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Mt. Everett Agricultural Education

SAE Project Proposal

Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) Projects consist of planned practical

activities conducted outside of class time in which students develop and apply agricultural knowledge and skills.

Name of Student ______________________________

1st year Ag class – 20 hrs 2nd or 3rd year Ag class– 30 hrs

Type of SAE project (circle): Entrepreneurship Placement

Where will the SAE project be done? Please include name & contact information for Placement SAE’s

Who will supervise you?

Describe your SAE project? What will you be doing?

Student’s learning objectives: (what do you hope to learn/accomplish)

1.

2.

3.

Any restrictions?

Required Signatures

I have read & understand the responsibilities associated with the SAE project. Please see attached information or

contact Mrs. Melino with any questions at dmelino@sbrsd.org or (413)229-8734 ext 135

Student _________________________________________ Date____________

Parent/Guardian___________________________________ Date ____________

Supervisor*_______________________________________ Date ____________

*if different from parent/guardian

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Letter to potential employers/supervisors – Placement SAE projects ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

I would like to first thank you for your willingness to assist our students in developing and enhancing their

agricultural education outside of the regular classroom. The Supervised Agricultural Experience is an

opportunity for students to gain hands-on work experience or observation of the agriculture industry. Each

student must select and complete an SAE project during the semester in which they are enrolled in an

Agriculture class. This project does count as approximately 25% of the student’s grade in our class.

Students in agricultural education have completed SAE projects since the beginning of agricultural education

in 1917. The SAE component of our program is not only a local requirement. The state and federal

guidelines that established and monitor agricultural education mandate that each student must have an SAE

project.

The student you will be working with has selected a placement SAE project. This type of SAE involves 20-

30 hours of observation within the agricultural industry. The goal is for the student to gain knowledge about

an agricultural career and gain hands-on experience. The position may be paid or unpaid.

In the event the student does not fulfill any duties or responsibilities outlined by your company you should

not feel obligated to continue working with the student. If you have any problems with the student’s

performance, you can contact me at 413.229.8734 ext. 135 and/or discuss the issue with the student.

Thank you again for you participation in this project. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions

or concerns.

Sincerely,

Danielle Melino

Mt. Everett Agriculture Instructor/ FFA advisor

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SAE Project

Overview

Supervised Agricultural Experience projects (SAE) are a major component of

Agriculture classes at SBRSD. The SAE is designed and carried out by the

student with the support of the parent and the supervision of the agriculture

teacher and/or employer. The SAE could involve the student working for an employer, starting their own

small business, or some other type of agricultural activity or research based on agriculture. The student will

then keep accurate records (hours worked, money made, etc.) of their experience and compile it in their SAE

record book. Each student is responsible for planning, implementing and keeping records for their project.

In order for this to be a beneficial learning experience, you have to have a vested interest in your project and

really work on this throughout the duration of the class. Students will be required to put in a recommended

number of hours of work into their project, keep current and accurate records, reflect on what they learn and

accomplish, take pictures and communicate with parents, supervisors and their teacher.

The importance of SAE programs extends far beyond the agricultural education classroom. An SAE is a

catalyst for personal growth, career development and responsible citizenship that leads to individual, group

and societal benefits not possible through formal education alone. Skills, knowledge, experiences and

connections gained through SAEs remain with students for a lifetime and positively influence others along

the way. An SAE is more than an integral part of agricultural education; it is tangible learning with an

applied purpose and measurable results. Having a SAE is essential for the student to succeed in the

agricultural education program. SAE programs benefit students, schools, employers, communities, parents,

and teachers.

A SAE recordbook will be provided by your teacher. Once you have chosen your project you will begin

filling out the SAE Record book. You MUST record all hours immediately after you fulfill them. If you do

not record your hours in a timely manner, they will not be counted.

Types of SAE Projects

Placement: A work-based SAE in which a student learns and gains skills in a paid or unpaid position on a

farm or agricultural business. Examples include working on a farm, volunteering at an animal shelter,

working as a veterinarian assistant, caring for and training horses, assisting at a local feed store, working

with Greenagers or Garden club, caring for the school animals on the weekends, volunteering with a wildlife

rehabilitator, working at a nursery/garden center.

Entrepreneurship: Owning, organizing and managing inputs and assuming the risks of an SAE business or

enterprise. An entrepreneurship SAE may involved owning and producing crops, animals for various reasons

or providing a service. Examples include raising poultry, pet sitting, dog walking, selling homemade dog

biscuits, breeding rabbits, showing livestock, bee keeping, landscaping service, tree work.

Research: Developing a research project that uses the scientific method to investigate an agriculture-related

question. Science projects can be entered into the Massachusetts State FFA Agriscience Competition.

Improvement: These activities are upgrades or enhancements to your home, job, school or community. The

activity may be volunteer based and either individual or group based. Examples include renovating a garden

bed at home, volunteering with the Greenagers, volunteering at the GB fairgrounds, fixing a fence,

reorganizing a tack room.

** Improvement projects are supplementary to a main SAE project**

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Steps

1. Investigation: look into possible SAE projects. Discuss with parents & teacher.

2. Planning: Decide on your SAE & set goals

a. Turn in SAE project proposal with all signatures as soon as possible, preferably within 2

weeks.

3. Coordination: Communicate with your teacher, supervisor and parents

4. Start project

5. Record hours and information in record book

6. Submit record book for checks and at the end of both quarters.

▪ You should include any receipts and pay stubs in your record book. These are for your own records.

I will just check to see that they are there.

▪ Take pictures throughout the course of the project. The pictures are the evidence that you did the SAE.

You will need a minimum of 8 pictures

▪ Throughout the semester, you will submit a SAE Update Paragraph. You will submit thoughts about

your project so far or what you have planned for the next week. These will be turned into the HW bin in

class, graded and returned. They must be included in your recordbook at the end of the semester.

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BENEFITS OF SAE Benefits to Students

Assists with career and personal choices while building self-esteem.

Applies business practices such as record keeping and money management.

Nurtures individual talents and develops a cooperative attitude toward others.

Builds character and encourages citizenship and volunteerism.

Developing self-confidence and a good work ethic.

Providing educational and agricultural experiences in a specialized area of agriculture.

Giving practical meaning to courses studied in school.

Providing an opportunity to earn money while learning.

Developing employability and thinking skills.

Helping to develop the ability to assume responsibility.

Assisting in making the transition from school to work.

Providing an opportunity to become established in an agricultural business/career.

Provides the opportunity to win awards: FFA proficiency awards and degrees are based on the

SAE program.

Benefits to School and Teachers

Strengthens relations between the school, community and agriculture program.

Serves as a motivational tool for student learning and scholastic achievement.

Creates familiarity with and promotes new technologies and agricultural practices.

Expands agricultural competencies learned in the classroom and laboratory.

Benefits to Employers and the Agricultural Industry

Provides a labor force skilled in technical and applied agricultural practices.

Keeps young people involved in the local community and/or the agriculture industry.

Serves as an effective venue for on-the-job training and career preparation.

Assists schools in keeping instruction relevant based on industry needs.

A Quality SAE Project focuses on the student as a Learner.

The student…

Sets challenging and realistic goals

Continually develops and practices new skills

Takes advantage of opportunities to learn and grow

Communicates with teachers and workplace mentors

Maintains accurate and detailed records

Meets the hourly requirements

Keeps all required paperwork and goals current

Documents the project (photographs, portfolios, etc.)

Demonstrates the ability to reflect on their learning

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Innovative Ideas for SAE Projects Introduction Probably the most difficult part of the SAE is picking out the right project for you. Some students will

naturally fall into a SAE if they live on farm, already have a part-time job at an agribusiness, or a hobby

related to agriculture. Other students may have to be more creative when deciding what to do for their

project.

Before you begin to browse through the list of ideas you should review a number of factors that should be

first considered when selecting a SAE program.

Factors to Consider Before Selecting a SAE Project 1. Cost – How much money will be required to buy the supplies and equipment for the SAE? If a substantial

amount of money is required to start the SAE, where will it come from?

2. Potential for profit – If the SAE is an entrepreneurship type of SAE, is there a reasonable chance to make

a profit? Will people want to buy the product or service? The goal is to make money.

3. Marketing – Where will the product be sold? Is there a demand for the product or service? How will the

product or service be advertised and marketed?

4. Space or land required – Some SAE programs require land, pens, greenhouse bench space, lab space,

etc. Is space or land available? Will you have to pay rent for the space? Who will provide the space or land?

5. Availability of equipment – In order to conduct the SAE, is specialized equipment required? Some

Agriscience research projects may require microscopes, scales, Petri dishes, etc. Is that equipment readily

available for your use? Some farming activities also require specialized equipment such as combines,

tractors, planters, etc. Is this equipment available for your use? Is it possible to lease the equipment or pay

someone to do some of the activities for you?

6. Length of time to completion – How long will it take to complete the SAE activity? Will it become a

long- term project? The SAE should provide opportunity for growth in scope and size throughout your high

school career.

7. Amount of time student has available (how many other extracurricular activities are the student

involved in?) – How much time does the student have available to dedicate to the SAE activity? Some SAE

programs may require minimal time commitments, while others may require substantial amounts of time.

The timing of when most activities occur in the SAE also must be examined. If a student plays a lot of

baseball, then this could interfere with a lawn care SAE since both occur during the same time.

8. Will you learn something new? – The goal of the SAE is to learn – preferably to learn something new

9. Is the SAE of sufficient scope to be challenging but not overwhelming? – Some SAE activities could

be very simple to do and some can be very, very challenging. The secret is to select an SAE activity that is in

the middle. It will require some effort but will not be overwhelming.

10. Legal Issues – There are certain legal issues that must be considered in selecting an SAE. Child labor

laws prevent 14- and 15-year-old students from doing certain types of work. In selecting an SAE, you want

to make sure it is legal to do what you have in mind.

11. Availability of transportation – If a student considers a placement type of SAE, how would she or he

get to the place of employment? Transportation must be available.

12. Related to Career Choice – Perhaps one of the most important factors to consider in selecting an

SAE is, “Is this SAE related to my potential career?” Ideally, the SAE will have some relationship to the

career choice of the student.

13. Personal Interest – One of the most important factors in selecting an SAE is personal interest. One

should select a project that appeals to him or her and will be enjoyable.

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Responsibilities Student Teacher Supervisor/Employer Parent

Do an honest days work

Arrange for transportation

Be punctual, dependable

and loyal

Follow instructions, avoid

hazards and always be alert

to unsafe conditions

Keep accurate records

Record skills and

accomplishments

Communicate with

supervisor, parents and

teachers

Notify supervisor as soon as

possible if work is to be

missed

Accept supervisors guidance

and suggestions willingly

Be courteous and

considerate at all times

Prepare students for

SAE experience

Provide support

Assist students with

SAE ideas and

opportunities

Provide guidance to all

other parties involved

Provide a variety of skills and

tasks for the student

Assign student new skills as they

make progress

Avoid unnecessary hazards

Give honest, constructive

appraisal of students

accomplishments

Notify teacher and/or parents

when difficulties arise

Notify teacher and parents when

illness or accidents occur

Conference willingly with

teacher, student and parents as

needed

Complete monthly evaluations &

final review/grade

Help teacher and

supervisor to arrange the

best work schedule for the

student

Assist in providing

transportation

Keep informed about

what competencies and

skills the student is

learning

Promote the value of the

experience with the

student

Notify the teacher of any

difficulties

Help the student manage

his/her time,

responsibilities and

activities in such a way to

get the most out of the

experience

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Placement SAE ideas Farms & Agribusinesses

*Please contact the business to inquire about opportunities.*

Veterinarians: Bilmar, Sand Road, VCA

Larkin Farm

Pine Island Farm

Berkshire grown

Taft Farms

Turner Farm

Indian Line Farm

Moon in the Pond Farm

Twin Rivers Farm

Wards nursery

Windy Hill Farm

Project Native

Agway

Wolfspring Farm

Berkshire Botanical Garden

Mayflower Farm

Sky View Farm (Will & Amelia Conklin)

Woven roots farm

Freunds Farm

North Plain Farm

Leahey Farm

Berkshire Wildflower Honey

Farm Girl Farm

Howden Farm

Cricket Creek Farm

Fish Hatchery

High Lawn Farm

North Plain Farm

Hancock Shaker Village

Keep Berkshires Farming

Greenagers: community gardening, community

outreach

UME Garden Club – assist Peggy Wilson

Petco

Berkshire Humane Society

Purradise

Columbia-Greene Humane Society

Bow Meow Regency

Equine Advocates – Chatham NY

Blue Rider

Dandelion Hill Farm

Mill River Farm

Entreneurship SAE ideas

Starting a Christmas Tree Farm

Plant a garden

Animal housing

o Chicken coops

o Chicken tractors

o Bird houses

o Bird feeders

o Bat houses

o Dog houses/kennels

o Butterfly houses

Raise chickens & sell eggs/meat/chicks

Raise rabbits

Lawn care

Tree work

Goat brush hogging

Homemade dog treats

Homemade cat toys/cat scratchers/cat trees/cat

jungle gyms

Grow cat grass/catnip

Training your dog – therapy dog

Training horses

Animal rehab

Improvement project idea

School courtyards

Greenhouse area

Yellow house

Bird feeders on campus

Clean up & maintenance of trails/vernal pools

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Record Keeping - Introduction Welcome to the wonderful world of SAE record books! Keeping accurate records of your project is critically

important for the development of a successful SAE experience. Record Keeping is the most important tool

you will have in your SAE experience.

What is Record Keeping? Record keeping, simply put, is the process of keeping a journal or record of what you have done. In your

SAE experience, you will need to make notes whenever you do or learn something new. You will need to

document the time and money you spend in your experience. Learning the record keeping process will be a

great tool for you in the future as you enter your career.

What are reasons for keeping SAE records? Records provide a wealth of information for the agricultural student. They are used for the following:

To see if you made or lost money - You need to know if your SAE is making or losing money. We don’t

want to continue doing things that lose money.

So someone else can’t cheat you out of what you have earned - An employer may forget to record the

number of hours you work. If you have a partner in a business enterprise, good records are critical to make

sure you receive your fair share of the profits.

To determine which parts of the business are doing well and which parts are not - A farm market recently

decided to keep detailed records on their business and discovered, to their surprise, that the ice cream

operation was losing money, but the bakery was making money. This led to an overhaul of their operation.

To make management decisions - Records will help you decide whether you need to hire additional people,

reduce or increase acreage, switch to a different crop, etc.

For documentation purposes when seeking a loan - Bankers want to see a net worth statement before

loaning money. If you don’t have financial records, it is hard to develop a net worth statement. A net worth

statement is a snapshot of your current financial situation and will give you important clues about where you

should concentrate your financial planning efforts. Net worth statements are also useful for other purposes,

such as when applying for a mortgage, credit card, car loan or college financial aid.

To prepare your tax returns - You need to know how much money you made or lost and what items can be

deducted in order to file a tax return.

For planning for future events - If you record the dates on which animals were bred, you can anticipate

when the offspring will be born. If you record the dates on which crops were planted, you can anticipate

when they will start growing and/or be ready to market.

To document your activities for FFA recognitions and degree purposes - To compete for FFA Proficiency

Awards and for FFA degrees, you have to have the records of what you did on your SAE.

For legal purposes - You keep records to document when certain agricultural practices were performed in

case there is a problem (i.e., crops all die after you apply a chemical) or to determine when a crop can be

harvested after it has been treated with an agricultural chemical.

To help plan a budget for the next year - If you know how much supplies costs this year, you will have a

good idea of the costs for next year and can plan your budget accordingly. You will also know how much

income to expect.

You will receive a grade for your accuracy and attention to detail in your SAE record books. The

components of the SAE record book are on the following pages. You should update your SAE record books

after every experience, on a weekly basis, or after every pay period.

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Mt. Everett

SAE Record book

Name: __________________________

Year: _________________

Project Title: ____________________________

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Hours log Date Summary of Activity Time Spent Supervisor

*where did you work? initials

* what did you do?

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Total Hours ________

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Record of Expenses

Item purchased Cost of item # of items Total cost

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Total costs ____________

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Record of Income

Date received Items sold/services performed Amount

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Total earned _____________

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Inventory

List all items used in project and their approximate value

Item Value

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About my SAE

Summarize your project in a few paragraphs:

The most memorable part of my SAE was….

What I learned the most from my project was….

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List and describe 5 skills you learned during this project

Skill 1

Skill 2

Skill 3

Skill 4

Skill 5

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FFA Leadership and Participation

Degrees Received Date

Greenhand

Chapter

State

American

FFA offices held

Year Officer position Committees

CDE Teams

Year Event Team members Placing –

state/national

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FFA Activities

Date Activity & summary

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Essay page

Tell me about your project

What did you learn from your project?

What skills or procedures did you use to complete your project?

What help did you receive from other people?

Did you have any difficulties?

Did you gain any skills that will benefit you in your future?

Essay format, typed, 12 pt. font, times new roman font. Minimum of one page.

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Mt. Everett High School

SAE Evaluation

To be completed by whoever is primarily responsible for supervising students SAE project.

Student _______________________________________ Jobsite_______________________________________

Supervisor ____________________________________ Supervisor Signature ___________________________________

Date completed___________________

Exceeds Job

Requirements

(Mastery)

3

Meets Job

Requirements

(Adequate)

2

Needs

Improvement/

(Unacceptable)

1

Not Observed

0

Comments

Dependable

& Responsible

Appearance

*wears proper

attire

Attitude, Judgment

& Cooperation

Performance of

Duties/Desire to

Learn

Communicates

Effectively &

Appropriately

Craftsmanship –

The Continual

Work Towards

Perfection

Strong Points:

Areas for Improvement:

Additional Comments:

Thank you for working with our students

Questions? Concerns? Comments? Contact Mrs. Melino at dmelino@sbrsd.org

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Mt. Everett High School

SAE Evaluation

To be completed by whoever is primarily responsible for supervising students SAE project.

Student _______________________________________ Jobsite_______________________________________

Supervisor ____________________________________ Supervisor Signature ___________________________________

Date completed___________________

Exceeds Job

Requirements

(Mastery)

3

Meets Job

Requirements

(Adequate)

2

Needs

Improvement/

(Unacceptable)

1

Not Observed

0

Comments

Dependable

& Responsible

Appearance

*wears proper

attire

Attitude, Judgment

& Cooperation

Performance of

Duties/Desire to

Learn

Communicates

Effectively &

Appropriately

Craftsmanship –

The Continual

Work Towards

Perfection

Strong Points:

Areas for Improvement:

Additional Comments:

Thank you for working with our students

Questions? Concerns? Comments? Contact Mrs. Melino at dmelino@sbrsd.org

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SAE Grade Report Name:______________________________

Final project due date ____________________

Preliminary proposal

____ On time

____ Late

Record of hours

Record of expenses & income

Inventory

About my SAE

Written student essay

FFA participation

Parent/supervisor evaluation

8 Pictures with captions

Overall quality & substance of

project

Grade _________