MOUNT OLIVE — High school FFA students and teachers from across North Carolina recently participated in a Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) Camp at the University of Mount Olive. Participants of the weeklong event, sponsored by the North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission, enjoyed learning, fun, and all things agriculture.
The group mixed hands-on learning activities with various Farm Tours, focusing on the many diverse options within the field of agriculture. Participants toured The Young Outlaw Ranch, a veteran-owned, first-generation livestock consumption ranch in Dudley, NC. They visited Whitaker Farms, a farm, bakery, and agritourism hotspot in Climax, NC. Veteran-owned Secret Garden Bees in Linden, NC, gave participants a behind-the-scenes look at honey production and marketing. A trip to Bayer Crop Science in Mount Olive gave students a glimpse of agriculture research and innovation.
At the halfway mark of the week, campers volunteered at the Tobacco Farm Life Museum in Kenly and at Howell Woods in Four Oaks. They landscaped, cleared trails, painted cabins, and moved livestock feeders.
Never failing to end each day with a bang, students had the opportunity to visit the NC Zoo in Asheboro, NC; elevate their heights at URBAN AIR Trampoline Park in Fayetteville, NC; and eat their fill at an ice cream social complete with water activities.
Beyond learning about the state’s number one industry, students gained life skills at an etiquette dinner designed to show them how to engage with business associates during a meal properly. “I had so much fun at this camp,” said Eva Herrera, a sophomore from Millbrook High School in Raleigh. “It has been a great week to build our knowledge in many areas and has given us many good ideas.”
“The SAE Camp has allowed me to understand a new perspective for experiential learning outside of the classroom,” said UMO alumna Julia Coltrain, an advisor from Bandys High School in Catawba County. “I now feel confident that I can return to my program and teach students how to develop meaningful SAE projects that will prepare them for their future careers.”
Shade Wilbanks, a 2023 UMO alumna, has experienced the camp on all levels: as a camper, as a counselor, and this year as a high school FFA advisor from Knightdale High School in Wake County. “I have seen and experienced the value of this camp from many perspectives,” she said. “This year, I particularly enjoyed the deep dive into The AET record keeping software.”
The North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission funds the SAE camp at UMO through a sponsored program grant. Since its inception in 2017, the camp has helped educate over 200 future agriculturalists to grow their SAE projects through their participation in the National FFA Organization.
“The SAE Camps held at UMO are significant for students because they get hands-on agriculture-related learning experiences that they might not otherwise receive,” said Edward Olive, Director of the Lois G. Britt Agribusiness Center at UMO. “The activities provide participants with opportunities to develop leadership and a work ethic that will serve them throughout their college and careers. We are hosting more than just a camp at UMO; we are hosting a life-changing experience.”
The University of Mount Olive is a private institution rooted in the liberal arts tradition with defining Christian values. The University was founded by the Convention of Original Free Will Baptists. For more information, visit www.umo.edu.
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