Alaska FFA Leadership Development Events

What Leadership Development Events Are

Leadership development events, or LDEs, are FFA contests that test speaking, meeting skills and personal presentation instead of a particular crop or animal. National FFA says its career and leadership events are for members in grades 7 to 12, build critical thinking, teamwork and communication, and run at the local, state and national levels, per the National FFA events page. For Alaska members, LDEs are often the easiest place to start because they need a script, a gavel or a practiced answer, not a barn.

Events You Will See

The national events page lists these speaking and meeting events:

• Creed Speaking
• Prepared Public Speaking
• Extemporaneous Public Speaking
• Parliamentary Procedure
• Conduct of Chapter Meetings
• Employment Skills
• Agricultural Communications, Agricultural Issues Forum and Agricultural Sales also appear on the list

The page does not label each event as a CDE or an LDE, so ask your advisor how Alaska classifies them.

What Alaska Has Run

At the 48th Alaska FFA convention in Palmer in 2024, leadership events included Prepared Public Speaking, Job Interviewing, a parliamentary procedure event and a group competition on Robert's Rules of Order, per the Homer News. An earlier state convention in Fairbanks named prepared and extemporaneous speaking and job interviews among its contests, according to UAF News. At the Alaska State Fair in August 2024, the week also included preliminary speech competitions, per National FFA.

The State Convention

The 50th Alaska FFA State Convention was April 14 to 17, 2026 in Palmer, with workshops, competitions, service projects and leadership elections, per a news summary. The 2024 convention drew about 150 students from Ninilchik to Fairbanks. The association held its first fully virtual state convention in 2020, with online competitions and sessions, per National FFA, so ask whether any part of your event might be online.

The Alaska FFA Association

Alaska received its charter in 1976 and now has about 20 chapters and roughly 500 members, per National FFA. Palmer FFA is the largest chapter. Chapters are far apart: Effie Kokrine in Fairbanks and Ninilchik are about 550 miles apart, per the FFA Week story. The association also elects state officers at convention. The 2026-27 state president is from North Pole FFA and the state secretary is from Palmer FFA.

Alaska Supervised Projects and Speaking Material

A good speech or interview answer comes from real experience. National FFA notes Alaska members run Supervised Agricultural Experiences involving market lambs, reindeer, sled dogs, fishing and hunting guiding, and mariculture, and that Dimond FFA in Anchorage runs beach cleanups while Whittier students study marine debris, per National FFA. Alaska also adopted the affiliation model in 2014, so students in ag classes automatically became members. If you are new, talk to your advisor about which of your own projects makes a strong topic for Prepared Public Speaking or an interview answer.

For Parliamentary Procedure and Robert's Rules events, the 2024 Homer News coverage shows both individual and group formats existed, so find out whether your event is a team or solo contest before you start practicing.

Path to Nationals

An earlier UAF article said event winners at state may advance to the national convention. The 97th National FFA Convention and Expo is October 23 to 26, 2026. Qualification rules are set by the state association, so ask your advisor for the current process.

How to Choose an Event

• Like talking alone? Try Prepared Public Speaking or Creed Speaking.
• Think fast? Extemporaneous Public Speaking rewards quick thinking.
• Like teams and rules? Parliamentary Procedure and Conduct of Chapter Meetings use group practice.
• Looking ahead to work? Employment Skills and Job Interviewing build resume habits.
• Practice in front of strangers. A fair crowd or a class counts.
• Record yourself and listen back, then practice again with a timer.
• Dates, formats and event lineups can change each year.

Preparing for Contest Day

Most LDEs reward preparation more than raw talent. Build a simple routine and repeat it.

• Write down the event rules and time limits from your advisor, then practice inside them.
• For speeches, rehearse in front of an audience at least once a week in the month before state.
• For Parliamentary Procedure, learn the main motions and practice in a full team so everyone knows when to speak.
• For job interviews, prepare short stories about your projects, your chapter work and what you learned from a mistake.
• Ask your advisor about the dress code for contests, since FFA events usually call for official dress.
• Travel can eat a day in Alaska. Pack your notes, a printed copy of your speech and a charger.

Confirm with your advisor which of these apply to the event your chapter enters.

Frequently Asked Questions

Guide checked Nov. 11, 2026. Rules and dates change; confirm with the organizer.