FFA SENTINEL
AET:
Embracing the Future While Honoring the Traditions of the Past
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here is no doubt that we live in an ever-changing world. With every passing day, it seems new technologies are emerging that at one time seemed to be from a science fiction movie. The agriculture industry has been no stranger to improvements in technology, whether it be precision agriculture practices or disease-resistant crops. Agriculture education has also seen its fair share of change through the years; however, we still hold true to the values of classroom and lab instruction, FFA and Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) projects. SAE programs have especially made great strides in embracing technology. An SAE is a work-based learning program that every agriscience student is encouraged to participate in. These could include students working on a farm or for another agriculture business, owning their own business, or even doing scientific research. The possible projects are endless and should cater to the student’s particular interests in the agriculture industry. 22
Cooperative Farming News
Many past FFA members recall keeping detailed record books in their agriscience class that documented every detail of their projects. By the time they graduated, they may have filled out several of these journals. Today’s agriculture students still keep those same detailed and accurate records but do so utilizing today’s technology. Alabama agriscience programs utilize a service known as The Agricultural Experience Tracker (AET). AET is an online record-keeping service that specializes in assisting students in advancing their SAE projects. No matter the size or scope of the student’s project, AET has features that help them input records, income and expenses, honors and awards, along with anything else you could imagine. This tracking system can aid students and FFA chapters in several ways. One example is that the AET system is linked directly to National FFA Proficiency awards as well as State and American FFA Degree applications. This allows students to easily generate these competitive applications to receive
