Vinton High School FFA

08/07/2026

Congratulations to Kenna on earning a National Silver Emblem in the FFA Veterinary Science Proficiency Award area!

Competing at the national level is an honor in itself, and earning a Silver Emblem places her among the top proficiency award recipients in the NATION!

We are incredibly proud of her accomplishments and her representation of the Vinton FFA chapter and the state of Louisiana!

08/05/2026

We will begin sharing with everyone more about our new Ag Teacher, Mrs. Smart, and what she is bringing to the program. One sneak peek is the aquaculture system! Today McKenna assisted in catching catfish to thin out the population. We are sharing those fish with Welsh High School Ag Department! 💙💛

08/04/2026

Our FFA Officer Team came together this week to work on our Program of Activities for the 2026-2027 school year. Vinton FFA- Always growing! 💙💛

08/03/2026

Spring and summer often bring an increase in calls about young wildlife that appear to be orphaned.

Before stepping in, remember that often baby animals are not actually abandoned. In many cases, parents are nearby and continuing to care for them. Removing wildlife from its natural environment can sometimes do more harm than good.

If you find a young or injured wild animal and aren't sure what to do, contact a wildlife rehabilitator near you. Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has a list of rehabilitators on their website.
Learn more:
https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/page/injured-orphaned-wildlife

08/03/2026

August is almost here, and we are excited to welcome everyone back to our campuses! Save our August at-a-glance calendar to keep track of important dates and events throughout the month. We'll also pin each month's calendar to the top of our page so it's always easy to find. We're looking forward to a great start to the school year!

07/29/2026

The email below was sent to all exhibitors from last year, on June 12, 2026. Please send this information to anyone you know that needs it. Steer exhibitors need to contact Mrs. Jennifer if you have not already.

Good afternoon, I am sending this email to all exhibitors from last year, so the information reaches all who are interested. Please help spread this information to anyone you think this information is relevant to. This is in regards to the 2027 steer and commercial heifer projects, LA Bred for steers and heifers, and NEW validation procedures. IF YOU ARE PLANNING TO SHOW A STEER IN THE 2027 SHOWS PLEASE REACH OUT TO ME AND LET ME KNOW, ALSO IF YOU ARE PLANNING TO TRY TO PARTICIPATE IN THE BRAHMAN INFLUENCE STEER SHOW. This will ensure we get enough tags and testing kits.
The email below was sent to agents from the LSU AgCenter State Livestock Show Manager, Dwayne Nunez. The attachments were sent to us to distribute as well. In regards to validation now being in person, I will send more information as soon as I have dates and locations secured for IN-PERSON market/commercial show project VALIDATIONS. For Calcasieu parish 4-H exhibitors we will offer multiple locations and dates. I just wanted to make everyone aware of the changes.
From Mr. Dwayne Nunez:
“I wanted to update all of you on some changes to this year’s validation process due to issues beyond our control. Through previous years advisory process’s, we had approved moving to using blood DNA to classify Commercial Heifer for the 2027 State Livestock Show. Unfortunately, the company providing the texting for DNA analysis to determine Bos Indicus percentage was sold and they will not be offering that test after this summer. Management Council approved going back to our previous process of Classifying all commercial heifers visually at the 2027 shows as we have in past years. The Brahman Steer’s WILL use blood DNA for the 2027 Show to validate and classify as their possession date is earlier than commercial heifers and the test will still be available.
Another change from previous years that was passed through last year’s advisory process is that there must be an agent or FFA advisor present during the 2027 LSU AgCenter Livestock Show animal validations. Some parishes may elect to use a central validation location, or they may choose to make home visits during the validation process. In either case an agent or FFA advisor must be present when DNA samples are collected during the validation process.
I have also been getting some calls from producers and exhibitors on the process to certify Louisiana Bred steers and commercial heifers; all inquiries on “LaBred” certification on steers and heifers should go to Mr. Vendal Fairchild @318/282-4765. Just like the “LaBred” on other species the LSU AgCenter is not the certifying organization. Each of the specie have a specie group that has jurisdiction on certifying “LaBred”.”

07/29/2026

📅 Mark Your Calendars! 🐄🐖🐑🐐

The 2027 Livestock Show season will be here before we know it! Be sure to save these important dates and start making plans now.

🐮 Calcasieu Parish Jr. Livestock Show
📍 Burton Coliseum
🗓️ January 13–16, 2027

💙 Calcasieu Parish Livestock Sale
📍 Burton Coliseum
🗓️ January 23, 2027

⭐ Southwest District Livestock Show
📍 Burton Coliseum
🗓️ January 26–30, 2027

🏆 LSU AgCenter State Livestock Show
📍 Lamar-Dixon Expo Center
🗓️ February 13–20, 2027

Now is the time to start preparing your projects, setting goals, and working toward a successful show season. Whether this is your first year in the ring or you’re a seasoned exhibitor, every day spent caring for your animal and building your knowledge makes a difference.

We can’t wait to see our Calcasieu 4-H exhibitors showcase the dedication, responsibility, and hard work they’ve put in all year. Here’s to another outstanding livestock season!

07/24/2026

If you have blueberries this is good information about pruning. If you have established trees, you more than likely need to remove some old canes.

07/13/2026

Prune and Fertilize Blueberries after Harvest (by Mary Helen Ferguson, LSU AgCenter)

In Louisiana, we have a long enough growing season that we can prune blueberry plants shortly after harvest and get regrowth and flower bud development on the new growth. On the other hand, if you wait until wintertime to reduce bush height, you’ll likely be cutting off already-developed flower buds that could have produced fruit.

As a rule of thumb, prune blueberries for height as soon as practical after you finish harvesting and no later than the end of July.

While it’s not absolutely necessary to prune blueberry plants every year, reducing their height can make them easier to pick. The amount of new growth that the plants put on after they’re pruned will depend on their vigor and the fertility of the soil, but as a general guideline, cut them to about one foot lower than the maximum height at which you want to pick berries next year.

Besides reducing plant height for ease of picking, the other major step to pruning mature rabbiteye blueberry plants is to remove one to three of the oldest canes each year. This allows more light into the bush so that fruit isn’t just produced on the outside of the canopy. It also encourages plants to grow new canes from the base. We want blueberry plants to produce new canes, since older growth tends to become less fruitful over time.

You can remove several old canes either after harvest or during the winter, when plants are dormant. Look for canes that are roughly one inch or more in diameter at the base and cut them close to the ground. The amount of wood cut out each year should be roughly 10 to 20% of the total wood present.

After harvest is also a good time to make the final fertilizer application of the season. (The first one can be made in the late winter or early spring, around the time the plants start to grow.) For a mature blueberry bush, one option is to use 1 cup 8-8-8 per plant or, if you used a “complete” fertilizer like 8-8-8 or 13-13-13 earlier this year, one-third of a cup of 33-0-0 (urea-ammonium sulfate) or ammonium sulfate. Rates for younger plants should be lower. Spread fertilizer out under and around the canopies.

07/09/2026

FYI

📣 2026–2027 Dress Code Reminder 👕

As we prepare for another great year at Vinton High School, please take a moment to review the 2026–2027 dress code before the first day of school. Following the dress code helps ensure a positive and focused learning environment for all students.

Thank you for helping us start the year strong. We can’t wait to welcome our Lions back! ❤️🦁💙