FFA students never stop working, even during the summer break. Many have projects called a supervised agriculture experience (SAE) where they can apply what they learned in the classroom to real life. 

YourAgEdge asked our agriculture advisors to pick two students for a SAE spotlight series. Today we will talk about a star student from Caldwell County FFA.

Agriculture runs deep in Benjamin Jones’ roots. He is a 6th generation farmer. Jones says his earliest memory of agriculture is helping his grandfather run stocker cows. 

He is going into his senior year and joined FFA when he was a freshman. In 2020 his aunt started CRP Farms Produce Stand. Jones helped with the produce and gained enough experience to take over, making it the perfect SAE project. 

“It has allowed me to learn and develop my skills in the horticulture field,” said Jones. 

The stand is a self-serve roadside farm stand on Highway 139 South. They offer a variety of produce: cantaloupe, tomatoes, potatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, onions, squash, zucchini. They also have fire starters and seasonings. 

Jones chose this project because he knew he enjoyed horticulture and had the experience. 

FFA students have the opportunity to enter their projects in a competition that goes up to the national level. Students must fill out paperwork showing the hours worked, expenses, income, and answer a variety of questions based on the project. With the help of his advisor and parents, Jones made it to the national level. His project will be reviewed and he will find out his placing during the National FFA Convention in October. 

Within FFA he has attended multiple conventions and was one of the first students from Caldwell to go to the Washington Leadership Conference. FFA members from across the nation were invited to attend to learn about leadership. 

Listen to the full interview here: