A young girl stands on a farm, holding a notebook. The screen divides into two halves, with the right still showing the girl. On the left, the video title, "Choosing an SAE that’s right for me," appears. It transitions to another girl working on her laptop. A Venn diagram displays three intersecting circles: "FFA Leadership, Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE), Classroom and Laboratory Instruction." "Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE)" is highlighted. The scene transitions to a flowchart titled “Step 1 – Selecting a SAE Type”.
Choosing a supervised agricultural experience, or SAE, is important when you consider that your SAE should be about one-third of your total agricultural education experience. When determining what type of SAE is best for you, begin by looking at your own personal interests, inside and outside of agriculture.
A boy writes his interests in a notebook, transitioning to a girl browsing the internet on her laptop. The scene shifts back to the boy writing in his notebook.
Begin by making a list of those interests. You can tie these interests into the more traditional types of SAEs like livestock projects or working in production agriculture, or you could tie them into the creation of some very innovative SAEs.
An elderly man talks to a boy across a table labeled “Job Shadowing.” They converse, and it transitions to two beef cattle standing in a field.An interviewer interviews an old man and then transitions to a mechanic repairing a machine.
You could design your SAE as a job-shadowing project to explore career opportunities in animal science, communication, AG mechanics, or in natural resources.
A small plant is shown, labeled “Scientific Research,” transitioning to a series of images depicting plants. A USDA website loading page appears, labeled “Placement SAE.” It shifts to an older man working on a computer, explaining something to a young boy beside him, labeled “Entrepreneurial SAE.”
Your SAE could be a scientific research project comparing plant growth between hydroponics and conventional methods, or a Placement SAE working as an intern for the USDA. And if you have the means and wherewithal, your SAE could be entrepreneurial. Maybe an “agri-computer business”—designing websites for local AG businesses or your FFA chapter.
A woman is working in a laboratory. A series of images depict young men and women engaged in agriculture-related research. A woman is working on her laptop. An older man shakes hands with a young boy and invites him into his workshop. Then, a woman is seen browsing the internet on a computer.
Another thing to consider is that completing a research SAE will allow you to compete not only in proficiency awards, but also the agriscience fair. By looking at your available resources and thinking outside the box, you should be able to find an innovative SAE that will fit your needs and lead to a wonderful SAE experience.