Pleasant Hill’s Gabi Marlow Earns Missouri FFA Grant for Ambitious Rabbit Project
By Christy Snow
Contributing Writer
Pleasant Hill High School student Gabi Marlow is taking her passion for animals and agriculture to the next level. She was recently awarded a Supervised Agriculture Experience (SAE) grant from the Missouri FFA Foundation to expand her innovative rabbit project.
Gabi’s project is both practical and educational. She raises show rabbits, manages breeding programs, and prepares animals for both competition and meat production.
“I handle breeding, care, recordkeeping, and preparing animals for competition or consumption,” Gabi said. “I show my community how to have a sustainable animal project without needing large amounts of land.”
The grant will allow Gabi to expand her herd, build more efficient housing, improve her breeding records, and implement a structured breeding and culling program. Her goal is to combine responsible management, good animal husbandry, and sustainable practices to grow her project for years to come.
FFA instructors Tyler Burgin and Aj Wingard praised Gabi’s initiative. “Gabi has had lofty goals and plans for her SAE project,” they said. “With this grant from the Missouri FFA Foundation, those goals are much closer to being realized. This investment gives students hands-on entrepreneurial experiences they can carry throughout adulthood.”
Gabi’s story is more than just a student project—it’s a testament to what young people in Pleasant Hill and across Missouri can achieve with hard work, creativity, and support. Her dedication shows that even with limited land and resources, students can run sustainable, impactful agricultural projects while gaining real-world skills.
All FFA members participate in SAEs, hands-on projects that may involve launching an agribusiness, working in an agricultural field, or conducting research. The SAE grant program helps students who may not have the personal resources to start or grow their projects, providing essential support for their learning and entrepreneurial journeys.
“To offset costs, I also operate a pet sitting business,” Gabi said. “These responsibilities have taught me organization, networking, and leadership skills.”
With her rabbit project thriving and her ambitions growing, Gabi Marlow is proof that the next generation of Missouri farmers and animal caretakers is not only capable—they’re unstoppable.
