An Afternoon SAE Visit!

On Thursday afternoon after school, Mr. Fellenbaum and I headed off through the rolling hills of Lancaster County for an SAE visit. 

We went to visit one of my students in the Intro to AFNR class, Berklee. She is a freshman and is already an active FFA member. She has two SAE projects: a entrepreneurship sheep project at her home, and a placement project at her Grandfather's poultry farm. Prior to our visit, I reviewed Berklee's AET records to see how she is working to grow her projects.

Berklee's sheep

First we went to her home and she showed us her sheep project. Berklee has been showing sheep since she was in 4th grade and will be showing 4 sheep this year at the local fairs. I asked her to explain how she cares for her sheep as well as how she prepares them for the shows. Berklee was very knowledgeable and discussed how she monitors their health, rate of gain, and gets them used to being walked/handled. I was impressed. I also asked her what her favorite part of raising sheep was, to which she replied learning about showmanship and competing with her siblings.

Next we walked over to her grandfather's poultry farm, where Berklee works part time. She helps sort the eggs that are collected and prepares them for shipment. Berklee is currently preparing to compete in the Poultry Evaluation CDE - so she has the perfect place to practice egg grading! 

Berklee is in the class I've taught all semester, so it was neat to conduct an SAE visit with a student I've been teaching for a while because you already have that rapport built. It was a great afternoon and I learned a lot - thanks Berklee!

Berklee and her grandfather's Dorper sheep

Student Teaching Week 4!

It's hard to believe we're already 4 weeks into the semester! This past week was full of growth and fun experiences! Here are my takeaways from the week:

CASE is a teaching tool - not a one-size fits all curriculum.

This semester I have the chance to co-teach CASE Intro to AFNR with Mr. Fellenbaum. It has taken some getting used to when preparing for lessons. I honestly think it's sometimes a little harder to prepare for a CASE class because it's prewritten curriculum. I say that because it's easy to read over the CASE materials and feel like you're prepared for the next day - when really you should be reviewing your content knowledge and anticipating what questions students will ask. It's also important to keep in mind that CASE is just a teaching tool and you shouldn't always be teaching the lessons exactly as they're written. I feel like I've gotten better at planning/preparing for the CASE class and asking questions beforehand to make sure I'm prepared. One thing I would like to continue to improve on is incorporating/adding different activities into the CASE Intro to AFNR class to address more of Gardner's Multiple Intelligences. One thing I tried the other day is having students take notes by doing a gallery walk. Essentially the notes for the day were posted around the room and students walked around to take notes. It was an effective and simple way for students to get up and move around - plus it is a nice change from taking notes via PowerPoint.

SAE's are AWESOME.

This isn't a new revelation for me, but the more I experience in the world of Supervised Agricultural Experiences, the more I believe in their power of fostering student growth and success. This week I went on an SAE visit to visit with a senior who is a 4th generation tobacco farmer (check out my blog about it here!). It was awesome to see and hear about how much that student has learned through his SAE project over the years. In my Intro to AFNR class, students began exploring the world of SAE and will work on planning their first SAE project this coming week. It was so much fun to see how excited some students got as they looked through the SAE Idea cards and began picking out ideas that appealed to their interests. I'm looking forward to seeing where their SAE projects will take them this semester.

Thanks for following this journey with me, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Specialty Crop SAE visit: Tobacco

Today I got to learn more about a crop that I previously knew nothing about: tobacco. Lancaster County produces most of the tobacco grown in Pennsylvania and is a common cash crop to see on farms. Mr. Fellenbaum and I went to visit Jonathon, a senior in the Penn Manor ag program and a 4th generation tobacco farmer.

Jonathon and his sister, Renee, stripping tobacco.

Jonathan is an active FFA member and will complete Penn Manor's Ag Production program when he graduates this year. He has been developing his Placement and Entrepreneurship Specialty Crop SAE projects since he was in middle school, and currently has his Keystone Degree. We went to visit his SAE project on his family's farm, where they grow 26 acres of tobacco every year in addition to other crops. It was easy to see how much Jonathon has learned over the years. He talked me through the entire process of producing tobacco including pest management, why you have to top the tobacco plants before they flower (the plant can focus its energy on growing the leaves instead of a flower), cutting and drying the plants, and finally stripping the leaves. I also got to see how the leaves are graded and sorted as they are stripped. Producing quality tobacco is both a science and an art, according to Jonathon and his dad, and it also takes a lot of time and hard work.

Before the visit, we planned the date with Jonathon and Mr. Fellenbaum and I talked about how he has grown his SAE over the years. I would evaluate Jonathon's SAE project based on learning that is evidenced both during the visit and through his AET record books. At one point during the visit, I asked Jonathon what is the most important quality/characteristic he's developed by producing tobacco. He immediately answered, "taking the time to do things right the first time." Jonathon keeps records on his project in AET and will be applying for a proficiency award this year. In the Penn Manor ag program, SAE's are a part of the class grade. In addition, students earn 1 SAE credit per year by investing at least 120 hours into their project and keeping record of it. SAE visits also make up a part of students' evaluations, and the four ag teachers here at Penn Manor divide and conquer SAE visits over the summer. 

I really enjoyed visiting Jonathon and learning all about his SAE project. It's truly awesome to see students get excited and teach you something they love learning about!

Perk of being an Ag Teacher: Summer SAE visits!

I wasn't in an Agricultural Education program growing up, so when I decided to major in Agricultural and Extension Education this whole 3-circle Agricultural Education model was completely new to me. As I was trying to learn all of these new acronyms, SAE was one that caught my eye. The concept of Supervised Agricultural Experience was mind blowing. Absolute genius.

Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE) is a one of three key components in an Agricultural Education program, and is intended for every student participating in Agricultural Education. At its core, SAE is experiential learning. Students get to plan, manage, and keep record of a project that exposes them to careers within Agricultural, Food, and Natural Resources industries, connects to what they're learning in the classroom, provides career/college preparation, and takes place in a real-world environment. Another important part of SAE projects is teacher supervision, hence the SAE visit.

SAE visits allow the Agricultural Educator to check in with the student and provide supervision, advice, as well promoting student reflection on their experiences. On July 10th, I had the opportunity to accompany Mr. Fellenbaum on three SAE visits around the school district!

Madison with her pigs she is raising for her SAE project

Maddie, Swine Production, Entrepreneurship SAE

At 9:00am Mr. Fellenbaum and I drove to visit Maddie at her home, where she is raising three pigs for the fair as her Entrepreneurship SAE project. The first thing we did when we got there was talked to Madison about how everything was going. Mr. Fellenbaum asked Maddie what she has done or learned about raising her pigs since his last visit. One of her pigs was recovering from an illness, so she noted that it has been important to make sure that pig was still growing and making up for the weight he had lost.

Preparing to weigh the pigs

I really enjoyed hearing what Madison had to say about her experience and see all of the hard work she was putting into raising her pigs. I have no experience with pigs, so this was all new to me! Next, Madison weighed all three pigs using a scale that Mr. Fellenbaum had brought along. After some coaxing and maneuvering, all three pigs were weighed. Then, Madison used their current weight and her records from the last time they were weighed to determine each pig’s rate of gain! Can someone say real world math?! All of this information was then recorded into Maddie’s AET record book. Maddie’s mom was present through the whole visit and shared with us how much time and hard work Madison puts into her SAE project. With the pigs happily playing with a new toy (a basketball) it was time to say goodbye and head off to our next visit.

Kenny showing us the ins and outs of his family's sprayer

Kenny, Diversified Crop Production, Placement SAE

Our 10:30am SAE visit was with Kenny, an incoming senior with a well-developed Placement SAE project. Kenny works on his family farm, where this summer he spent approximately 5 weeks spraying his family’s corn crop. He showed us his sprayer, which has an awesome built-in GPS system. He had me climb up in the machine and explained how the GPS system works as well as how it benefits both his family business by saving them money and time. Kenny informed me that he has his pesticide applicator certification and showed us how he safely prepares pesticides for application. Kenny was so knowledgeable about how to operate every part of the machine and its function, which was awesome to see. He obviously learned a lot this summer, and he even talked about how what he has learned on the farm connected to things he had learned in class! Mr. Fellenbaum didn't have to ask many questions during this part of the visit as Kenny was eager to share all about his experiences and what he's learned. I know I definitely learned a lot from Kenny and really enjoyed hearing him speak with excitement and confidence about what he does on his family farm. 

Kenny with one of the piglets

Then we went down to the barn where we looked at the pigs Kenny is raising for the fair. Kenny showed us how he takes care of the pigs and told us he has begun to walk them in preparation for the fair. Mr. Fellanbaum and Kenny also looked through his AET record book, and Mr. Fellenbaum answered a few questions Kenny had. After getting to hold a piglet and saying goodbye to Kenny, we left to go eat lunch.

Ryan showing us his tomatoes and eggplants.

Ryan, Vegetable Production, Entrepreneurship SAE

Our last SAE visit for the day was at 2:30pm with Ryan, a recent graduate of the Penn Manor Ag Ed program. Ryan’s Entrepreneurship SAE project was truly a sight to behold. Ryan owns and manages a large and growing produce business. He grows over 30 tomato varieties as well as bell peppers and eggplants on approximately 7 acres near his home. He manages all aspects of his business, which is quite impressive. He hires friends and migrant workers to help pick the produce, and pays them an hourly rate. The harvested produce gets picked up by a truck each week and is sold to companies like Blue Apron, Four Seasons, and others in the Maryland and New Jersey area. 

Ryan also works on other produce farms, which is where he learned much of what he knows now about produce farming. Ryan said he also utilizes his uncle, who is an agronomist, and Penn State Extension for advice. With years of experience and taking advantage of valuable resources available, Ryan was excited to talk to me about what he has learned. He confidently answered all of the questions I had about growing vegetables such as indeterminate vs. determinant plants, as well as various pests and how he manages them. Ryan has no intentions of stopping his SAE project and plans keep growing the business. While at our visit, Mr. Fellenbaum asked questions about what Ryan's plans for the future now that he has graduated and talked to Ryan about applying for his American Degree in the coming years.

The rewards of hard work - Bell Peppers!

I thoroughly enjoyed my day of SAE visits and getting to see more of the school district. It was great to meet Madison, Kenny, and Ryan and see how much they've learned through their SAE projects (as well as learn myself!). I'm really excited to student teach at Penn Manor and have the chance to work with students on their SAE projects in the coming year!