The Supervised Agricultural Experience Program is education. It is hands-on, real-life agricultural career preparation experiences tied to agricultural science curriculum, student aptitudes, interests and career and educational goals and to the agricultural industry. It ties together the entire agricultural education experience. Each agricultural education should have an SAE that is documented in an approved recordbook.

 

Types of SAE Projects       
Entrepreneurship
Own and operate an agricultural business 
(e.g. a lawn care service, a pay-to-fish operation, holiday poinsettia production and sales.) 

Placement
Get a job or internship on a farm or ranch, at an agriculture-based business, or in a school or factory laboratory. 

Research and Experimentation
Plan and conduct a scientific experiment. 
(e.g. Determine whether the phases of the moon affect plant growth, or test and determine the efficacy of different welding methods.)

Exploratory
This type of SAE is appropriate for all agriculture students. This SAE activity is designed primarily to help students become literate in agriculture and/or become aware of possible careers in the AFNR career cluster and results in the development of a plan to begin an SAE.

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Areas of Focus:

Agri-Business
These SAE’s are also entrepreneurial projects but focus on agricultural sales, services or other entrepreneurial endeavors. Horticultural production enterprises also fall under agribusiness.

 

Placement
Members whose SAE is employment should apply in the placement division. This includes work-based learning.  In the past, work-based learning were termed as agribusiness, but agribusiness must be an entrepreneurial enterprise as described above. 

 

Agri-Science
These SAE's can be placement, entrepreneurial or experimental.  In general, agri-science SAEP’s are those student programs which are aimed at developing higher order scientific knowledge and skills.

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Recordbook       
Year-end SAE Report
A writing exercise to be completed when closing a record book at the end of the reporting period.  When completed in detail at the end of each year and filed in the record book, this document should provide ample information for the completion of proficiency applications and star batteries (See Document section below).

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Need help figuring out what is the best SAE for you?

The Texas SAE Builder is a Texas Education Agency(TEA)-funded grant to help demonstrate the importance of Supervised Agricultural Experiences within the 3-circle model of Ag education. 

Remember, all FFA members are required to have a Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE). By answering a few questions, the Texas SAE Builder Tool will help determine which type of Supervised Agricultural Experience is most appropriate for you.

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