FFA Today: SAE Projects Offer North Carolina Students a Wide Array of Real-World Ag Experiences

SAE programs help FFA students build skills beyond the classroom.

MOUNT PLEASANT, NORTH CAROLINA (RFD News) — For many students, FFA is where classroom learning turns into real-world experience. Through Supervised Agricultural Experiences, or SAEs, students are building skills that go beyond the classroom.

At Mount Pleasant Middle School in North Carolina, agriculture teacher and FFA advisor Ashley Miller says student involvement can vary in difficulty, but the growth is always there.

“I have students [in an SAE] — the most common is learning how to cook, to something as advanced as starting their own animal livestock farm,” Miller explains.

Beyond developing ag skills, Mount Pleasant student Madison Bishop says time management is one of the biggest skills she has gained through her SAE.

“I’ve learned time management because I have to balance my class work, school work, and all the different animals I show,” Bishop says. “I do horses, rabbits, and goats. I have to balance doing different animals, and finding the right time to do all of them.”

Programs like these continue to grow, giving students hands-on experience and a path into agriculture careers.

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Knoxville native Neal Burnette-Irwin is a graduate from MTSU where he majored in Journalism and Entertainment Studies. He works as a digital content producer with RFD News and is represented by multiple talent agencies in Nashville and Chicago.


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