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Extension awards $34,000 in special one - year grants

Extension awards $34,000 in special one-year grants
Five teams and two individuals have been awarded a total of $33,852 to develop innovative extension programs over the next year, according to Paul Coreil, LSU AgCenter vice chancellor and director of the Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service.
“We’ve faced major budget cuts since 2008 and haven’t been able to give raises,” Coreil said. “These grants are a way to help keep a positive attitude and continue dynamic programming.”
The funding for these stipends comes from previously awarded grants, which can be used by administration to support programming needs and opportunities. These are not state-appropriated funds, Coreil said.
The following proposals were funded:
A team of five extension agents in the northwest region are expanding a community garden plan so more people can benefit nutritionally from home-grown food. The team of Grace Peterson, Joan Almond, Gwen Fontenot, Cathy Judd and Diane Uzzle will be working in the parishes of Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Jackson, Lincoln, Natchitoches and Webster. Their grant of $5,000 will be used to develop educational materials.
Karol Osborne, extension 4-H agent in Madison Parish, and Juanita Johnson, 4-H state specialist in Baton Rouge, will use their $5,000 grant to upgrade computers and add work stations in a Mobile Technology Laboratory used as part of the 4-H program in northeast Louisiana. 4-H students use the lab to work on their projects, which include photography, the environment, clothing, pets, child development and babysitting, and horses.
Ron Strahan, extension turfgrass specialist, will use his $5,000 to continue with the expansion of the Field of Excellence program to upgrade athletic fields around the state.
“Many Louisiana high school football fields are in deplorable shape causing unsafe playing conditions that can lead to potential head and spinal injuries,” Strahan said.
Strahan provides guidance to improve the condition of these fields. So far, he has worked with 10 schools across the state. The money will be used for field maintenance chemicals and fertilizer.
Dennis Burns and R.L. Frazier, both extension agents in northeast Louisiana, will use their $5,000 grant to purchase computer equipment as they help farmers in the region keep pace with the advancements in precision agriculture.
“The farmers need educational support for how to use this equipment effectively,” Burns said.
Kathryn Fontenot, extension horticulturist, will expand her school garden program with her $5,000 grant. So far, she has been involved with 215 schools across the state. She conducts training sessions and provides start-up equipment at these trainings.
Adrian Vidrine, extension agent in Acadia Parish, and Quincy Cheek, extension agent in Rapides Parish, will use their $4,600 to bring in an expert speaker for a two-day comprehensive workshop for nutrition agents on use of social media for nutrition education and weight control. Their goal is to step up the campaign to fight obesity in the state.
The goal of Karl Harborth, Ross Pruitt and Jason Holmes is to help Louisiana cattle producers make more money. Harborth and Holmes, both animal scientists, and Pruitt, an economist, will collect data over the next year at livestock auctions to determine which characteristics of the feeder calves affect value. They will then work with livestock producers to help them make better management decisions to get the most value from their herds. Their grant is for $4,252.