The LSU AgCenter will host AgMagic, an interactive event that teaches young people about agriculture, in Baton Rouge and the New Orleans area this spring.

In Baton Rouge, AgMagic will return for its 15th year at the Parker Coliseum on the LSU campus April 16-22. Registered school groups will tour the exhibits during the week, while the public is invited to come on the weekend. Admission is free.

AgMagic offers a fun venue to learn about the Louisiana agriculture industry and its importance.

“Many of today’s children think their food comes from the grocery store,” said Bill Richardson, LSU vice president for agriculture and dean of the College of Agriculture. “AgMagic helps them understand where their food and fiber comes from. Louisiana agriculture produces the food they eat, the clothes they wear and the wood homes they live in.”

AgMagic visitors will be guided through seven portals: 4-H: Learn by Doing, World of Wonder, Farming the Waters, Plants Produce for You, Bugs Rule, Animals Produce for You and Farm Gate to Dinner Plate.

Each portal features educational displays and hands-on activities. One of the most popular attractions is getting to hold baby chicks in the farm animal section, which also includes goats, sheep, rabbits and cattle.

AgMagic on the River will return to the New Orleans area May 8-11 for school groups and May 12 for the public. The event will be held at the Meraux Foundation’s Docville Farm in Violet, La.

Schools can schedule visits to either location by going to http://www.eventbrite.com/ and searching for “AgMagic.”

Additional information — including a link where people can sign up to volunteer — is available at http://www.lsuagcenter.com/AgMagic.