What Iowa FFA Career Development Events Are
Career development events, or CDEs, are contests that test the skills and knowledge of a specific agricultural career, from judging livestock to grading soils to analyzing a farm's finances. Leadership events, covered in a separate guide, focus on speaking, meetings and chapter work. The Iowa FFA Association has more than 20,500 student members in 273 local chapters, per Radio Iowa, so CDE season is a big part of the school year for many farm families.
Contest List
A chapter website lists these 20 Iowa CDEs at Lenox FFA:
- Ag Biotechnology, Ag Communications, Ag Mechanics, Ag Sales, Agronomy
- Dairy Cattle Evaluation, Livestock Evaluation, Meats Evaluation, Poultry Evaluation, Horse Evaluation, Vet Science, Milk Quality and Products
- Environmental and Natural Resources, Forestry, Soils Evaluation, Nursery/Landscape, Floriculture
- Farm Business Management, Marketing Plan, Food Science
Ask your advisor which events your chapter enters, since formats and team sizes vary by event.
District, State and National Levels
One chapter calendar describes the usual path. District soils judging is held in the last week of September, district livestock judging in the last week of July, and state skills CDEs on various dates through the year. The Iowa State FFA Convention, which includes leadership and skills CDEs, is in mid-April, and the National Convention is in late October, per the Carroll Area FFA calendar. Chapters also take part in regional CDE days, such as the South Central CDE Day held September 16, 2025 in Osceola, per Iowa Farm Bureau. Dates change each year, so confirm with your advisor.
The State Conference in Ames
The 98th Iowa FFA State Leadership Conference ran Sunday through Tuesday, April 19 to 21, 2026 at Iowa State University's Hilton Coliseum in Ames, per Algona FFA. About 5,000 members attended, with about 40 competitions covering public speaking, job interviews, biotechnology and farm business management, per Radio Iowa. Iowa State faculty and staff help host and judge CDEs, and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences offers $500 scholarships to top participants, per the CALS State FFA page. The college also runs a career fair with a drawing for eight $1,000 scholarships.
Fall Events: Milk Quality Example
Some CDEs run in the fall. The 2025 Milk Quality and Products event was held Friday, September 5 in Manchester, with 25 teams competing. Iowa State's Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition prepared the samples, and the champion team advanced to the national event at the National FFA Convention and Expo in Indianapolis in October, per the North Tama Telegraph.
Envirothon and Natural Resources
Teams in the Environmental and Natural Resources and Forestry CDEs qualify through the Iowa Envirothon. Teams must first compete at a regional event to advance to state. Regional events are held at various Iowa locations in March and the state competition is in April, per the Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn FFA page.
How Iowa Teams Have Done
At the 98th National FFA Convention and Expo, October 29 to 31, 2025 in Indianapolis, Montezuma FFA won national championships in Farm and Agribusiness Management and in Agricultural Communications, the second straight title in the latter. Grinnell FFA took third in Livestock Judging with a gold rating, per the Southeast Iowa Union.
At the 2026 state conference, Cedar Rapids Prairie FFA teams earned gold ratings in Ag Communications, Team Ag Sales, Poultry and Farm Business Management, and third overall in Marketing Plan, per the school district. La Porte-Dysart FFA earned a gold rating in Poultry Evaluation, per the North Tama Telegraph. Ratings such as gold, silver and bronze show a team's level, apart from its place.
Choosing an Event
- Match the event to your project: livestock exhibitors fit Livestock, Meats or Dairy Cattle Evaluation, and gardeners fit Floriculture, Nursery/Landscape or Agronomy.
- Team events need a full roster, so talk to your advisor early in the school year.
- If you like business, try Farm Business Management, Marketing Plan or Ag Sales.
- If you like the outdoors, try Soils, Forestry or Environmental and Natural Resources.
Preparing
- Practice with past contest materials from your advisor or the national FFA site.
- Visit local farms, packers and nurseries to see real examples.
- Practice as a team under timed conditions.
- Check state and district dates in August, before fall events begin.
What Parents Should Know
CDE practice is mostly after school and on weekends, and it often means travel to a contest site, so ask the advisor early about schedules, costs and who drives. Teams are usually built around a project area, such as a student's livestock or garden. Contest days can fall on school days in April for the state conference, and in the fall for events like Milk Quality, so mark the calendar when your advisor posts the schedule. Rating levels of gold, silver and bronze are a good way to track a student's progress year to year.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many CDEs does Iowa list?
A chapter site lists 20 CDEs, from Ag Biotechnology to Vet Science.
Where is the state contest held?
The 2026 state conference was at Hilton Coliseum on the Iowa State campus in Ames.
Who judges and hosts?
Iowa State faculty and staff help host and judge CDEs, per the CALS State FFA page.
Where do I start?
Ask your chapter advisor which events your chapter enters.
Guide checked Nov. 11, 2026. Rules and dates change; confirm with the organizer.