LSU’s AgMagic is inspiring a new generation of agricultural awareness one plate at a time.
AgMagic is an event hosted by the LSU AgCenter, created to educate students from kindergarten to third grade about Louisiana Agriculture through interactive and hands-on learning experiences. The event ran from March 24 to 28 for school groups and March 29 to 30 for the general public.
Serving over 10,000 visitors, this educational initiative offered students a glimpse at the world of farming and food production. As the students were guided around inside the Parker Coliseum they were introduced to different exhibits learning about the many features of agriculture. Each station had something new and exciting that kept the kids entertained.
“Whenever you live in town or maybe are not as exposed or familiar with agriculture, it’s hard to think about where your items come from.” said Hannah Duvall, the Louisiana 4-H Animal Science and Agricultural Literacy Specialist at the AgCenter.
Duvall mentions the importance of AgMagic not only being a fun experience for the students but a learning moment as well. She hopes that this field trip is a positive experience for the students and that they are able to take away crucial information.
This event goes far beyond the usual classroom style of learning by actually allowing the kids to literally get their hands dirty. Students were encouraged to participate in various activities such as petting farm animals including cows, goats and chickens. They could also interact with various different insects and swamp animals like crawfish and baby alligators. Students even got the chance to dig in soil to find live worms.
“Just being able to see that light bulb moment for them, where they understand that their pencils come from trees, and trees are grown and harvested in Louisiana, and the roles that different agricultural commodities have in their life, is really just that aha moment,” Duvall said.
The program is so popular that students continue to return year after year. In addition to this event in Baton Rouge, AgMagic has different events all across Louisiana. The agricultural fun can also be found in St. Bernard Parish, Alexandria and Shreveport.
“I hope whenever our visitors leave, that they learn more and have a little bit more appreciation for those farmers, ranchers and growers across the state that are really just working day in and day out to provide for them,” Duvall said.
This event transformed the complexity of agriculture into a memorable experience for young learners. AgMagic left students with the knowledge and appreciation of the hard work that goes into every meal that they enjoy. Every year, AgMagic continues to plant the seeds of agricultural literacy into students all over Louisiana.
