Twelve students, ages 12-16, travelled from St. Landry and Pointe Coupee Parishes to Farmerville, the seat of Union Parish, to experience the Center's Ag Days of Summer camp, June 28-July 2. Now in its third year, the program introduces youth to various agricultural enterprises by featuring local producers as well as products that are unique to Louisiana. The camp educates participants about gardening, marketing, and animal husbandry. The youth learn about and observe everyday agricultural issues. The camp is jointly sponsored by the Southern University Ag Center livestock show programs and the Southwest Center for Rural Initiatives. Lawrence Sanford, youth agent and assistant camp director, utilized a rigorous screening process to recruit students into the program. Selected students had classroom activities related to field assignments.

Camp participants spent four days touring different agricultural facilities in north Louisiana through Union, Morehouse, and East and West Carroll Parishes. The tour started in Union Parish at Butch Sensely's farm where students saw a poultry and beef operation. In addition, they had a question and answer session with Sensely on timber and hunting. "This was a great opportunity for students to experience the farm and to have a great appreciation for it," said Sensely. Next stop was the Andrew pig farm, where the students were introduced to a feeder pig operation.

They also learned about the design of the farm and water quality regulation for animal waste run off.

Rafus Brew of the LSU AgCenter gave an overall history of Union Parish and discussed the different horticultural issues facing the parish. In Morehouse Parish, the group visited Harper Armstrong's farm where students observed rice cultivation. From there, they visited a turtle farm with more than 500,000 turtles.

Campers had an opportunity to observe eggs being collected, cleaned and placed in incubators as well as hatchlings being shipped to China. The group later traveled to Antoine Downs' facility where campers observed the working of an irrigation system in a corn field.

The next day, the group traveled to East and West Carroll Parishes and toured the Louisiana State Cotton Museum under the direction of Glenn Dixon, county agent. The students had a private tour of the facilities of a cotton field and gin, where raw cotton is gathered, cleaned and separated from its seeds. The students learned about how people lived during that era. At the museum, the students were divided into groups for a cotton quiz bowl following a picnic lunch. Later, the group traveled to Billy Travis' peach orchard for a harvest experience.

The final stop on the tour was Poverty Point. The group had a riding tour of the site, and the park rangers permitted the students to test some of the ancient Indian weapons there.

"The summer camp was an excellent opportunity for the youth to learn and have fun in the rural environment outside of their community," said Ernie Troy Hughes, interim director, Southwest Center for Rural Initiatives. Ashton Harris of St. Landry Parish agreed. "I cannot wait till next year! Every year the camp gets bigger and better,"

Harris said. Christie Gremillion-Monroe, assistant livestock show director and camp director, was pleased with the event. "I was so excited to have so many things for the children to see and do. The agents and I worked very hard to make this a great experience for the children," Monroe said.

Southern University Ag Center agents, Odis Hill of Morehouse Parish, and Glenn Dixon, East and West Carroll Parishes, collaborated to organize the Ag Days of Summer camp.

For more information, contact Monroe at (225) 771-2242 ext. 328 or christie_monroe@suagcenter.com

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