well as other prizes, will be given to the winners of the events.

Admission into the trail ride is $15 a day or $20 for the entire weekend. Tickets will only be available at the gate on the days of the event.

Horse stall rentals are available for $10 a day.

For information on participant registration, contact Ms. Meguna Johnson at 225-771-3510, 225-229-5797 or Dr. C. Rueben Walker at 337-344-8634. The deadline for participants to register is April 10.

A portion of the funds raised during the Trail Ride will benefit scholarships to students in the Department of Animal Science at Southern University.

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