Ownership SAE Visit - Gardening, Bees, and Chickens

Today I had the pleasure of visiting a student at their Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) project. Luckily for us, this student is enrolled in the SAE class at Cumberland Valley High School so we were able to do the visit in the school greenhouse. I will use my responses to the following eight questions to summarize my visit. 

1. Who did you visit?

I visited a junior who is currently enrolled in the SAE course at the high school. This student has two active SAE projects that involve gardening (starting plants in his greenhouse then transplanting them outside) and raising chickens. This student used to have a beekeeping SAE project, but sadly the bees became subject to a parasite and left his hive. He hopes to restart his beekeeping project and eliminate his chicken project over the summer.  

2. Where did the visit occur?

Our visit occurred at the school greenhouse. The SAE class meets once a week in-person and students use the period to work on their SAE projects or related SAE projects. This student has a particular interest in horticulture and one of his responsibilities is to water the plants in the greenhouse on Mondays. If it were not for COVID, we likely would have visited this student at his house where his gardening, beekeeping, and chicken-rearing projects are housed. 

3. What preparations did you make prior to the visit?

In preparation for the visit, I had to schedule a time with this student that worked for both parties. Additionally, I checked to see what his grade was in the SAE class and if he had any missing assignments. I was not able to check the AET - an online record-keeping system - because I do not have an account with the high school, but my cooperating teacher assured me his records were up-to-date. 

4. What was the student's SAE program?

I asked the student which SAE program he thought was the best fit for his projects and he responded, "Ownership, because I purchased my supplies". I do not disagree with his comment, especially if he were talking about the bees or chickens he cares for. However, I do believe that this student also has a school-based enterprise SAE project because of his work watering the plants in the greenhouse, which while it is mostly empty now, would typically be packed wall to wall with plants for the spring plant sale. 

Cumberland Valley Agriscience student works in the greenhouse during SAE class time.

 5. How would you evaluate or rate the program? On what criteria?

I would rate this student's SAE project a 4 out of 5 (very good). I did not utilize any specific rubric for my visit. But I feel that this student has shown initative for having more than one SAE project. Additionally, this student keeps thorough records and pays close attention to detail in separating his three SAE projects from one another. I did not rate this student's SAE project a 5 out of 5 because I feel there is still room for growth. This student could expand his SAE projects by turning his ownership project into an entrepreneurship project by selling seedlings from his greenhouse or produce he grows in his garden. 

6. What recommendations were made for improvement?

This student mentioned to me that he was experiencing two major problems with his SAE projects. The first being that his bees abandoned him. We discussed several strategies for getting new bees including luring wild bees to his hive using "trap" he saw another beekeeper use. Additionally, this student expressed concern that rats were getting into his chicken feed and causing a mess. I suggested to this student that he keeps his chicken feed in a sealed container like a garbage can with a lid. 

Beyond technical assistance, I also suggested to this student, an upperclassman, that it was time to consider applying for SAE Proficiencies. He did not share my same enthusiasm, but I hope he will reconsider in the future.  

7. What record books were being used?

This student, and all students at Cumberland Valley, use the AET record system. The AET, or Agriculture Experience Tracker, is an online platform where students can create journal entries, log the hours they worked, and manage expenses/income related to their SAE projects. 

8. How does the cooperating teacher "grade" the SAE program? 

Students do not receive a grade for their SAE projects unless they are enrolled in the SAE class. For this particular visit, there was no grade associated with the visit, but students do receive 10 points for AET checks. To date, the SAE class has had 4 AET checks during the 2020-2021 school year. 

I am looking forward to my second SAE visit in March. I hope to visit a student with an internship/placement SAE project because that is the most popular type of SAE program students have.  If you have visited or supervised an SAE project in the past, what are some tips for visiting with students?