Arizona FFA Career Development Events

What FFA Career Development Events Are

Career development events, or CDEs, are contests where FFA members apply what they learn in agricultural education. In Arizona, the state CDEs are part of the Spring Conference in Tucson. Arizona FFA has over 12,600 members under a 100 percent affiliated model, where every enrolled student is a member, according to the state's 2026-2027 Fast Facts sheet. Its career and technical education programs include Agriscience, Bioscience and Veterinary Assisting.

Spring Conference 2027

Per the 2027 Arizona FFA event flyers, the Spring Conference is set for February 26 and 27, 2027, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days, at the University of Arizona campus and farm, 1200 E University Blvd, Tucson. Dairy, veterinary science and horse evaluation are held off campus.

• Registration opens in January 2027 and closes February 5.
• Online testing closes February 12.
• Fees: affiliated One Star chapters pay nothing, and Basic affiliated chapters pay $25 per event.

Chapters register for the event first, then pay the invoice from the advisor's azffa.org account. The Fast Facts sheet says invoices are due within 30 days. Chapters more than 90 days past due may be suspended.

The Events

The flyer lists these career and leadership events for Spring Conference:

• Ag Business and Ag Sales
• Agronomy and Soils
• Agricultural Mechanics
• Aquaculture
• Dairy Evaluation, and Milk Quality and Products
• Entomology
• Floriculture and Nursery/Landscape
• Food Science
• Forestry and Range Management
• Horse Evaluation, Livestock Evaluation and Poultry Evaluation
• Tool ID (greenhand and advanced)
• Veterinary Science
• Job Interview

The flyer says 22 events, but its list has 21 entries, so ask your advisor for the final contest list. Contest lists change from year to year.

Why Compete

CDEs give members a way to test classroom learning against real material and against other chapters. Arizona's list reaches well past traditional livestock work, from Entomology and Aquaculture to Food Science and Agricultural Mechanics, so there is a contest for students who like insects, fish, engines or interviews. Job Interview adds a career skill that helps whether a member goes to college or straight to work, and the Pinnacle Senior Conference later in the season covers resumes and scholarship applications. Teams also practice the habits that carry over into every other FFA event: showing up on time, studying together and handling nerves in front of a judge.

Who Can Compete

Teams are entered by chapters through their advisors. Chapters need a minimum of five members, per Fast Facts. Chapters affiliate at the basic, one-star or two-star level, or pay per student, which the sheet recommends for chapters under 12 students at $14 per student plus a $350 chapter fee. A student does not have to plan on farming to compete; Veterinary Science, Floriculture, Food Science and Entomology draw on interests far from a feed lot. We did not find published team-size or eligibility rules for each event, so ask your advisor.

Preparing Your Team

• Ask your advisor which events your chapter will enter and who judges the practice rounds.
• Use real material: visit a dairy, greenhouse, nursery, shop or poultry operation if your contest calls for it.
• Plan for online testing, which closes before the on-site contests.
• Practice Tool ID with the real tools, and rehearse Job Interview with someone outside your chapter.
• Call your county Extension office or local producers to help run practice sessions.
• Plan transportation to Tucson early, since dairy, vet science and horse evaluation happen off campus.

Volunteer to Judge

Arizona FFA asks for volunteer judges, including for career development events at Spring Conference, some of which require experience. Volunteers can sign up at azffa.org/volunteer-opportunities. If you work in a field a contest covers, this is a good way to help a team.

Other FFA Events in the Season

• Summit Leadership Conferences each fall, with grade-level programs: Discover (5th to 8th grade) $20, Embark (9th) $35, Elevate (10th) $20 and Ascend (11th) $20 per student.
• Pinnacle Senior Conference January 22 and 23, 2027 at Peoria High School, $65 per student, covering job interviewing, resumes, scholarships and state degree applications.
• State Leadership Conference in Tucson, which hosts the leadership events. See our leadership events guide.
• State FFA Camp June 21 to 25, 2027 at Camp Shadow Pines in Heber.
• National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, listed in Fast Facts for October 21 to 24.

Questions to Ask Your Advisor

• Which Spring Conference events is our chapter registering for, and who pays the fee?
• When is the online test, and who proctors it?
• How do we get to the off-campus dairy, vet science and horse contests?
• How are teams chosen from our chapter?
• Is any contest a qualifier for nationals? We did not find published qualifying criteria.

Frequently Asked Questions

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