BUGs National Conference Participants Tour the SU Ag Center’s Demonstration Farm
Baton Rouge, La. – Thirty-eight Black Farmers & Urban Gardeners (BUGs) National Conference participants visited the Southern University Ag Center’s Demonstration Farm and Research Fields on Oct. 23, 2026.
The visit was one of several farm tours offered to the conference’s participants.
Dr. Calvin Walker, Executive Vice Chancellor and Professor of Animal Science, greeted the group and Dr. Tiffany Franklin, Vice Chancellor for Extension & Outreach, officially welcomed the participants to the Southern University Ag Center’s Demonstration Farm. Members of the SU Ag Center’s Agriculture and Natural Resource (ANR) team served as guides during the walking tour.
Pamela James, a BUGs participant from Buffalo, New York said she selected the SU AgCenter’s tour to see what type of farm operations and research were being conducted that she could learn more about and bring back to her classes and her organization, Life Source Systems, Inc.
James, who is a professor at Houghton University and serves as the CEO of Life Source Systems, was intrigued by the Ag Center’s hemp research.
“One of the tour guides was talking about the hemp plant and how it can dry up and the THC could not be as potent because of it being left there in the sun too long,” explained James. “I have never heard that before and that’s interesting because when it’s sold a lot of times people think just because it’s grown, they are getting the full potency but it depends on who grew it and where it was grown, how long it was grown, and how long it stayed in the ground, so that was something different,” she added.
The BUGs National Conference is the largest urban grower’s conference in America. The conference is being held from Oct. 23 – 25, 2026 in New Orleans at Dillard University. It is committed to building a strong community to support growers who cultivate in both urban and rural settings by providing a space for attendees to learn, network, and discuss ways to advance their growth and success in agriculture businesses.
For additional information about the SU Ag Center’s Demonstration Farm or upcoming programs, contact Stephanie Elwood at stephanie_elwood@suagcenter.com.
