SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE
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 recordkeeping, 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.
Many students choose SAE projects that match up with their areas of interest; for example, a student that is interested in animals and becoming a veterinarian might choose to shadow a licensed veterinarian 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 production 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 have records of a supervised agricultural experience program.
SAE AREAS & IDEAS
Listed below are 39 Iowa FFA proficiency areas, which are general areas of SAE programs that students can participate in. Students are not limited to just one SAE program - depending on their dedication and available facilities, they can have as many projects as they choose! Explore the areas below for ideas of SAE programs, but remember that SAE projects are not one-size-fits-all; these are just ideas to get students thinking about what kind of projects they can pursue in each area. If you have any questions about supervised agricultural experience programs, consult with Mr. Eischeid.
Agricultural Mechanics - Design & Fabrication
Agricultural Mechanics - Repair & Maintenance
Agriscience Research - Animal Systems
Agriscience Research - Integrated Systems
Agriscience Research - Plant Systems
Diversified Agricultural Production
Diversified Livestock Production
Environmental Science & Natural Resources Management
Fiber and/or Oil Crop Production
There are four main areas of SAE projects: Entrepreneurship (creating/maintaining one's own business), Placement (working for someone else's operation), Exploratory (discovering a career in a pressure-free manner), and Research (maintaining experiments and lab-type projects that solve a problem or question). Choose any or all of these types of SAE programs that match up with your interests and availability!
SAE AWARDS & RECOGNITION
When SAE and FFA overlap, students have the opportunity to earn awards and achievements at the chapter, district, state, and national levels. This includes FFA degree advancement (above the Greenhand FFA Degree level), proficiency awards, scholarships, internship opportunities, and leadership positions.
Students should reference the Iowa FFA Association and the National FFA Organization websites for more information on proficiency awards, scholarships, and advanced FFA degrees.
Many members of the Carroll Area FFA have used the success of their SAE programs to earn the Iowa FFA Degree and the American FFA Degree, the highest honors that the Iowa FFA Association and the National FFA Organization can bestow, respectively.
