Supervised Agricultural Experience

SAE- Supervised Agricultural Experience project is a requirement of being enrolled in an Agriculture course.  During this project, students will gain and exhibit leaderships skills such as responsibility, time management, and care. Students are required to participate in a SAE project, completing 45 hours of work or time with their project. Following their project, students are required to complete an FFA Record Book, recording all work, expenses, and profit involved with their project. Students' SAE project and Record Book will serve as 10-20% of their grade, depending on their instructor.

Animal SAE's

MERCED FFA HAS A BRAND NEW RABITRY!
​Advisor: Mrs. Harvey
"A rabbit SAE is affordable and is a great way to get involved and raise a market animal for fair. You will have the rabbit for 30 days and will be responsible for checking your animal twice a day to feed, water, and ensure your animal is in good health. You will learn how to show your rabbit and gain information on the breed and other breeds with similar uses. "
​- Mrs. Harvey

Swine
Advisor: Mr. Mua 
"Hey, have you ever thought about showing a pig? My name is Ava Flores and I'm a junior at Merced High and I will be telling you a little bit about what goes into showing a pig I have been showing pigs for 2 going on 3 years, with the Merced FFA. Show an animal comes with great responsibility no matter if it's a pig or not you have to be willing to give that animal a hundred percent of your time because they rely on you to take care of them. Well showing a pig you will learn to care for your animal and make sure it is always healthy but not only that you will learn great time management skills. For anyone who is interested in showing pig, it will be a very exciting experience to be apart of."
- Ava Flores, 11th Grade

Beef
Advisor: Mr. hultgren
 "My Name is Dylan Hair and I have been showing beef heifers for the last three years with Merced FFA. It is honestly a great experience that comes with a lot of work and dedication. Speaking from personal experience taking on this project builds your knowledge on the beef industry greatly. You are prone to learn many things about cattle well being and comfort. You also build time management skills as well as new responsibilities. I believe that someone who is looking to gain knowledge about beef animals should definitely take on this project because there are numerous opportunities to do so. "
- Dylan Hair, 12th Grade

Dairy
Advisor: Mrs. Kuhr
"Showing Dairy is such an amazing experience that you can learn so much from. Showing a big livestock animal such as Dairy is rewarding to show because you gain new knowledge about caring and treating your animal. You will feed every morning and every evening and spend hours in the evening working with your heifer. You will create a bond with your animal. It will definitely help you work better overall and will let your animal get more used to you and ready to show at the fair. Whether it is tying up, walking, practicing showmanship, or even washing. This project will teach you many things on top of knowledge on the dairy industry itself. Learning about the whole dairy industry is also very beneficial to you because you learn about all the different traits and genetics of dairy heifers as well as their milking lines that is always very important to know. You will gain time management skills, responsibility, and overall respect for all animals. This project requires you to put in a lot of time, effort, passion and overall dedication but in the end it’s all going to be worth it!"
- Daisy Soriano, 12th Grade

Goats
Advisor: Mrs.harvey
"Going into my first year starting my sae, I decided to show a goat. I was very shy and hesitant, but I took a big leap and stepped out of my shell. Throughout the duration of my project, I gained much knowledge about taking proper care of a goat. Learning how to maintain proper health and nutrition plays an important part in taking this responsibility. I would recommend showing a goat because not only do you learn these new responsibilities, but you find yourself creating new bonds with your show team and advisor. My personal experience was unforgettable and it taught me many skills such as time management, confidence, patience and taking on challenges. " 
- Taylor Melgosa, 11th Grade

Sheep
Advisor: Mrs. cote
"What’s up! My name is Debbie Miller and this year will be my fourth year showing market lambs for the Merced County Fair. Raising lambs has taught me how to be responsible and  how to properly care for the animal. Showing at the fair is very competitive but the adrenaline rush makes it fun.  Being an exhibitor is an experience I’m glad I got to have while in high school. I have met a lot of amazing people, had some good laughs and made a lot of great memories." - Debbie Miller, 12th Grade