Supervised agricultural experience (SAE) programs are student-created and student-maintained projects that allow students in agricultural education courses to extend their learning outside of the classroom and gain valuable skills. Students can take these skills with them after high school to the college or career of their choice. SAE programs teach students skills in record keeping, customer service, financial responsibility, work ethic, and career and college readiness. With some dedication, students can also develop their projects to become quite lucrative throughout their high school career.
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Many students choose SAE projects that match with their areas of interest; for example, a student interested in animals and becoming a veterinarian might choose to shadow a licensed veterinarian or raise a market steer and explore that career field in a hands-on setting. Projects can be found in all areas of agriculture and range from rural to urban, volunteer to paid work, and traditional agriculture positions to new and cutting-edge facets of agriculture. Any student can find a valuable project that meets their needs and expectations, and all students in agricultural education courses are expected to maintain records of supervised agricultural experience program.
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SAE Areas & Ideas
Listed below are 39 Iowa FFA proficiency areas, which are general areas of immersion SAE programs that students can participate in. Students are not just limited to one area or one SAE program -- depending on their dedication and available facilities, they may have as many projects as they choose! Explore the areas below for ideas of SAE projects, but remember that these projects are not one-size-fits-all; these are just ideas to get students thinking about different project options.
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