More Feature Articles


January 2010
-Creature-Focused Careers
-Former Members Reflect: Dr. Dwight Armstrong
-Levy Randolph
-Safety on Speed Dial
-Preserving Their Culture
-Off and Away

November 2009
-Former Members Reflect: Emilie Bocker
-Turn That Down!
-Car Smarts
-So Much Cooler Online
-Laila Hajji
-The Water Way
-A Greater Cause

June 2009
-Stretch Your Summer Income
-Riley Branch
-Turn That Down
-Behind-The-Scenes Star

May 2009
-Welcoming Women
-Regina Holliday
-Job Interview Jitters
-So Much Cooler Online
-Questioning Your College Choices?

-A Can-Do Attitude
-Former Members Reflect: Michele Payn-Knoper

April 2009
-Hannah Crossen
-Cowboy Book With a Cause
-From FFA to 33Miles
-There’s Cash in Your Future
-I’m Angry…Now What?
-For the Love of Landscaping
-Perfect Balance
-Gardening For A Cause

February 2009
-Blue-Ribbon Banjo Player
-FFA as an Art Form
-Wild About Animals
-Nessie Early
-Be a PAL
-Full Throttle
-Living to Serve
-Special Invitation

January 2009
-All About National FFA Week
-Paul Moya
-Justin Floyd
-Partners for the Planet
-Finding Balance
-Swimming in Aquaculture
-Breaking Records
-Take It Slow

December 2008
-National FFA convention to rotate homes

November 2008
-Dr. Al Snyder
-Scholarship Secrets
-Gear Up for National FFA Week
-Kari Boettcher
-Resist Peer Pressure
-Good to the Last Crop
-All Creatures, Great and Small
-Sparking Interest

September 2008
-Agriculture Accuracy
-Crissa Fruechte
-Brady Revels
-Get Up!
-Proceed With Caution
-All in Good Taste
-Clutch Performance
-Step Right Up

July 2008
-Take It to a New Level
-Deep-Rooted Interest
-Take a Deep Breath
-Tyler Tenbarge
-Inspired by FFA
-On the Right Track

May 2008
-In the Vault
-Your Money: Keeping Records
-National Officer Q&A
-We’re All Unique
-Best in Show
-Grab Life by the Reins

March 2008
-Call to Order!
-Reality Check
-Turtle Power
-By the Numbers
-Dale Darling
-A Token of Appreciation
-National Officer Q&A

January 2008
-National Officer Q&A
-Back Talk: Paul McCutchan
-Building Bright Futures

November 2007
-National Officer Q&A
-Back Talk: Corey Flournoy
-Biofuels Mean Business
-Go, Team, Go
-A Tractor Tradition

October 2007
-National Officer Q&A
-Back Talk: Kristie VerMulm
-Give them an A+
-Cranberry Crazy
-Racing to Indy

Contact Us

Let us know your thoughts on the new FFA New Horizons online.

FFA Feature
Web Page Tools Print this Article

Your Money: Keeping Records

Tips for keeping good SAE records

Your Money: Keeping Records


May 2008

A good grade is just one of the benefits FFA members stand to gain from their supervised agricultural experience programs (SAEs).

Another is the opportunity to explore a career and practice the real-world activities that go with it – including (sigh) record keeping.

It’s no secret that documenting SAEs with pages of records isn’t most members’ favorite part of the process. But, believe it or not, that’s part of the SAE learning concept.

Advisor Nyle Russell from Payson High School in Payson, Utah, created an electronic Utah state FFA record book and attaches a lot of importance to record keeping.

He says, “The better records we can keep, the better off we’ll be in all aspects of our lives.”

Electronic Record Books
Students have it far easier since electronic record books came on the scene, Russell says. They are probably the key factor in successful SAE documentation. For instance, instead of writing the same information over and over on different forms, once information is entered electronically, it can be transferred from page to page, formatted for different award applications, safely stored,
and easily accessed.

But for many students, the process breaks down long before they enter their data into a computer. The critical step of collecting project data is often the hardest one.

Data Collection Tools
Hedj Nelson, hog farmer and owner/operator of Columbia View Orchard in Kettle Falls, Wash., uses a few simple tools – notebooks, receipt files and calendars – to collect the information that keeps his operation’s records on track.

“I have a notebook for chemical spraying, because you have to keep track of the day, the time, the weather conditions, what chemical you sprayed. I keep my notebook with me, and I always write things down right away,” he says. “If you don’t, you’ll forget. You always think, ‘I’ll write it down tomorrow,’ but you never do. And the longer you wait, the less you remember.”

Entrepreneurship SAEs call for analysis of a business’s financial success. Nelson’s expense records, and the cash register receipts he totals at the end of each business day, show his profits and losses.

“As far as taxes, you want to keep records of all your expenses for write-offs,” Nelson adds. “Again, I keep a notebook with me, and I just write it down every time I buy something.”

“At the end of the year, I just hand the accountant all my itemized records, and all he has to do is fill in the numbers,” he explains.

Likewise, as with many SAE components, some responsibilities on the Nelson farm have to be done on a schedule.

“I probably keep more records for the pigs than I do for the orchard,” Nelson says. He uses a calendar to keep track of shots, breeding cycles and so on.

Your Critical Action
“The crucial step for [students] is to write [data] down immediately,” Russell urges. “If they wait three months and then go to update their record book, they’ve forgotten things.”

So, take a few minutes to put things to paper as they happen. It will make a huge difference in whether your SAE record keeping is painless or a royal pain.

Story by Carol Cowan


Recent Comments


Only members can view user comments.

Are you a member? If so, please log-in. Not a member? Please register. Have you forgotten your password?



The National FFA Organization is dedicated to making a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education. Visit ffa.org