The Warrenton FFA Chapter is congratulating William Lee, who was awarded a supervised agricultural experience (SAE) grant by Rabo Agrifinance.Through this $1,000 grant, William will expand his SAE, which consists of garlic production — planting, growing and harvesting.The garlic is primarily marketed to seed companies such as Morgan County Seeds or Hubbards, to be seedstock for many other producers. William’s SAE grant will fund his purchase of a garlic planter.“This purchase will allow me to plant the garlic more quickly, allowing me to expand my acres worked. Over time, this will help me to grow my entrepreneurship business,” William said.One of William’s goals for his SAE is to decrease soil disturbance instances during planting by 50 percent with the addition of the mechanical garlic planter to his operation. The mechanical planter combines multiple processes that are currently done in individual steps into a single machine pass.To qualify for the grant, William had to complete the National FFA SAE grant application which incorporated numerous questions about his SAE. Some of the questions included his plans for the grant, how the grant would benefit him, and how it would it help achieve the goals he had set for himself.FFA is a dynamic youth organization that changes lives and prepares members for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education. FFA develops members’ potential and helps them discover their talent through hands-on experiences, which give members the tools to achieve real-world success.Members are future chemists, veterinarians, government officials, entrepreneurs, bankers, international business leaders, teachers and premier professionals in many career fields. FFA is an intracurricular student organization for those interested in agriculture and leadership. Today, there are 669,989 FFA members, aged 12-21, in 8,630 chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.To read about the benefits of FFA directly from students in the program, pick up a print copy of the Feb. 21 Warren County Record.

William Lee, Warrenton FFA Chapter member, inspects his garlic crop before harvest.

Submitted photo