St. Mary Parish is southeast of Lafayette and northwest of New Orleans, nestled between the Atchafalaya River Basin and the Gulf of Mexico. The parish was created in 1811 when Attakapas County was split into two separate parishes by the Legislature of the New Orleans Territory. St. Mary Parish is rich in agriculture, seafood and industry. There is something for everyone to enjoy in this diverse parish. Antebellum homes, swamp gardens, swamp tours, an aviation museum, festivals and fairs are just the start.

Agriculture & Natural Resources

Through educational gatherings of large groups and small personal interactive groups, the fisheries program engages the community on issues such as fisheries regulations and vessel safety programs, improved quality control methods and gear recommendations, marine debris identification and removal, and community processing and marketing of fishery products. Meetings and information is delivered in a form that the fishermen can understand, working across language barriers and cultural diversity to effectively reach out to all fishermen. In response to these educational extension programs, nearly 400 attendees at various outreach meetings, both Anglo Americans and Asian Americans alike, have either increased their knowledge, their income, or their quality of life with the information presented at the meetings. Local, State, and Federal Government agencies continue to work together to develop and implement community coastal strategies and integrate coastal management programs for coastal restoration in the region.

Economic sustainability has greatly improved for St. Mary Parish Agriculture due to higher commodity prices for both sugarcane and soybean crops. However, challenges still remain relative to value-added crop initiatives, environmental issues, and the continued viability of food production for the future. Researchers, extension personnel and farmers are collaborating together in addressing high-priority issues that hopefully will improve the status of Agriculture for the parish. 

Contact St. Mary Parish Extension

REMINDER: This listing is a free service of LandCAN.
St. Mary Parish Extension is not employed by or affiliated with the Land Conservation Assistance Network, and the Network does not certify or guarantee their services. The reader must perform their own due diligence and use their own judgment in the selection of any professional.

Listed in:

• Cooperative Extension