Most Americans are a few generations removed from an agriculture-based lifestyle. With fewer people growing up in agrarian settings, there has been a decline in understanding of farming and ranching.At the same time, more people have reported making purchase decisions based on how food is grown. In Louisiana, the meat industry has an economic impact of about $11.4 billion. Seeing an opportunity to expand knowledge of how livestock are raised and meat products make it to the market, Louisiana4-H staffers with the LSU AgCenter added an animal science track to the popular Louisiana Outdoor Science and Technology (LOST) Camp. In 2021, 75 campers participatedin the animal science track, learning about breeds, animal health,nutrition, food science and processing. In keeping with the theme of the camp, participants were shown how there is science behind caring for livestock, processing meat and ensuring consumers have safe products. Ninety-five percentof campers reported they felt more confident in their knowledge of how food is made and where it comes from.
Link to full statement on website: https://landgrantimpacts.tamu.edu/impacts/show/5505