Food & Nutrition/Expanded Food & Nutrition (EFNEP)
In an effort to serve our community through nutrition education and assist in creating a healthier Iberville Parish, the LSU AgCenter offers several community nutrition programs that help to improve the quality of life for individuals and families. Our programs are designed to educate participants about the importance of nutrition and developing healthy eating habits. Our programs include The Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP), Smart Bodies, and Take Charge of Your Health. EFNEP is part of a national nutrition education outreach program. The mission of EFNEP is to empower limited-income families with young children to make informed decisions about food purchasing, food safety and meal management. EFNEP is delivered through a series of eight lessons taught by nutrition educators. Nutrition classes are also conducted at the Councils on Aging using the Take Charge of Your Health curriculum. We work in conjunction with Iberville Parish schools to offer our Smart Bodies program, which aims to decrease childhood obesity. We also partner with community food banks to teach food recipients how to cook healthful meals with the items given in their food baskets. In partnership with community agencies and churches, we participate in community outreach by teaching nutrition at health fairs.
4-H Youth Development
With the help of more than 40 dedicated volunteers, the Iberville Parish 4-H Youth Development and 4-H Cloverbuds programs foster life-skill development in local youth. This year, 372 Iberville Parish youth enrolled in 12 traditional 4-H clubs. 725 K through third-graders enrolled the 4-H Cloverbuds Program at five Head Start locations and five lower elementary schools. The Iberville Parish Youth Development Program provides diverse opportunities for youth and adult volunteers to make a difference in their lives and that of their communities. Young people acquire valuable knowledge and life skills through participation in local, parish, state and national programs. 4-H offers various opportunities for youth and family participation, including 4-H after-school workshops, overnight camps, livestock shows, contests and service-learning projects. Iberville Parish 4-H workshops and events include the following: Science Ba-YOU Environmental Program, Louisiana Chef Science Program, Art Extravaganza & Photography Contest, 4-H Fall Carnival, Parish Livestock Shows, Jr. Leadership Club Guest Speaker Series and Gardening Funshops.
Agriculture & Natural Resources
Iberville producers raised a multitude of crops, including sugarcane, soybeans, wheat, corn and grain sorghum. Sugarcane, which is being grown throughout the parish near several populated areas, remains the largest crop in both income and acreage. Farmers along with the LSU AgCenter extension agents and specialists are meeting the challenges presented to farmers concerning the burning of sugarcane and the safe use of pesticides. All our sugarcane farmers have attended a Prescribed Burn Certification Class as well as recertification offered every five years to insure safe burning. Private Pesticide Applicator Recertification and Worker Protection Standards Training are both offered to all farmers attending LDAF approved grower meetings. These yearly training programs have significantly improved applicator and community environmental safety.
1,097 4-H Youth (includes 372 4-H members at 12 school 4-H Clubs and 725 Cloverbuds at 5 Head start and 5 lower elementary schools)
4,223 Adults (includes 1,523 Ag & Natural Resources and 2,700 Food & Nutrition & EFNEP)
4-H Clubs, Class series, School enrichment, Demonstrations, Field days, Workshops, Newsletters, Websites, Publications, Social media, and Crop production meetings.
Expanding our efforts:
257 Volunteers: 4-H, Master Gardeners, Food & Nutrition
Parish Facts
LSU AgCenter county agents provide research-based information on plant, aquaculture, wildlife and animal enterprises to Iberville Parish clientele. The 2013 total dollar amount from these commodities were:
Data from the Louisiana Ag Summary www.lsuagcenter.com/agsummary
Population – 33,228
Land area (square miles) – 618.63
Persons under 18 years old – 22%
Persons 65 years old and over – 13%
Median household income – $43,195
Persons below poverty – 17.9%
Local Issues & Plans for this year
1. Increase productivity and profitability of Louisiana Agriculture.
2. Promote the wise use of natural resources and protection of the environment.
3. Build leaders and good citizens through 4-H Youth Development.
4. Strengthen families and communities.