What California FFA Leadership Development Events Are
Leadership development events, or LDEs, are California FFA contests in speaking, meetings and interviews. Where career events reward judging and technical skill, these reward how well a student can stand up, speak and run a room. The California Agricultural Teachers' Association (CATA) Curricular Activities Code is the rulebook, and a published 2024 state winners list shows which events crown champions. The Code does not formally define LDEs, but speaking, parliamentary procedure and interview events are the ones commonly treated as such.
The Events
Per the 2024-2025 Code and the winners list:
- Creed Recitation: an individual event.
- El Credo de la FFA: the Spanish creed, an individual event. The winners list shows Spanish Creed Discovery, Blue and Gold divisions.
- Prepared Public Speaking: an individual event.
- Extemporaneous Public Speaking: an individual event.
- Impromptu Public Speaking: an individual event held at the state conference.
- Job Interview: an individual event.
- Parliamentary Procedure: a team event with Novice and Advanced divisions. National teams have six members.
- Conduct of Chapter Meetings: named in California's national results, where Galt-Liberty Ranch was national winner at the 97th National FFA Convention.
Ask your advisor for the current lineup and time limits, which this guide does not cover.
Where and When
The Code's 2025 schedule lists Creed Recitation, Prepared Speaking, Extemporaneous Speaking, Impromptu Speaking, Job Interview and El Credo on April 1, 2025, and Parliamentary Procedure on April 2 and 3, all at the State Conference. A local report from Lassen County described regional LDE finals at Chico High School, with top placers advancing to State Finals in Fresno the following month, so the host site can change by year. Confirm yours with your advisor.
The State FFA Leadership Conference is huge. Per California Agricultural Education it is the largest annual state CTSO conference in California, with over 7,000 students, advisors and guests from more than 330 chapters. The 98th ran March 21 to 24, 2026 at Toyota Arena in Ontario. The conference information page lists the 2027 conference in Ontario on March 20 to 23, 2027 and the 100th conference in Sacramento on April 1 to 4, 2028.
How Students Reach State
Regional rounds feed the state finals. The Code says regional entries in LDEs, including Parliamentary Procedure, are capped at four per region per event, and the Lassen County report shows students qualifying at a regional meeting based on top placements. Only one team per school may enter a state finals LDE, except in the individual events, and teams may compete with fewer members than the full team size when the event allows it.
What Judges Reward
The Code and winners list do not publish scoring sheets, so ask your advisor for the event handbook. In general, the individual speaking events reward clear organization and delivery, Job Interview rewards preparation and answers that fit the job, and Parliamentary Procedure rewards a team that moves business correctly and calmly. Because winners cannot repeat in the same LDE, many students try a different event each year and build skills across several.
Eligibility and Rules
- Entrants must be official FFA members regularly enrolled in an ag class.
- The listed LDEs require the official FFA uniform. Non-compliant members are ineligible for awards.
- Individual LDE state winners cannot compete in that LDE again. A Novice Parliamentary Procedure winner may enter Advanced, and a lower-division El Credo winner may move up.
- Students who represented California nationally in the same event type are ineligible.
Recent Results
The 2024 list shows Atascadero's Mikayla Spiller winning Creed Recitation, Temecula-St. Jeanne's Joleena Ibarra Extemporaneous, Gridley's Joe Schohr Impromptu, Winters' Allison Aguiar Prepared Speaking and Palo Cedro-Foothill's Madison Stayer Job Interview. Galt-Liberty Ranch won Advanced Parliamentary Procedure and O'Neals-Minarets Novice. Spanish Creed went to Los Banos Middle (Discovery), Gustine (Blue) and Lodi-Tokay (Gold). At nationals, Atascadero and Galt-Liberty Ranch earned gold ratings, and Galt-Liberty Ranch placed second in Parliamentary Procedure.
Beyond the Contest
California FFA also offers the Sacramento Leadership Experience, where students play state legislators for four days, along with the Greenhand Leadership Conference, Made for Excellence Conference, Advanced Leadership Academy and Change Makers Summit, per the events page. The 2026 conference opening session even delivered the creed with each paragraph in a different language, including Spanish.
Choosing an Event
- Memory and poise: Creed or El Credo.
- Write and speak: Prepared Public Speaking.
- Think on your feet: Extemporaneous or Impromptu.
- Team and rules: Parliamentary Procedure.
- Career skills: Job Interview.
Preparing
- Get the current event handbook from your advisor.
- Practice aloud in uniform in front of an audience.
- Form a Parliamentary Procedure team early and drill motions until they are automatic.
- Plan for the conference travel to Ontario.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a school send two Parliamentary Procedure teams?
The Code allows one team per school in each state finals LDE.
Is there a Spanish-language creed contest?
Yes. El Credo de la FFA is in the Code, and the winners list shows Discovery, Blue and Gold divisions.
Where is the 2027 State Conference?
Ontario, March 20 to 23, 2027, per the conference page.
Guide checked Nov. 11, 2026. Rules and dates change; confirm with the organizer.