Cecilia Stevens

Farm to fork is an apt description of Concordia Parish 4-H’s implementation of the Growing Minds Toolkit. The toolkit, developed by the LSU AgCenter’s Seeds to Success: Louisiana Farm to School Program alongside 4-H leadership, is used by 4-H agents to regularly expose students to Louisiana agriculture, nutrition education and locally grown foods.

The Growing Minds Toolkit was developed in 2023 through a partnership between Louisiana 4‑H and Seeds to Success to provide consistent, high‑quality programming that can be used year‑round by 4‑H youth development professionals.

Designed to highlight seasonal Louisiana Harvest of the Month (HOM) items, the toolkit contains a fact sheet, lesson plan, recipe, coloring sheet, activity sheet and newsletter that celebrate a specific HOM while increasing students’ understanding of agriculture systems across the state.

The Growing Minds Toolkit was piloted by Louisiana 4-H agents during the 2024 school year. Concordia Parish 4-H agent Paige Pirkey was one of the pilot participants. She used the toolkits to launch a Special Interest (SPIN) Club in September 2024 and received a $500 Excellence in Teamwork award from the LSU AgCenter to begin the program.

Pirkey partnered with Concordia Parish’s entire extension team as well as local farmers to enhance the agricultural, nutritional experiences and learning opportunities for students. Community members also became involved, offering site tours of farms and livestock production facilities as well as providing visits from produce growers and livestock producers. The Concordia Growing Minds SPIN Club was so successful that it remained active during the 2025 school year.

The SPIN Club meets each month for two hours, during which 4-H’ers learn about the production aspect of the Louisiana commodities and participate in lessons that incorporate agricultural product history and production requirements. The focus then shifts from farm to fork as 4-H’ers prepare and taste test Louisiana Harvest of the Month recipes, an initiative of Seeds to Success.

Concordia SPIN Club members prepared recipes using rice, citrus, greens, squash, strawberries, herbs, okra, catfish, crawfish and root vegetables. Based on student interests, the club expanded the program to include bread making, garden planning and garden growing skills.

Feedback suggests that the program is truly connecting the farm to the fork for families in Concordia Parish. Savannah LaPrarie’s two daughters participated in the okra lesson and came home asking to prepare smothered okra and tomatoes for the rest of their family.

“They would never have looked at okra before, much less tried it,” LaPrarie said.

Monique Bryant, whose children prepared herb butter, zucchini boats and fried rice through their participation in the club, echoed a similar sentiment.

“I am amazed that they not only wanted to eat this food but also wanted to be the ones to cook it for our family,” Bryant said.

Regular participation in the taste tests is actively driving students to be more open to new culinary adventures and willing to try unfamiliar foods.

When participating in a taste test, students sample a prepared recipe and are given three voting choices: “I loved it,” “I liked it” or “I tried it.”

According to Pirkey, student voting has shifted over the last two years; initially, most students cast votes for “I tried it.” Now, in year two, students who are participating in the taste tests are more likely to say they “loved it” or “liked it.”

“I think this shows a growing willingness to expand their local food world,” Pirkey said.

Pirkey is already making plans for the 2026 school year with a kick-off event with local producers at the second Concordia Parish Fall Garden Day as well as an exploration of even more Louisiana products and Harvest of the Month recipes.

“Farm to fork, production to eating, that’s what we are learning and loving about the Growing Minds SPIN Club,” Pirkey said.

Cecilia Stevens is an LSU AgCenter Extension associate with Seeds to Success: The Louisiana Farm to School Program.

This article appears in the spring 2026 edition of Louisiana Agriculture.

Concordia SPIN Club members taught a tomato lesson using Seeds to Success materials as part of Concordia Fall Garden Day held in September 2025. Photos by Cecilia Stevens

Concordia SPIN Club members prepare air fried calas, a Louisiana Farm to School Program Harvest of the Month dessert recipe using Louisiana rice. Photo by Cecilia Stevens

Concordia SPIN Club members taught a tomato lesson using Seeds to Success materials as part of Concordia Fall Garden Day held in September 2025. Photos by Cecilia Stevens