CDEs and LDEs are hands-on, competitive events where FFA members put classroom learning to work — judging livestock, running meetings, pitching marketing plans, speaking on the issues, and more. Each one builds real skills for college, careers, and life.
Ag Communications
Tell agriculture's story — students plan media campaigns, write and edit, and pitch their work like a professional communications team.
Ag Issues Forum
Tackle the tough, two-sided issues facing agriculture — research every angle and stage a balanced public forum.
Ag Sales
Know the product, read the customer, close the deal — sales tests rooted in real agribusiness.
Ag Technology and Mechanical Systems
Diagnose, build, and troubleshoot the machines and systems that power modern agriculture.
Agriscience Fair
Do real science — students design experiments, investigate agricultural questions, and present original research.
Agronomy
Read the soil, the seed, and the crop — identify, evaluate, and manage the science of growing.
Conduct of Chapter Meetings
Run a chapter meeting with confidence — parliamentary procedure, teamwork, and order under pressure.
Creed Speaking
Recite and explain the FFA Creed — and answer for what it means to you.
Dairy Cattle Evaluation and Management
Evaluate dairy cattle, defend your decisions with oral reasons, and build the observation, communication, and decision-making skills the industry rewards.
Employment Skills
Land the job — resume, cover letter, application, and a real interview, start to finish.
Environmental and Natural Resources
Test, identify, and manage the air, water, soil, and wildlife of our shared environment.
Extemporaneous Public Speaking
Draw a topic, prepare in 30 minutes, and speak with command on the issues facing agriculture.
Farm and Agribusiness Management
Run the numbers like a producer — analyze records, weigh risk, and make the decisions that keep an operation profitable.
Floriculture
Identify, evaluate, and design with flowers and plants — the artistry and science of the floral industry.
Food Science and Technology
From lab bench to label — evaluate, test, and solve problems in the science of food.
Forestry
Read the forest — identify trees, measure timber, and manage the woodland as a resource.
Horse Evaluation
Evaluate conformation and performance, place the class, and defend your decisions with oral reasons.
Livestock Evaluation
Judge market and breeding animals, place the class, and back it up with oral reasons.
Marketing Plan
Build and pitch a real marketing plan for an agricultural product or service — strategy, research, and presentation.
Meats Evaluation and Technology
Grade, identify, and judge meat products — the science and standards of the meat industry.
Milk Quality and Products
Evaluate milk and dairy products for quality and safety — the science behind every glass.
National Chapter Award
Recognize the best chapters — honoring FFA chapters that excel at serving their members, their chapter, and their community.
Nursery & Landscape
Identify plants, design landscapes, and master the skills of the nursery and landscape industry.
Parliamentary Procedure
Master the rules of order — conduct business as a team with precision and poise.
Poultry Evaluation
Grade birds and products, judge quality, and defend your decisions — the science of the poultry industry.
Prepared Public Speaking
Research, write, and deliver a polished speech on an agricultural issue — then defend it.
Veterinary Science
Diagnose, identify, and care — the clinical and scientific skills of veterinary medicine.