Agriculture Day celebrated at local schools
More than 400 third and fourth grade students around the parish studied an important part of Iberville's economic base earlier this month on the Second Annual Agriculture Literacy day.
The Iberville Parish Farm Bureau offered its Louisiana Agriculture in the Classroom program at Dorseyville, North Iberville Elementary, Iberville Elementary, Crescent Elementary, East Iberville Elementary, and St. John Parochial schools.
The educational day was part of a nationwide educational effort dedicated to engaging and enlightening students and teachers across the United States about the importance of agriculture in the world at large, and in their own lives. Further information is available at aitcla.org.
"We welcomed all of the area farmers, county agents, 4-H representatives and the LSU Agriculture Department and were proud to showcase their enormous commitment to the development of this educational effort," said Iberville Parish School System Elementary Schools Supervisor Geralyn Callegan.
Participating in the event were local agriculture business leaders, farmers, ag administrators and educators who presented in numerous classrooms across the parish.
They included Iberville Farm Bureau President Cecil Ramagos, a sugar cane and hay farmer; Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) District Conservationist Jerry Hall; Country Executive Director of Farm Service West Baton Rouge and Iberville Joel Ducote; Parish Councilman Ed Reeves, administrative manager for A. Wilbert’s Sons, LLC; Martin Fontenot, farm loan manager for the Farm Service Agency; Clayton Hurdle, cattle, soybean, corn and sugar cane farmer; Katie Ramagos, Farm Bureau State Women’s Committee District 11 Representative and 4-H Advocate, farming advocate; Dean Deslatte, a petroleum land manager, A. Wilbert’s Sons; Vick Blanchard, forestry land manager, A. Wilbert’s Sons; and Sally Ramagos, Farm Bureau State AITC District 11 representative.
Students read and discussed The Tree Farmer, and discussed all aspects of agriculture in the parish. Schools were also presented with posters depicting the major commodities of each parish in Louisiana, donated by the Louisiana Farm Bureau.
"The study of agriculture in this community is vital to its continual growth and prosperity and helps our students to learn important aspects of science and career development," Iberville School Superintendent P. Edward Cancienne Jr. said.
Geralyn Callegan at 687-4341 or at ipsb.net.