VP Rotary Club hears from LSU AgCenter agent

January 6, Meeting
For the first club meeting of the new year, Rotarian Bill Brunet invited Todd Fontenot, 4-H Agent with the LSU AgCenter, to be the guest speaker for the January 6, meeting of the Ville Platte Rotary Club. Fontenot gave a brief program on the history and success of the 4-H program in Evangeline Parish, noting 4-H first came to the state of Louisiana over 100 years ago in 1908. Originally, the program was strongly focused on agriculture and livestock. In our parish, livestock and agriculture are still the main focuses of 4-H, however, there are now many other areas of focus, including nutrition and leadership programs. Fontenot stated the parish is fortunate to have such a strong 4-H program available to 4-12 grade students at all of the parish schools. He said participating in the various 4-H programs, such as exhibiting livestock, allows students to learn responsibility and gain the necessary life skills to develop into successful and productive citizens as adults. He noted the Evangeline Parish Livestock Show will be held at the Chauncey Pitre Barn January 22-24, with winners moving on to the Southwest Region show in Lake Charles and winners from there will move on to the state show. Fontenot closed by saying the 4-H youth development agents are always open to suggestions for improving the 4-H program in order to keep current with the times.
Also during the meeting, Rotarian Nick LeBas presented a Rotary Club flag from Guatemala to the club. LeBas recently hosted a foreign exchange student from Guatemala for eight weeks and her father was a member of the Rotary Club there, so LeBas sent a flag home with her, and in exchange, her father sent a flag to LeBas for the Ville Platte club.