Allie Paschall’s (right) SAE includes helping elementary students explore agriculture through hands-on experiences. Photo courtesy of Allie Paschall.
Through “Allie’s Ag Academy,” an agricultural education-focused Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE), Hollow Rock-Bruceton FFA member Allie Paschall has provided more than 350 youth with more than 104 hours of hands-on instruction in Bruceton, Tenn. Her project, which began as teaching a summer school class about the dairy industry, evolved into a mobile agriculture learning lab, thanks to a National FFA SAE Grant.
Sponsored by Farm Credit, the grant enabled Paschall to assemble kits for teachers in her community and surrounding counties. Seven interactive tubs are packed with learning materials about livestock, plant and soil sciences, and sustainable agriculture practices.
“I realized teachers didn’t have [activities] they could check out and use when testing was done, and they didn’t have a specific topic to teach about,” Paschall says. “I wanted to provide that as well as promote agricultural advocacy and literacy.”
Paschall’s FFA advisor, Michael Stanford, says including well-defined goals and describing how the project could affect the community were key components that helped her SAE grant application stand out.
“I made sure it wasn’t something that had been done before,” Paschall adds. “I also researched different prices and made sure the kits were easily accessible for teachers.”
Above all, the main goal of Allie’s Ag Academy is to create interest in agriculture. “I want to get younger kids involved, so we can keep them coming back to learn more about it,” she adds.
Gear Up
Every great application starts with identifying opportunities and articulating needs. From there, the possibilities are endless. Before starting your application, learn more about the National FFA SAE Grant program.
