One of my favorite parts of Agriculture Education and FFA is the aspect of learning by doing. An SAE project gives students the opportunity to learn about something they are interested in outside of the classroom walls. The skills and knowledge that they gain through their SAE (Supervised Agricultural Experience) are ones they will keep with them for the rest of their lives.
Through the SAE experience students learn how to create a budget, keep records, explore career options in agriculture and apply what they learn in class to a real life situation.
For my SAE visit with the Conneaut Area FFA I spent Monday, August 18th observing and learning about poultry and sheep production SAE's. Since I have a strong background in showing and raising sheep, Ms. Aurand asked if I would be willing to work with and judge the FFA member on fitting, showmanship and the market quality of her lamb.
Some of the things we talked about were the weight of the lamb and its weight gain since the time of purchase. We also went over the important steps to getting a market lamb ready for show.
It was very interesting to learn about the poultry SAE because I was not as familiar with it. Just like the sheep we went over how much the meat pen of chickens weighed. We also talked about the feed the chickens were getting on a daily basis.
It was great to observe the projects these students have been working on for such a long time. I even got the chance to help out at an AET workshop and help students on their records book. The entire SAE process is such a beneficial aI am looking forward to my upcoming SAE visit with the Conneaut Area FFA
"Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn."
- Benjamin Franklin
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