Six Wayne County high school students have been selected to receive 2026 FFA SAE Entrepreneurship Grants from the Wayne County Farm Bureau.
The grant program is designed to strengthen career readiness, leadership skills and hands-on agricultural learning through students’ Supervised Agricultural Experience projects.
The six recipients were selected from 17 applicants, with two students chosen from each of Wayne County’s three high schools. Applicants submitted detailed information about their SAE projects, how grant money would be used and their goals for expanding their projects. They also participated in interviews with three Farm Bureau leaders.
At Cisne High School, seniors Mikenzie Alvis and Allison Shannon were selected. Alvis plans to use her grant to support her show pig operation, including breeding, farrowing, feeding and show supplies. Shannon plans to use her award toward purchasing additional cows for her breeding herd.
Fairfield Community High School recipients are seniors Destiny Cox and Jaxon Basnett. Cox plans to purchase scientific instruments and equipment for science fair competition as she prepares to study agri-science in college. Basnett will use his grant to expand the inventory and marketing of his custom hat business, Twisted Barb Hat Co.
At Wayne City High School, Harper Buchanan and Karter Seidel were selected. Buchanan, a sophomore, plans to put the grant toward purchasing a registered Simmental heifer to expand her beef herd. Seidel, a freshman, will use the funding toward seed and fertilizer expenses for his first 10 acres of corn, which he plans to grow with his grandfather next spring.
An FFA Supervised Agricultural Experience, or SAE, provides students with hands-on, work-based learning opportunities that allow them to apply classroom lessons to real-world agricultural projects while developing career and business skills.
The Wayne County Farm Bureau said the grants support the missions of both Illinois FFA and Farm Bureau organizations by encouraging agricultural education, leadership and career development among local students.