Hollow Rock-Bruceton FFA Members Receive National SAE Grants

Two members of the Hollow Rock-Bruceton Future Farmers of America (FFA) Chapter have been awarded National FFA Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) Grants for their outstanding agricultural projects.

Cadence Guinn received a $1,000 SAE Grant sponsored by Bayer for a project focused on environmental and natural resources, specifically the research and development of food plots. Her SAE also includes an entrepreneurship component, where she will be developing and selling wildlife food plot seed varieties designed to support several types of local wildlife, while promoting sustainable habitat management practices.

Allie Paschall received an Enhanced SAE Grant in the amount of $5,000 sponsored by Todd and Nancy Seitz to continue building upon her agricultural education initiative, “Allie’s Ag Academy.” The program focuses on expanding hands-on agricultural learning opportunities and increasing agricultural literacy among youth.

SAE grants are designed to help FFA members create or expand Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) projects, a requirement that all FFA members must complete. An SAE requires FFA members to create and operate an agriculture-related business, work at an agriculture-related business or conduct an agricultural research experience. Upon completion, FFA members must submit a comprehensive report detailing their career development experience.

This year, 23 different sponsors funded SAE Grants, with 1,468 applications submitted nationwide and only 10 applications coming from the state of Tennessee. A full list of sponsors can be found on the National FFA Organization website on the SAE Grants webpage.

Guinn and Paschall are members of the Hollow Rock-Bruceton FFA Chapter, and their applications were selected through a highly competitive national selection process.

The National FFA Organization is a school-based national youth leadership development organization of more than 1,042,245 student members as part of 9,407 local FFA chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.