Agriculture

The Agricultural Education Department is a unique program in our district. Agricultural Education has three components, FFA, SAE (Supervised Agricultural Experience), and Classroom/Lab. FFA is an inter-curricular part of all Agricultural Education Departments, and therefore is a part of every course.

The National FFA Organization was founded in 1928, and was formerly known as the Future Farmers of America, however changed its name to the National FFA Organization or simply FFA in 1988. This name change was initiated because FFA isn’t just about creating “future farmers,” but rather future leaders in agriculture. All students enrolled in the Agricultural Education Department are eligible and encouraged to be FFA members but are not required to do so.

Supervised Agricultural Experience is a component where students design a project. This is an ongoing project which students learn to set goals, keep records, and acquire new skills and competencies. Students design their SAE around agriculture, but are not limited to purely working on a farm. Designing experiments, doing research, working at an agricultural related job, owning their own business, or even shadowing a professional are all potential SAE projects.

Finally, the Classroom/Lab component of the AgEd Department consists of a vast array of topics. Students learn everything from knowledge in the subject, to hands-on-skills. We build fishing rods and birdhouses, maintain a greenhouse and aquariums, and install landscaping. Hopefully, the vast array of classes catches the interest of all students; and even in today’s society we recognize the importance of agriculture in every one’s daily lives.

Courses: Animal Science, Small Animals, Natural Resource Sciences, MN Wildlife, MN Forestry, Agribusiness Management, Introduction to Agricultural Opportunities, Intro to Greenhouse/Landscaping, Advanced Greenhouse/Landscaping, Exploring FFA, and Supervised Agricultural Experience.