Program Highlights

Family and Consumer Sciences

Flavors of Health is a community nutrition and health education program in place to motivate and empower Louisianans to make healthy food and fitness choices to live a healthful life. The Flavors of Health Nutrition Agent provides expertise on a variety of topics that supports healthful eating patterns, including how to set realistic goals, make small changes in daily behaviors, transform healthy behaviors into healthy habits and select healthful foods.

Many nutrition workshops were held throughout the year at the West Carroll Parish Extension Office for both youth and adult clientele. Nutrition topics included Family Meal Prep, Slow Cooking 101, Nutrition Basics, Break Up with Salt and Stay Independent: A Healthy Aging series. Nutrition resource table was setup during the Back 2 School Bash in August. A Family and Consumer Science Advisory Leadership Council meeting was held in the spring to identify any needs and plans for the upcoming year as it relates to nutrition and health (information listed below).

4-H Youth Development

West Carroll youth have the opportunity to participate in ever growing project clubs like shooting sports, livestock, heathy living, and leadership. Parish schools also participate in enrichment opportunities where the 4-H Agent provides educational curriculum and experiences including embryology, financial literacy, and wetlands.

Agriculture and Agriculture and Natural Resources

Agriculture in West Carroll parish is as diverse as the soil types found in the parish. Production practices, irrigation strategies, and crop varieties that might maximize production in heavy alluvial soils off the Macon ridge will not show the same results as the sandy loam soils of the Macon Ridge. To address these diverse conditions and challenges AgCenter county agents work crop variety trials both on and off the Macon Ridge.

Whom We Reach

• 1336 youth contacts with 129 4-H members and 4 4-H Clubs
• 16,616 adults (3,518 through agriculture and natural resources and 13,098 through family consumer sciences)

How We Reach Them:

4-H Clubs, school enrichment, field days, publications, newsletters, class series, website, social media, and workshops.

Expanding Our Efforts:

98 volunteers from 4-H, Master Gardeners, family, and community.

Parish Facts:

LSU AgCenter county agents provide research-based information on plant and animal enterprises to West Carroll Parish residents. The total dollar amount from these commodities were: Animal enterprises, $5,274,019; plant enterprises, $55,763,585.

Land area — 361 square miles; Population —9,594; Population under 18 years old — 22.3%; Population 65 years old and over — 19.8%; Median household income — $42,050; Persons below poverty — 22.4%

Local Issues and Plans for this Year:

Increase productivity and profitability of Louisiana agriculture.

• Conduct producer training on herbicide draft mitigation.
• Conduct on farm variety trials.
• Write news column, webpage content and seminars on agriculture practices.
• Conduct farm and home educational visits.

Promote the wide use of natural resources and protection of the environment.

• Educate producers on current disposal of pesticide containers and waste.
• Educate producers on Best Management Practices and Integrated Pest Management.
• Educate producers on effective irrigation strategies and the use of innovative irrigation technologies.

Build leaders and good citizens through 4-H Youth Development.

• Develop and implement service-learning projects throughout the parish focusing on Special Needs Inclusiveness (state-wide initiative).
• Offer programming and opportunities to develop and enhance leadership skills at the local, state, and national level (4-H University, CWF, camps/conferences, project clubs, workshops, contests, etc.)
• Improve knowledge of youth and adult volunteers by increased number of trained volunteers.

Strengthen families and communities

• Address childhood obesity through physical activity education for all age populations.
• Offer food preservation workshops for youth and senior adults to help address the need of food insecurity.
• Conduct a series of 5 nutrition education programs annually: Dining with Diabetes, Smart Portions, Small Changes Healthy Habits, Break Up with Salt, and Stay Independent: A healthy aging series.
• Conduct monthly programming throughout the parish on trending nutrition and health topics.
• Conduct culinary cooking camps throughout the year for adult and youth clientele to enhance cooking skills and preparation of healthful meals and snacks.
• Conduct Advisory Leadership Council meeting yearly (or as needed) to identify needs of the parish as it relates to nutrition and health.