Equestrian Trade Group Presents Farm Experience Grant to Lyndon FFA Member
Ethan Kneisler with his Vermeer hay wrapping machine. Courtesy photo.
An FFA-supervised Farm Experience Grant has been awarded to Ethan Kneisler, of Lyndon, Kan. The $1,000 grant was sponsored by the Western and English Sales Association (WESA). WESA offers the world’s largest trade events for retailers, manufacturers and sales representatives in the equestrian industry.
Supervised Farming Experience grants are designed to help FFA members create or grow their SAE projects, a requirement that all FFA members must meet. An SAE requires FFA members to start and operate an agriculture-related business, work in an agriculture-related business, or conduct an agricultural research experiment. Upon completion, FFA members must submit a comprehensive report regarding their career development experience.
This year, 32 sponsors made 39 different types of SAE grants available. A full list of sponsors can be found on the FFA National Organization website on the SAE Grants webpage.
Ethan is a member of the Lyndon FFA chapter. He is the son of Darby and Kristin Kneisler, and is currently a junior at Lyndon High School. The grant funds will be used to help expand his custom hay wrapping business, called Jimmy’s Custom Wrapping. He started this business in early 2021 by buying a Vermeer hay wrapper at an on-farm auction, and with the help and guidance of his father, the business grew in its first year. to reach four customers.
Information courtesy of Timothy Kilgore, Lyndon FFA Advisor.
