When asked what the biggest challenge was about his Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE), 16-year-old Aidan Yaddof said, “Starting my project. After that, it only gets easier!” Fast-forward two years, and Yaddof won the Wildlife Production and Management Proficiency Area and received a Silver Rating at the national level this summer.
Yaddof, a junior with Calamus-Wheatlan FFA in Wheatland, Iowa, buys pheasant chicks, raises them for 16+ weeks, and releases or sells them to people in eastern Iowa. He was inspired to start his SAE when he was pheasant hunting with his grandpa, who told Yaddof where he could hunt and find many birds. However, every time Yaddof went hunting, he would only see maybe one bird the entire day. So, Yaddof decided he wanted to improve the pheasant population. In 2022 and 2023, Yaddof won back-to-back $1,000 National FFA SAE Grants to start and expand his SAE.
Yaddof has made an impact in a short time. He has raised and released 600 males and females around eastern Iowa. Overall, the population has increased 15% since 2022, but east central Iowa is still seeing a decline, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources website.
He had to learn how to raise quality pheasants, including how hot it needs to be in the building, what to feed them, when they are allowed to have sunlight, and more. His favorite part about his project is watching the pheasant chicks grow and change while raising them. “I love how they go from cute little chicks that are smaller than my fist to big, full-grown, colorful pheasants that are bigger than my head,” Yaddof said.
Aidan Yaddof poses with a few birds he released near his house in eastern Iowa.
Yaddof admits he encountered a few bumps along the way. “My biggest disappointment was when my first batch of 150 chicks died because the snow made the power go out. Now, we have better heaters and a generator on standby. My biggest challenge was learning rules and guidelines, such as what was acceptable by the state for buying and releasing pheasants.”
To obtain chicks, Yaddof can buy from any certified breeder in Iowa. He is only allowed to legally sell the birds to residents of Clinton County (where Yaddof resides) and can only release them on the property of someone who buys from him. “The last step I do before the birds are released is to put an identification band on their legs so that I can legally let them go in the wild,” he said.
After high school, Yaddof plans to attend Iowa State University and study agricultural and natural resources. His mom Kendra said, “The coolest part of this project is seeing Aidan find his passion. A year prior to starting this SAE, he had no idea what he wanted to do in life. He knew he liked science and being outside, but he had no idea where that could potentially lead. Now he has a plan and he is building connections across the state and soon the country. It’s all a parent really wants for their child.”
