Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE). Students with an SAE learn by doing. With help from their agricultural teachers, students develop an SAE project based on one or more SAE categories.
SAE Categories
Entrepreneurship
So, you want to be the boss? Now’s your chance. Own and operate an agriculture-related business or enterprise—start small and watch what happens with hard work and perseverance. The basic requirement is that you own the enterprise, equipment, and supplies, making the management decisions and taking financial risk, with the ultimate goal of earning a profit. As part of an ownership/entrepreneurship SAE, you might own and operate a lawn care service; produce bedding plants, flowers or crops; or raise animals or livestock.
Placement
If you like working for someone else, this is the SAE for you. You’ll gain experience and knowledge, and you may be paid, too! Your job or internship could be on a farm or ranch or in agricultural business, school laboratory or community facility. Track your progress by keeping records of the number of hours you work, your responsibilities and any earnings. Your placement SAE might involve working after school at a farm supply store, on Saturdays at a riding stable or even in a florist shop. Placement programs also include activities where you volunteer your time, learning valuable skills, but are not paid for your time. These unpaid hours can be done as directed school laboratory, community service or service-learning hours.
Research and Experimentation
If you like to research or analyze, this is the SAE for you. You will plan and conduct a major agricultural experiment using the scientific process and discover new knowledge. As a part of your research SAE, you verify and demonstrate or learn about scientific principals in agriculture. Some types of research opportunities include determining if phases of the moon have an effect on plant growth or determining the strength of welds using different welding methods.
Exploratory
In an exploratory SAE, you get to explore agriculture in one of a variety of ways. As a part of your exploratory SAE program, you might attend an agricultural career day or prepare a scrapbook on the work of a veterinarian.
© California FFA 2018
Common Chapter SAE's
St. Helena FFA offers SAE's focused on different career areas such as Floriculture, Livestock, Poultry and Vegetable Production
Market Goat Enterprise - Goat Production - Summer
Market Steer Enterprise - Beef Production - Summer
Market Hogs Enterprise - Swine Production - Summer
Market Sheep Enterprise - Sheep Production - Summer
Thanksgiving Turkeys Enterprise - Poultry Production - Summer, Fall
Pumpkin Patch Enterprise - Vegetable Production - Spring, Summer, Fall
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FFA Members are able to have an SAE of their very own that is not sponsored/offered by the Chapter
Top Chapter SAE's (awarded at the Ceremony)
Agriscience Research Intergraded Systems - Felicity Penterman
Felicity has conducted two agriscience research projects in different categories. Her first project being about public perception of biosolids and the second analyzing livestock grazing on fire prevention. She has loved the process of writing, researching, interviewing, and competing.
Agriscience Communications - Jimena Reynaga-Castro
Jimena is a co-founder of the St Helena Ag Program's bimonthly newsletter. The newsletter aims to form a greater sense of awareness and connectivity with the chapter and community on the program's updates and success with individual member recognition. She works as an executive editor and Spanish translator.
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Agricultural Mechanics Design and Fabrication - Anaïs Hernandez
Anais has a design and fabrication SAE. She designs projects using CAD and uses skills such as various welding processes, woodwork, and electrical wiring to implement these designs into projects which may be used around school or sold at auction.
Agriculture Sales - Jacqueline Bautista
Jacqueline's SAE covers her Floral sales through entrepreneurship. She created and sold many arrangements with natural flowers and artificial flowers made by ribbon. She started this SAE project in her freshman year and hopes to continue through the rest of her years at SHHS.
Agriscience Research-Animal Systems - Fatimah Osborne
Fatimah's project studied the use of alternative proteins in dog treats, their impact on dog task acquisition, and pet owner perceptions of these products. The project evaluated both canine performance and consumer acceptance of sustainable nutrition options. Congratulations Fatimah
Diversified Ag Production and Poultry Production - Anakarla Hernandez
Anakarla works to raise livestock for the fair, as well as work experience at Long Meadow Ranch and the Pumpkin Enterprise. For her poultry SAE, she raises chickens, turkeys, and laying hens.
Diversified Crop Production (Entrepreneurship) and Specialty Crop Production - Jacob Zuniga
Jacob’s projects include vegetable crop production and a specialty crop production SAE. Their Specialty Crop Production includes growing culinary mushrooms and locally adapted seeds. They focus on using sustainable permaculture techniques to grow the highest quantity of crop in the least amount of space.
Diversified Crop Production (Placement) - Lexi Forman
Lexi’s SAE project includes the production of various fruit and vegetable varieties that she sells. She works to plant, grow, and take care of a garden and orchard each summer. She then sells produce to customers in the valley via her business, Forman Farms.
Diversified Livestock Production - Danette Olguin Reyes
Dannete has raised 2 market hogs and turkeys which involves careful animal management, including housing and health care, to reach market weight. She had to focus on spending intentional time with the animals and paying attention to income and outcome.
Fruit and Nut Production - Yoselyn Castro Garcia
Throughout the year, Yoselyn practices the maintenance of grapes and the best ways to maintain them. She helps out by taking brix samples as well as helping with harvest.
Forest Management Products - Kai Blasingame
Kai worked over the summer splitting wood. He had a projection of selling around $5000 worth of wood for the entire year. He spent many hours splitting and stacking the wood, which was then cut and sold.
Goat Production - Karla Hernandez Hernandez
Karla raised a goat named Austin from April to August, where she fed, trained, and cared for him. During the summer, she spent extra hours training him daily. She then showed him in the Napa fair in August, where she placed 2nd in showmanship.
Landscape Management - Juan Alcantar
Juan works for Vin & Vin Landscaping. He does work both at private residences and wineries where he does tasks such as mowing, leaf blowing, hedging, and much more.
Outdoor Recreation - Luke Symon
Luke works voluntarily to research local networks of trails and outdoor recreation facilities. He has both written a paper to bring awareness to the overall structure of such trails, as well as having spent hours working for Napa County Regional Parks and Open Space in fields surrounding forestry and maintenance. All of these contributions work to positively support local sports teams and families in their enjoyment of the outdoors.
Sheep Production - Malia Lund
Through her lamb SAE project, Malia gained hands-on experience raising and caring for lambs. She built responsibility, problem solving, and animal handling skills while learning what it takes to raise healthy, high-quality animals.
Swine Production - Trinity Penterman
Trinity has been raising swine since she was 10 to save for college. She shows at the Napa Town and County Fair each summer.
Vegetable Crop Production - Nick Woods
Nick has worked the last two years on the St. Helena FFA Pumpkin Enterprise. He has been a driving force in the production of pumpkins and gourds where he took a strong leadership role and jumped at every opportunity to ensure the Pumpkin Enterprise was a success.