An Impressive First SAE Visit

            On Thursday, February 19^th, 2015, I completed an SAE visit with Mr. Anderson. We traveled to Regan Wolgemuth’s house in Elizabethtown in Lancaster County after school. We went to visit Regan on her family’s farm. Regan is a senior at Elizabethtown High School. She is president of the FFA and plays softball. In order to prepare for this visit, I talked with Mr. Anderson about a student to visit. He suggested we visit Regan because of her unique SAE project. We talked to Regan last week and made arrangements to meet on Thursday, February 19th.

            Regan’s family owns and operates Wolgemuth Custom Harvesting, which harvests wheat in the Mid-West during the harvest season as well as crops here in Pennsylvania. The company is owned and operated by her dad and uncle. Her family has been harvesting wheat in the Mid-West for over 30 years. The company has been working in Pennsylvania for over 20 years. Regan’s brother and cousin work for the company and it is very family oriented. After graduation, Regan would like to continue working for the company and will most likely take over office work. Her SAE project was an employment SAE with on-farm work experience. As part of her SAE project, Regan assists with cutting of crops, hauling crops, and office work.

            After viewing Regan’s farm and her SAE project, I would rate the program as excellent. I was very impressed with Regan’s SAE project and her family’s company in general. The idea of custom harvesting was new to me, especially when it occurs here in Pennsylvania and in the Mid-West. Regan’s family farms upwards of 2,000 acres in Pennsylvania and owns several hundred acres in the Mid-West. The company owns 5 tractor trailers, 5 combines, and several pieces of harvesting equipment. At her family’s farm, there is a large grain bin storage system set up. Most of the grain stored is grown by Regan’s family but some is bought from local farmers.

            One recommendation I suggested to Regan is to continue maintaining her records and earn her American Degree next year. Regan has a very interesting SAE project and would certain qualify for her American Degree. Regan utilized the Pennsylvania State record book system in order to keep track of her SAE records. Regan earned her Keystone Degree this past January at Mid-Winter Convention at Farm Show. She has been an FFA member all four years and started her SAE project early on. The cooperating teacher does not give an “official” grade for SAE. The concept of SAE is incorporated into all classes. SAE is not a stand-alone course and no extra credit is given for SAE.

            Overall, I had a great experience visiting Regan at her family’s farm, despite the blustery cold and wind. Regan has a very unique SAE project with a hardworking, dedicated family behind her to support her. It is evident that Regan is just as hard working and passionate about agriculture as her family. I am anxious to work with Regan in class and with FFA and see where her SAE project takes her!