Louisiana Farm Bureau is constantly working protect and promote Louisiana's farmers, ranchers, and rural residents. This podcast exists to share stories of those farmers with interviews about their farms and issues important to them. Here, we will also share about the work Farm Bureau is doing on their behalf on issues related to public policy from the parish level all the way to the halls of Congress in D.C.
00;00;23;21 - 00;00;35;00
Speaker 1
Hey, everybody, welcome to the Louisiana Farm Bureau podcast. I'm your host, Karl Wiggers. And today I'm joined by a friend, Doctor Tara Smith. You are the director of the Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service for the LSU AG Center.
00;00;35;00 - 00;00;44;01
Speaker 1
And when I just asked you that title a minute ago, it was like, that's a lot. Probably it covers a lot. Tell me what that actually, means.
00;00;44;04 - 00;01;05;02
Speaker 2
Well, extension is one of the key missions of the grant institution that is LSU and the LSU AG center. So as an administrator over our extension mission, I work with all of our faculty and staff across the state in all 64 parishes, five regions, 14 research station and extension centers, and ten departments to execute the extension mission.
00;01;05;07 - 00;01;10;29
Speaker 1
That's, you've told at least two people about what that job entails before, haven't you? You got that kind of. You got it down now.
00;01;11;00 - 00;01;12;09
Speaker 2
I told a few. Told a few.
00;01;12;10 - 00;01;23;12
Speaker 1
You actually started back at, more at the ground level of LSU, I guess. Can we start real quick? What? How did you kind of get to where you are now? You you're not you're not just a suit.
00;01;23;15 - 00;01;47;29
Speaker 2
Right? No, no, no, I'm certainly not just a suit. I think there's some substance there. And, it's been a it's been a fun ride. It really has. I began my career with the AG Center in 2006. I'm actually a graduate of the department of Entomology at LSU. I'm an entomologist by training and had an opportunity to become the state sweet potato specialist in 2006, based at our Sweet Potato Research Station in Chase, Louisiana.
00;01;47;29 - 00;01;53;23
Speaker 2
So I spent 13 years of my career in the northeast part of the state and, still consider that part of the state home.
00;01;53;28 - 00;01;58;06
Speaker 1
Yeah. You. So you were working there. You worked out of Dean Lee, also in Alexandria, right, for.
00;01;58;06 - 00;02;24;07
Speaker 2
Something, right? I was, tracked into administration early in my career, became a regional director. We have five regions in the LSU AG Center. I became a regional director in 2013, in the northeast region, and then in 2018, had an opportunity to move to the central region based out of our Dean Research and Extension Center and worked there for five and a half years before moving into this, had an opportunity to move into central administration, working with Doctor Madley.
00;02;24;09 - 00;02;25;13
Speaker 1
You've enjoyed it?
00;02;25;15 - 00;02;26;09
Speaker 2
I have enjoyed it.
00;02;26;17 - 00;02;31;10
Speaker 1
It's been I won't say that long, but, you've been here for a minute now. You kind of,
00;02;31;13 - 00;02;50;00
Speaker 2
I have a few minutes. It's been, just a little over two years. And again, just an amazing opportunity. We've got a tremendous amount of momentum, working with doctor Lee and doctor, doctor Mike Selassie, who has purview over our research operations. And, I think we've got a great team in place again with our executive administration.
00;02;50;00 - 00;02;58;17
Speaker 2
We all work together, work seamlessly and collaboratively to, you know, execute our land grant mission, which is inclusive of research, extension and teaching.
00;02;58;20 - 00;03;15;13
Speaker 1
So Doctor Selassie is looking at research work. You're looking at the extension work that includes a lot of the youth programs that we talk about all the time here at this week in Louisiana agriculture. I mean, we talk about the research, too, of course, but the youth programs, I mean, do they have a special place for you?
00;03;15;13 - 00;03;27;23
Speaker 1
I know as a researcher, as an entomologist, you probably really love that research part. But the extension where you're interacting with the farmers or with consumers about that research is that does that how does that fit in for you? And.
00;03;27;25 - 00;03;51;28
Speaker 2
Well, it's you know, I've, I've developed a sincere appreciation for our youth development programs and now, you know, with with FFA being fully under the umbrella of the LSU AG Center as well, we're touching over 60,000 youth just with core enrollment in Louisiana. And if you look at our enrichment programs and our curriculum and our workshops across the state, we're touching over 175,000 youth on an annual basis.
00;03;51;28 - 00;04;00;15
Speaker 2
Just an amazing amount of impact and we truly are. I've seen it happen. I've seen it come to fruition. We are training the leaders of tomorrow.
00;04;00;17 - 00;04;25;02
Speaker 1
I've said that before with Miss Linda. Daniels here at the with AG in the classroom, like, that's where you have a huge impact potential when you can reach youth that are like not buying groceries yet or that are not voting yet, but you can help impact them and inform them and educate them on what you know, what the world looks like, especially when it comes to agriculture and which is where my interest is.
00;04;25;02 - 00;04;43;05
Speaker 1
So but that's that's just a really cool aspect of what y'all do. Let's talk about right now. Y'all are in a very busy season. You're here at the Louisiana Farm Bureau board meeting talking about what's going on, and you had a long list. And you mentioned Doctor Matt Lee mentioned a few years, but you have a lot going on in your world right now.
00;04;43;05 - 00;04;52;07
Speaker 1
Specifically this week is the Livestock show, the state livestock show. How is that going for y'all? And, I guess that's one of the kind of premiere events, right? Is that safe to say?
00;04;52;09 - 00;05;17;25
Speaker 2
It is. So we're we are currently in the, in the middle of, in the throes of if you will, our 90th annual state Livestock Show. It's taking place in Gonzalez, Louisiana. We've got approximately 1800 exhibitors that are showing animals this year. Across all species. We've got about 5000 animals this year. So just a huge undertaking, a huge show, that there's so much that is ingrained in that livestock project.
00;05;17;25 - 00;05;33;18
Speaker 2
It's a year long project, where our kids are really learning core principles and values, not just taking care of an animal, but again, accountability, leadership, responsibility and and that's going to follow them the rest of their life. So it's a very special project.
00;05;33;18 - 00;05;55;26
Speaker 1
Yeah, I've done plenty of stories with this week in Louisiana agriculture about that. And you, I mean, you interview students, you interview, agents, you interview parents, and they all say the same thing year after year. And it doesn't change. Like they're all like, yes, I learned this as a as whenever I was a four, eight year. And now my children are seeing this or agents are saying year after year, you see that growth in one student.
00;05;55;26 - 00;06;16;13
Speaker 1
And it's just it's so rewarding. But it's hard. It's hard to beat that. And and especially I grew up on the farm and you know this about me, but I grew up on a farm and I got to learn a lot of that responsibility and accountability by working with my family on the farm. But for kids that don't have that opportunity, this is an opportunity to to do that, to get that experience.
00;06;16;13 - 00;06;18;18
Speaker 1
And that's super valuable. Well, it.
00;06;18;18 - 00;06;47;00
Speaker 2
Is. And in one of the key foundational principles, for age is, is that career readiness and life readiness and the national campaign at present for for age is beyond ready. And so taking all of our various different curriculums and programs and events that we have in for each and taking it a step further, making sure ensuring that we are setting these youth up for success in life and in their careers.
00;06;47;06 - 00;07;08;29
Speaker 1
Yeah. And some of those may be in agriculture. Many of them will not be. And that's I think, what makes it so again, as a farm kid that makes it so beautiful to me is that like even if they aren't going into agriculture, they're going to have that foundation, maybe not even in agriculture, but in like learning about, you know, learning the life lessons you can from, like these livestock projects
00;07;08;29 - 00;07;19;02
Speaker 1
that's one of the big obviously big big big lifts as a as the eggs and or and for h especially, but AG magic that's coming up in March.
00;07;19;02 - 00;07;35;03
Speaker 1
And I know this because we've done plenty of stories on this as well. But it's one of those things where you get, you're going, you're taking the egg, you're taking the farm, you're taking really all that for. Each has to offer nutrition and everything else straight into the city, whether it's on LSU campus or in doc Bill farms.
00;07;35;05 - 00;07;40;14
Speaker 1
Tell me about how that I guess plays into the mission before H.
00;07;40;16 - 00;08;08;22
Speaker 2
So AG awareness is is again one of our key initiatives in for H. And it's ever more important that we get information out to youth about where their food comes from, where their houses come from, where their clothes come from. We have signature ag awareness events across the state, located in all the regions. In March we've got the one that started it all, with AG Magic on on the main campus at the LSU campus in Parker Coliseum.
00;08;08;24 - 00;08;14;12
Speaker 2
And we will have a few over 10,000 kids that will come through and experience Louisiana agriculture.
00;08;14;14 - 00;08;36;28
Speaker 1
What's really neat about that is it's kids bused in from Baton Rouge schools that may never touch a farm, may never, milk a cow or, you know, whatever it may be, right on a tractor or pet a goat. But they get to do that right on LSU campus. And that's I think that's so valuable. You've been to those, obviously.
00;08;37;03 - 00;08;38;09
Speaker 2
Yeah. And it's, you.
00;08;38;09 - 00;08;39;08
Speaker 1
Know, what was that.
00;08;39;08 - 00;09;04;05
Speaker 2
Like? Well, there I mean, you just see the kids faces, and it's, you know, it, it's it's really it's really amazing to see the world of agriculture open up for them. It could be something as simple as, insects in a case, but they've never seen insects from South America. And may never have a chance to visit some of these countries where you see the, the diversity that is agriculture.
00;09;04;07 - 00;09;16;10
Speaker 2
And it's just a again, just a great opportunity to get a, a hands on real world snapshot of, of agriculture and how important, how important that is in our everyday life.
00;09;16;10 - 00;09;34;11
Speaker 1
That's also so we're talking about youth development. We're talking about I mean the work y'all got y'all guys. You guys do LSU, but that's for college students, animal science students. They're all kind of helping put that event on, right? I mean, I'm thinking of the one here on campus.
00;09;34;11 - 00;09;54;26
Speaker 2
Tremendous amount of volunteers, that are engaged in not only ag magic, but but across the state in many of our programs. Our youth development programs are Master Gardener programs are master cattleman programs. We cannot do what we do, without the extension of our agents and our faculty, which is the volunteers that that are so great to work with.
00;09;55;01 - 00;10;13;28
Speaker 1
And not only is that helping give back to the people that are serving it whenever they're volunteering, but that's that's life lesson, valuable skills for the operators as well. And the students and agents I know, probably enjoy that. It's probably work on the agents as well, but I'm sure they enjoy that. What else do y'all have going on?
00;10;13;29 - 00;10;22;27
Speaker 1
I know you mentioned a lot. You talked about internship tips. You talked about, I mean, a lot of different stuff. But internships is that is that one of your bait, your projects, your babies?
00;10;22;28 - 00;10;39;19
Speaker 2
It is it is. So we mentioned, you know, I've been in this position for a little over two years, and one of the first initiatives that we all work together as, an extension administrative team is, is to pull together an internship program. And we're really excited about it. In the first year, we place six interns across the state.
00;10;39;26 - 00;11;07;18
Speaker 2
Last year, we placed 20 interns across the state. And this year, we have funding in place to to again fund 20 internships and this is, just a an awesome program because it's through the Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service. It's catered and targeting our, our college age students. They don't have to be LSU students. We do pull quite a few from LSU, but but any college, in Louisiana, it doesn't have to be in Louisiana.
00;11;07;23 - 00;11;24;20
Speaker 2
We pulled a couple from out of state last year. And the goal is, is to put these students out in the parish offices or on the research stations, or maybe even in a department on campus, and to work with our agents and to work with our faculty and truly learn what extension work looks like. And we want this.
00;11;24;26 - 00;11;30;12
Speaker 2
The overall intent of this is to be a pipeline for future extension career professionals.
00;11;30;12 - 00;11;31;08
Speaker 1
I was going to ask you that.
00;11;31;08 - 00;11;39;22
Speaker 2
Yeah, we're super excited about it because it's already worked. You know, we've got some success stories out there where we see these interns applying for our job, and we've actually hired a.
00;11;39;22 - 00;12;00;04
Speaker 1
Couple that's really cool. That's one things, I've recently been getting really involved with interns here at Farm Bureau, but I was an intern here. And it matters to me because, I mean, I, I take a special interest in our interns, making sure that this is a it can be a pipeline. And that's really cool that you're actually seeing the results of that, like, already in just a couple of years.
00;12;00;04 - 00;12;13;05
Speaker 2
Well, and the program is still in its infancy. But it's, it's definitely a formidable program. And we're seeing some positive impacts and, and just the, the caliber of students, and what they are bringing to the table is just tremendous.
00;12;13;05 - 00;12;31;14
Speaker 1
What's really cool is, I mean, you're not having to go scout from other states or other universities or other programs that already exist or talent. Right? Create your own talent, your homegrown talent. That's right. I mean, I imagine that's a little special, special sauce there. And what y'all are building.
00;12;31;14 - 00;12;43;27
Speaker 2
Well, it is, I mean, I think I think you could ask anybody. And I think if we can keep our, our youth here, you know, if we can train them and educate them and keep them in Louisiana to drive Louisiana agriculture, that's our ultimate.
00;12;43;27 - 00;13;04;11
Speaker 1
Goal. I've got a great friend. I went to high school I didn't actually go to high school with. We were went to church together in high school, and she got a job at the Macon Ridge station whenever we were in high school. She worked there, didn't have any family in agriculture. She went on to get her masters. I don't know what in it's something in the egg.
00;13;04;13 - 00;13;21;19
Speaker 1
But she ended up getting it in Arkansas and she's still in Arkansas, working with Arkansas version of the eggs in her right. And it's like, man, what a bummer that there wasn't a place for her to get plugged in here. And I don't know that she wanted to go to Arkansas. She probably did. She probably. She seems to enjoy it.
00;13;21;19 - 00;13;30;04
Speaker 1
But the idea of keeping our our our shining stars here is a really cool thing to see. And I'm glad that you're seeing that.
00;13;30;04 - 00;13;49;03
Speaker 2
Well, and it only takes one experience. It takes one connection, you know, a simple conversation in one experience to to sometimes, you know, just a light bulb goes off and some, you know, a use a college student is really going to. Well, maybe I should think about that. Maybe I should consider that, you know, I I'm a prime example.
00;13;49;03 - 00;14;03;13
Speaker 2
I was I was born and raised in, in the city. You know, I'm originally from central Louisiana. I didn't grow up on a farm. I wasn't in for H. And now I'm involved in all aspects of Louisiana agriculture, so the possibilities are endless.
00;14;03;17 - 00;14;12;16
Speaker 1
What I guess for the if a college student stumbles across this. What are you looking for? What what what what opportunities are there for these 20 spots?
00;14;12;19 - 00;14;31;03
Speaker 2
So I would just encourage them to apply. We have it all online at on our extension site on LSU AG intercom. Go take a look at it. They can contact me directly. We can have a conversation. But basically it's a it's a very simple online application procedure. And then our extension admin team will come together and we'll make the placements later this spring.
00;14;31;04 - 00;14;34;02
Speaker 1
Are you all looking for certain degree. Certain I guess.
00;14;34;04 - 00;14;56;07
Speaker 2
Well, we're, you know, we're we are trying to to encourage, you know, those that are working in, that are pursuing, I should say, degrees in ag education, family and consumer sciences and the various different agricultural related degrees. To look really closely at this, but we're not going to discourage anybody from applying. Again, that may be their their first and only exposure to agriculture.
00;14;56;07 - 00;14;57;23
Speaker 1
We're not just looking for entomologists.
00;14;57;28 - 00;15;00;25
Speaker 2
No. Though, you know entomologists are great.
00;15;00;25 - 00;15;11;12
Speaker 1
Yeah they are I'm a I'm a fan I'm a fan. Cool. Well I think that's awesome. I'm really glad to see that happening. And I'm excited to see more more of that. Last thing I wanted to ask you about and
00;15;11;12 - 00;15;24;02
Speaker 1
doctor Lee mentioned it here a minute ago. There are a lot of question marks in the air about federal funding and whatever, but y'all are also putting money out there for grants, and I think that's a really cool thing.
00;15;24;02 - 00;15;36;05
Speaker 1
Tell me about the seed grant program that y'all are working on. And, and helping bolster your parish offices, your, even regions as it it's not just parish offices, regional projects or is it parish?
00;15;36;05 - 00;15;56;13
Speaker 2
No, it's we've got some state faculty, that have also been recipients of the seed grants. And I think what I'd like to say first is that, you know, but by sheer definition, the Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service and Cooperative Extension across the country, it is a cooperative endeavor. And it's funded at the state, the federal and the local level.
00;15;56;15 - 00;16;24;15
Speaker 2
And again, we cannot do what we do without our state funding, without our federal capacity funds, and without contributions from our local parishes, our police juries and our school boards that support the work that's being done again at that grassroots level. Back at home with all of our constituents. But the sea grant program is is something again, our extension administration, has pulled together and we've identified 20 projects that we're funding across the state.
00;16;24;18 - 00;16;47;04
Speaker 2
We were able to set aside $100,000. So we're funding 20 projects at $5,000 each. Anything from for youth development to nutrition and community health and then various different agriculture studies. And the only thing that we asked is that our agents and our faculty look at innovative approaches to doing extension work. So again, we're super excited to see all of this work come to fruition.
00;16;47;09 - 00;16;59;15
Speaker 2
The funding is over the next two years. And ideally, the results and information that we glean from this and are able to extend out to the communities that we're serving, can be catalysts for, for future funds. Right.
00;16;59;20 - 00;17;07;27
Speaker 1
So what kind of what are those projects look like? What? Well, I mean, not maybe not the innovative part, but like, I guess what what's $5,000 is going to help pay for.
00;17;07;29 - 00;17;37;16
Speaker 2
So so one example that I can think of is, you know, we have our four agents in Vermilion Parish are going to do something specific to fund, additional opportunities for more students to participate in our Marsh maneuvers program. Okay, cool. So that's only, you know, that's one example. We've got several parishes that where we see collaborative opportunities coming together across for nutrition and a and our working on school gardens are working on better ways to reach our constituents.
00;17;37;18 - 00;17;48;18
Speaker 1
Gotcha. Okay. So it can be a lot of things. So what's that look like as far as is it an application process. Is it something that's. So how does that how does that work.
00;17;48;19 - 00;17;56;06
Speaker 2
Well so basically that was all internal. And all of our peers have already been notified and those funds are in place. So we should see that work beginning this.
00;17;56;06 - 00;18;00;22
Speaker 1
So that money is going out. Those projects are getting funded. Those projects are happening.
00;18;00;22 - 00;18;01;17
Speaker 2
They are happening now.
00;18;01;18 - 00;18;05;29
Speaker 1
It's almost like a research investment for you guys. At the state level, is that how you get it?
00;18;05;29 - 00;18;21;25
Speaker 2
Yeah, I mean, it it can be again, you know, that seed grants. But again by definition ideally they're they're going to result in you're going to generate some information and some success stories and ideally be you know, you're priming the pump potentially go after bigger dollars for money.
00;18;21;25 - 00;18;43;13
Speaker 1
Wait a second. We just spent $100,000 and found these seven really good things that happened in seven totally different parishes, like, wait, let's, lean into that. Exactly. That's really cool. Exactly. Very cool. What else? That's all I had on my list. My very extensive list here. What else? I guess what excite. What's exciting to you right now where y'all are at?
00;18;43;13 - 00;18;55;07
Speaker 1
You said it's been a couple of years, and the other as a team administrative team is really clicking. What what's what's exciting to you right now when you look back at what we've just talked about? And I guess what we haven't talked about.
00;18;55;10 - 00;19;18;04
Speaker 2
Well, you know, if I look across or I guess if I look at it from a 30,000ft view, I'd like to say that that morale is, is really strong. There's a lot of energy and enthusiasm at all levels. And I think that that's critical. You know, we've got our people out in the parish offices, at our research stations, in our campus departments.
00;19;18;07 - 00;19;38;25
Speaker 2
We've got a, again, a cohesive and a collaborative administrative team in place. Backstopping. The work that all of our, our awesome people are doing. And then we've got a constituency across the state that believes in what we do, the mission of the LSU AG Center. So it's it's an exciting time to do what I do, to have an opportunity to serve the people of Louisiana.
00;19;38;26 - 00;20;05;04
Speaker 1
Yeah. What? We were talking a minute ago about just this week we filmed our FFA, takeover show. You deal with FFA for each. And I know there have been some shifting in in those people, the staff folks that lead, those are most of those staff mostly in place. And in those programs that you're like, you're overseeing regularly.
00;20;05;04 - 00;20;07;26
Speaker 1
Are we are we mostly. Well, staff? We are. How is that?
00;20;07;26 - 00;20;29;05
Speaker 2
Look, we are, as far as our our administrative purview over our over our FFA and our four programs. Doctor Todd Trevor is leading our four programs. And, Mr. Cade Lagoon is the executive director of FFA. He brings a wealth of experience, about 15 years of experience. And then this summer, Anderson was recently hired to be the executive secretary of FFA.
00;20;29;08 - 00;20;47;15
Speaker 2
And we've got unique synergy and are poised to realize even more, across, you know, our four in our FFA programs because Doctor Tariffa basically is is over both now. And so we're going to see more opportunities for collaboration and synergy across those programs, which makes complete sense.
00;20;47;15 - 00;20;56;28
Speaker 1
And he he's also kind of like you, a product of you know, he was an agent, right, right. That he he's kind of got that on the ground experience to bring up to the well he's.
00;20;56;28 - 00;21;14;27
Speaker 2
Level, you know, just again very applicable experience. He was an agent in West Baton Rouge and East Baton Rouge and was actually an FFA teacher for ten years. So when you look at that and you look now at the fact that he has purview over those programs and is in supporting, both FFA and for H. We're blessed to have him.
00;21;14;29 - 00;21;33;05
Speaker 1
I didn't prep you with this. So tell me if I'm off base to ask this, but you were talking. You were talking about 1.2 million points of contact or touches. What was that related to in the board meeting a minute ago? You're talking about reaching. So students for these youth programs. So that was a bag.
00;21;33;07 - 00;21;57;09
Speaker 2
Across the breadth of our extension program. So all of our extension faculty, our professorial rank faculty and our agents are required to report their contacts based on their programing initiatives and otherwise. And so when we look at our contacts, the the number of people we we touched with our educational outreach and engagement last year, it was 1.4 million people.
00;21;57;09 - 00;22;05;08
Speaker 1
Wow. That's insane to think about. Like that potential. Yeah. What's the goal is that is there a goal to to increase that or are we on track?
00;22;05;08 - 00;22;17;10
Speaker 2
Certainly we always want to be better. You know, status quo is never good enough. My our people are used to hearing me say that. And so our goal is to, you know, increase that by at least 25% over the next five years.
00;22;17;10 - 00;22;18;28
Speaker 1
Wow. That's going to be awesome.
00;22;18;28 - 00;22;33;28
Speaker 1
I mean, when you think about the impact that each contact can have, each student that you reach has each, grant that that is granted. And, research that happens, there's an exponential factor to what happened. What's your what's your whether it's ripple.
00;22;33;28 - 00;22;34;19
Speaker 2
Effects, whether.
00;22;34;19 - 00;22;55;05
Speaker 1
It's with research. And I think it's really cool to see momentum and positive movement in that. So Doctor Smith thank you so much. Really appreciate you I really appreciate you taking a few minutes after the board meeting to come and visit with me about what y'all have going on. If you want to learn more about what Doctor Smith is talking about in some of these internships and links, I'll have all that in the show.
00;22;55;05 - 00;23;07;19
Speaker 1
Notes. If you want to learn more about the The Livestock show and see a story that we've recently done, I'll have that in the show notes as well. And anyways, thank you, Doctor Smith. Thank you for all of you listening. We'll see you again next time right here on the Louisiana Farm Bureau podcast.