Every FFA member is required to have an supervised agriculture project or SAE.
A SAE helps students get hands-on experience in the field of agriculture and teaches them responsibility along with giving them a chance to trial run possible career paths.
Each member must document records on their SAE. Kooper Brimm’s SAE project focuses on international disaster relief and non-profit work.
Through his entrepreneur SAE project he has been given the opportunity to travel to Les Cayes, Haiti, two times.
While he was in Haiti, he helped to rebuild many villages destroyed by the earthquake the country experienced in 2010 and also Hurricane Sandy in 2013.
Brimm completed a proficiency application that was judged at the district level. It advanced to the state level where he won first in the state of Iowa for his hard work in the area of home and community development.
Brimm will receive his award on stage at Hilton Coliseum during the State FFA Convention later this month.
Brimm’s application will advance to the National Proficiency contest where he will compete against other students across the U.S. The results of this award will be revealed this fall during the 2015 National FFA Convention held in Louisville, Ky.
A broader description of Kooper’s experiences through his SAE project are included below.
His project connects to agriculture in many ways. One way it relates is through the opportunity to collaborate with Sukup Grain Bins.
Over the past two years they have built five new Sukup Safety Grain Bin homes for local residents.
These homes are equipped to be weather proof and environmentally friendly. Homes are equipped with growing boxes, water collection systems and self ventilation/cooling systems.
They also worked with local leaders to establish and build a well for safe drinking water.
Another large part of Brimm’s SAE project is working through Global Compassion Network.
One of the projects he helped establish in the villages was the creation of sustainable gardening systems.
One example was the increased number Moringa trees, which provides a source of high protein and vitamins for the orphans.
Brimm’s SAE also focuses on business management and his ability to effectively assist in providing a better community for those in Haiti. He sees communities as people from different places helping others in need and then joining together to form a new communities.
Brimm said his SAE has helped him prepare for the future by giving him transferable skills that he will use all of his life.
One of these skills Brimm has learned is time management. He is a busy student, so using his time efficiently to make business connections, write letters and plan events is important.
Another skill he’s learned is money management. Being responsible for all the money for the trips was stressful. To keep track, Brimm made an Excel spread sheet and recorded all of the income and expenses on this file.
Communication is another transferable skill Brimm now possess because of his SAE. He feels more at ease when sharing his presentations with others. These are only a few of the things that will impact his future.
Haiti has opened Brimm’s eyes to the possibility of turning something he loves into a career. He recently started to research colleges that offer degrees in international agriculture.
This field interests him because he has a passion for both agriculture and helping others on an international level. Brimm is looking forward to his third trip and is planning to apply to be in a student leadership position.