VIDALIA — Recruitment for the LSU AgCenter’s Young Ag Producers Program has begun, and high school students from around the state are vying for the chance to be in the program.

Program coordinator Bradley Leger said the program is mentor-based and introduces high school juniors and seniors to the options available for food and fiber production in the agricultural field.

“This is our second year with the program, and it is still fairly new,” he said. “The AgCenter is responding to the issue of people not entering the field of agriculture, agricultural production specifically.”

Leger said the program had a very good response during its initial year, and it took a lot of effort to get it started.

“We looked at models of similar programs all throughout the country and put together what we found to make this specific model and we are hoping to see it evolve,” he said. “We are trying to give these young people tools and support systems so that when they are done with the program, they can go out and be successful in the agriculture production field.”

Leger said any high school junior or senior in the state can apply for the program and candidates are selected through an application and interview process.

“We were very pleased with the quality of the young people we had from last year,” he said. “And they all are having positive experiences.”

Leger said there are three main parts to the program, and the first part involves a summer institute on LSU’s campus.

“They go on field trips specific to the commodity they are interested in, they have networking leadership development opportunities and they are also paired up with their mentors,” he said.

Leger said the second part of the program begins once the summer institute is over.

“During the school term they are working on internships with their mentors,” he said. “They have to work at least 50 hours with their mentor over the course of the school year and keep track of their progress in their portfolio.”

The third part of the program involves coming back to LSU in the next summer for an advanced summer institute, Leger said.

“When they complete the program the graduates will be honored in a ceremony in New Orleans,” he said.

Concordia Parish 4-H Extension Agent Joe Bairnsfather said he currently has had no response from any high school students in the parish, but students interested in agriculture should really look into the program.

“I think it is very important that our kids learn about agriculture and where there food is coming from,” he said. “They need to know these things.”

Bairnsfather said the lack of young people in the agricultural field is something that needs to be addressed, and programs like the Young Ag Producers should not be overlooked.

“It is a good program to try and get more kids involved,” he said. “We definitely don’t need agriculture to lose out. We need it to thrive.”

Leger said he wanted students interested in the program to know the importance of agriculture.

“Food and agriculture is one of the most basic things we can have as a healthy, sustaining society, and maybe students can see that they have a place in it,” he said. “They need to have someone to motivate them, so they can see they do have a role in the future of our society.”

Leger said students interested in the program can go to www.lsuagcenter.com/layapp for an application. The deadline for turning in the application is Feb. 1.