Four Blue Valley FFA members have been awarded SAE Grants from three prestigious national sponsors to support their agricultural projects. These grants are designed to help students create or expand their Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE), a key component of the FFA program. The 2024 recipients are:
- Ella Hoelzel of Olsburg, Kansas has been awarded a $1,000 Animal Science Systems SAE Grant from Brett Begemann Foundation.
- Steven “Lee” Taylor of Randolph, Kansas has received a $1,000 Power, Structural and Technical Systems SAE Grant from Firestone Ag.
- Braac Webster of Olsburg, Kansas has earned a $1,000 Agribusiness Systems SAE Grant from NUA Country.
- Gage Williams of Manhattan, Kansas has been awarded a $1,000 Plant Systems SAE Grant from Brett Begemann Foundation.
These grants will assist the students in further developing their agricultural projects, which may involve creating or operating an agricultural business, working at an agricultural enterprise, or conducting agricultural research. After completing their SAE, each student will submit a comprehensive report detailing their career development experience.
This year, 26 different sponsors funded SAE Grants, with a total of 1,238 applications received nationwide. The applications were reviewed and selected based on the quality and potential impact of each student’s SAE project.
A full list of sponsors and more information can be found on the National FFA Organization's SAE Grants webpage.