Friday, July 26

Southern University Child Development Center set to hold an Enrollment Fair


Event Flyer


Baton Rouge, La. – The Southern University Child Development Laboratory (Center) will hold an Enrollment Fair for the 2019-2020 school year on Saturday, August 3 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. at its facility located on E. Street on the Southern University Baton Rouge campus.

Parents interested in enrolling their children at the laboratory can do so during the enrollment fair by bringing the child’s birth certificate; social security and insurance cards; and updated immunization, physical (well child exam), and dental records (if applicable).

Applications will be available to be picked up from the Laboratory on July 29.

The Laboratory, which will open August 12, is accepting children six weeks to 4 years old. It will operate from 7:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. with before and aftercare available from 6:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. for an additional fee.

To obtain an application or for additional information, call 225-771-2081 or email suchdvlab@subr.edu.



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Thursday, July 25

SU Ag Center Plants its First Medical Marijuana Seeds



Baton Rouge, La. – The Southern University Ag Center planted the first seeds for its medical marijuana program on Tuesday, July 23 at the Center’s cultivation facility in Baker, La.

Representatives from the Ag Center; Ilera Holistic Healthcare, the Center’s medical marijuana cultivator; and administrators from the Southern University System were present for the planting.

The Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry granted final clearance to the Ag Center after conducting a walkthrough of the facility.

The Ag Center plans to have product available soon.

The partnership with Ilera Holistic will also provide academic and research opportunities for the campus with it being slated to receive more than $6 million over the next five years from the vendor.




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Wednesday, July 17

SU Ag Center set to host 2019 Morehouse Parish Field Day



Baton Rouge, La. – The Southern University Ag Center, in conjunction with the LSU AgCenter and the Morehouse Black Farmers and Landowners Association, will hold its 2019 Morehouse Parish Field Day on July 19 at Hills Farm, located at 13944 Horace Hill, in Bonita, LA.

The event will include tours of corn and soybean fields, information on herbicides and nematodes and a special presentation on Hemp.

Natalie Baszile, author of the novel turned television series QueenSugar, will be a guest speaker alongside Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner, Dr. Mike Strain, during the event.

For additional information about the Morehouse Parish Field Day, contact Odis Hill at 318-237-3517.


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Wednesday, July 10

Weather Alert



Baton Rouge, La. – Due to the threat of severe weather in the area, all Southern University campuses in Baton Rouge will be closed on Friday, July 12. More updates will be posted on http://suagcenter.com/ and official social media platforms.


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Monday, July 8

SU Ag Center’s Vice Chancellor for Research serves as a Panelist for a National Agricultural Development Association

Seated from left are Drs. Deacue Fields, a SU alum and the Dean of Dale Bumper College's Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences at The University of Arkansas; Andra Johnson, Vice Chancellor for Research and Technology Development at the SU Ag Center; and Bill Richardson, the Vice President for Agriculture and Dean of the College of Agriculture at LSU.


Baton Rouge, La. – Dr. Andra Johnson, Vice Chancellor for Research and Technology Development at the SU Ag Center, participated in a panel discussion along with Drs. Deacue Fields, who is a graduate of the SU College of Agricultural, Family and Consumer Sciences and Dean of Dale Bumper College’s Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences at The University of Arkansas, and Bill Richardson, the Vice President for Agriculture and Dean of the College of Agriculture at Louisiana State University, at the 2019 National Agricultural Alumni & Development Association (NAADA) Conference held in Baton Rouge, La. on June 13, 2019.

The panelists discussed strategies and ideas for diversifying revenue streams and keeping the land-grant mission relevant in the midst of budget cuts, enrollment challenges, and stakeholder needs.

NAADA's mission is to provide education, support, and recognition for professionals and volunteers dedicated to expanding resources for advancing agriculture and related disciplines through land-grant and other colleges of agricultural sciences and partner programs.


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Wednesday, July 3

SU College of Ag holds a Successful BAYOU Program

The SU College of Agriculture's 2019 BAYOU Program was held on the Southern University campus from June 2 - June 21, 2019. The program is designed to provide high school seniors and incoming college freshman with first-hand knowledge about career opportunities in the field of Agriculture.


Baton Rouge, La. – The Southern University College of Agricultural, Family and Consumer Sciences hosted 26 high school seniors and incoming college freshman for three weeks during the college’s annual Beginning Agricultural Youth Opportunities Unlimited (BAYOU) Program.

The program provides an opportunity for students to gain first-hand knowledge about career opportunities in Agriculture, Family and Consumer Sciences, Business or the natural sciences.

The students also participate in educational field trips during the program.  One of those field trips was to the De Soto National Forest in Wiggins, MS, where the students were introduced to conservation efforts, wildfire work, and protection of endangered species. Calvin Adams, Felton DeRouen and Drs. Harold Mellieon, Jr., Kamran Abdollahi, and Chris Chappell accompanied the students on the trip.

During the program’s closing ceremony on June 21, every student presented their summer experience from the respective academic areas of Apparel Merchandising and Textiles, Agriculture Economics, Animal Science and Pre-Vet Medicine, Child Development, Human Nutrition and Food, Plant and Soil Sciences and Urban Forestry.

“I didn’t know what to expect from the program, in the beginning, but when I moved into the dorm and met my suitemates, it felt like a home away from home,” said Tayla Williams, a BAYOU participant from New Orleans, LA and an incoming freshman at Southern University. “I really enjoyed visiting the different departments in the College of Agricultural, Family and Consumer Sciences and I was glad that I was able to clarify exactly what I want to do in the Department of Animal Sciences,” she added.

Tayla was excited to explain the hands-on experience she gained during the program such as how to palpate a cow and figure out where the baby is inside the animal, draw blood from a goat out of its neck, and how to stop huff rot in a goat.

To qualify for the BAYOU program, students had to have a minimum grade point average of 2.5 and complete 11th grade. The students live in the dormitories on the Southern University Baton Rouge campus and are permitted to go home on the weekends.

The 2019 BAYOU coordinators were Allison Johnson, the United States Department of Agriculture’s 1890 Program Liaison; Harold Mellieon, Jr., Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Agricultural Science and Program Leader of Animal Science, and Tiffany Wilkerson-Franklin, Ph.D., Associate Youth  Specialist at the SU Ag Center.

Sponsors for this year’s program included the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Forest Service (FS) the Louisiana Chapter of Professional Black NRCS Employees, LA STEAM, and Southern University’s TrueBlue.

For additional information about the BAYOU Program, visit https://bit.ly/2RmLdQo.

Photos from the program's closing ceremony are available here

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SU College of Ag Chair Renita Marshall and student Kendrys Dalton participate in the Office of Public Health’s Pre-MAPP Workshop

Standing from left, Southern University Animal Science major Keandrys Dalton and Renita Marshall, Ph.D., Chair of  SU's Department of Agricultural Sciences, pose with the certificates they received at the conclusion of the Louisiana Office of Public Health's SHIP to SHORE 2019 Pre-Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships Workshop on June 20.


Baton Rouge, La. – Renita Marshall, Ph.D., Director of the Southern University Institute for One Health One Medicine and Department Chair of Southern University’s Department of Agricultural Sciences and Keandrys Dalton, a senior Southern University student majoring in Animal Science, attended the SHIP to SHORE 2019 Pre-Mobilizing for Action through Planning & Partnerships (MAPP) Workshop in Laplace, LA on June 20, 2019. The workshop was sponsored by Region 3 of the Louisiana Office of Public Health.
In this fast-paced training, participants experienced key elements of a local MAPP process. MAPP is intended for adaptation into various business, civic, and social sectors that influence our local culture of health.
The workshop was designed to benefit community influencers who interact with employees, clients, students, patients, volunteers, and citizen stakeholders. Attendees gained skills that engage local people in planning and action during the upcoming 2020-2025 state health improvement plan (SHIP). The Southern University Ag Center and the Southern University Institute for One Health One Medicine are now Strategic Partners with the Louisiana Office of Public Health-Region 3.

College of Ag Professor Kamran Abdollahi selected as the next Chair of the state’s Society of American Foresters


Kamran Abdollahi, Ph.D., has been selected as the next chair of the Louisiana Society of American Foresters

Baton Rouge, La. – Kamran Abdollahi, Ph.D., Professor and Program Leader for Urban Forestry and Natural Resources in the Southern University College of Agricultural, Family and Consumer Sciences and the Agricultural Research and Extension Center, has been selected as the next State Chair for the Louisiana Society of American Foresters (SAF). Last year, Dr. Abdollahi received the prestigious award by the SAF and was inducted into the Forestry Hall of Fame as a National Fellow. 
The SAF is the national scientific and educational organization representing the forestry profession in the United States. The mission of SAF is to advance the science, education, technology, and practice of forestry; to enhance the competency of its members; establish professional excellence; and to use the knowledge, skills, and conservation ethic of the profession to ensure the continued health and use of forest ecosystems and the present and future availability of forest resources to benefit society.

The Society of American Foresters accredits 101 programs of study at 48 universities to offer specialized forestry education to their students.  In addition, 26 programs of study at 25 institutions are recognized by SAF to offer two-year associates' degrees.  

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SU Ag Center and College of Ag to hold Memorial Service for retired professor James McNitt



Baton Rouge, La. – The Southern University Ag Center and the College of Agricultural, Family and Consumer Sciences will hold a memorial service for retired Animal Science Professor, Dr. James McNitt, on July 16 at 2 p.m. in room 313 of T.T. Allain Hall on the Southern University campus.

Dr. McNitt taught at Southern University for 25 years before retiring in 2009. He was affectionately known as the “chicken and rabbit” professor. 

He passed away on May 22, 2019, in Baker, LA with his family by his side.

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