Avoyelles Parish and three of its neighbors were declared “primary natural disaster areas” due to the effects of Hurricane Barry earlier this year.
A BUMPER CROP OF SATSUMAS
Rachel Dufour of Plaucheville picks a basket of satsumas in late November. The tasty citrus is hardy enough to withstand the periodic cold snaps of this area. Rachel said this tree is about six years old and produced over 300 satsumas this year. An orange tree she received at the same time didn’t make it through the first period of freezing weather, but the satsuma did. {Photo courtesy of Rachel Dufour}
We call them satsumas -- sweet, almost seedless, easy to peel, easy to grow and well-suited to the temperatures in Avoyelles Parish.
CABBAGE PATCH KIDS
LaSAS students (from left) Anna Laborde, Olivia Dixon, Ava Williber, Brandon Wright and Kay Lee pose with some beautiful heads of cabbage in the school’s garden. The produce will be on sale to the public. Part of the crop will end up on the lunch trays of Avoyelles Parish School District schools’ Christmas meals on Dec. 19. {Photo courtesy of Ward Bordelon}
Area veggie lovers can have their cravings met and support the next generation of farmers at the same time -- thanks to the Bayhills gardens of the Louisiana School for the Agricultural Sciences (
This year has been tough on farmers, but overall Avoyelles Parish crops should be close to the five-year average yields, County Agent Justin Dufour said.
Outstanding Louisiana Logger Randy Wilson (right) shares the honor with his wife of 28 years, Bridget. She is a key part of his logging business, he notes. {Photo by Jeff Zeringue}
{Editor’s Note: The following article is reprinted by permission from the Louisiana Forestry Association’s Forests and People magazine.}