Kansas FFA Leadership Development Events (LDEs): Speaking, Creed and Discussion Meet

What a Leadership Development Event Is

Leadership Development Events, or LDEs, are the speaking, meeting and communication contests of Kansas FFA. Where Career Development Events test technical skill, LDEs test how well a member can speak, discuss, run a meeting or interview. Kansas FFA lists 13 LDEs alongside its 20 CDEs.

Levels and Calendar

Kansas FFA's pages describe two clear levels: district and state.

• District. Each of the seven districts holds a District Leadership School to pick representatives for state competitions. It includes a Leadership Information Test (100 questions in 40 minutes on FFA history, dates, people, programs and current events), Conduct of Chapter Meetings and Parliamentary Procedure - Senior. The first- and second-place teams from each district in the two parliamentary events advance to the state events at the State FFA Convention, and teams that do not place first or second can try a qualifying event held after the schools.
• State. State LDEs are held May 26-29 in 2026 and June 1-4 in 2027. The 98th Kansas FFA Convention was May 26-29, 2026, in Manhattan on the K-State campus.

Speaking contests such as Creed Speaking have their own rules about entry, covered below. Ask your advisor how your chapter enters.

The Kansas FFA LDE List

• Agricultural Issues Forum
• Conduct of Chapter Meetings
• Creed Speaking
• Discussion Meet
• District Leadership School
• Employment Skills
• Extemporaneous Public Speaking
• Middle Grade People in Agriculture
• Middle Grade Quiz Bowl
• Parliamentary Procedure
• Prepared Public Speaking
• Quiz Bowl (no longer a state event)
• Spanish Creed Speaking Invitational

Creed Speaking

This event is designed to foster agricultural leadership in younger members, and the FFA Creed covers the organization's beliefs about agriculture, FFA membership, and citizenship and patriotism. The Kansas guidelines set the rules:

• Who can enter. Limited to two participants per district. Entrants must be ninth-grade FFA members from a four-year agricultural education program, or tenth-grade members from a three-year program. The state winner may compete nationally only if still in ninth grade.
• The recitation. From memory, using the current Official FFA Manual. The opening statement must name the Creed and its author, E.M. Tiffany, and extra introductory or concluding remarks cause accuracy deductions.
• Time. Four minutes for the presentation, with a one-point deduction for each second over. Then three questions with a five-minute total limit.
• Other rules. FFA Official Dress is highly recommended, no props are allowed, and any participant with an electronic device may be disqualified.
• Rounds. Seven speakers per section in the preliminary round, with the top two from each section advancing. Four participants make the final round.
• Awards. First place receives $100, a plaque and a gold medal, second $50, and third and fourth $25 each, presented at a State FFA Convention session.

The Spanish Creed Speaking Invitational asks members to present the Creed in Spanish. At the 2026 convention, as Sunflower State Radio reported, Kealie Bryant of Garden City won the Creed Speaking LDE and Heath Ratzlaff of Canton-Galva won the Spanish event.

Prepared Public Speaking

Per the Kansas event page, students write and deliver a speech of about six to eight minutes on a current agriculture topic. It builds leadership and communication skills and is held in conjunction with the State FFA Convention. The page links to the Kansas guidelines, the National FFA handbook and rubrics for the presentation and the manuscript, so read those for entry details.

Discussion Meet

The Discussion Meet is meant to stimulate logical thinking and to build communication and problem-solving skills while engaging members in solutions to important topics in today's agriculture industry. Each discussion table seats 4 to 6 FFA members, who discuss an assigned topic for 15 minutes. The event began in fall 2016, and the page links to a sponsor's Rules and Resources page.

Other Events

• Employment Skills. An individual event that helps members practice skills for seeking part-time and full-time jobs, with each part simulating real employment activities as closely as possible. It is held in connection with the State FFA Convention.
• Agricultural Issues Forum. Students investigate current agricultural issues and show their understanding through a portfolio, a presentation and questioning, per the Kansas page.
• Extemporaneous Public Speaking. Listed by Kansas FFA as an event that develops agricultural leadership and speaking skills, encourages civic participation and builds knowledge of agriculture.
• Parliamentary procedure events. Conduct of Chapter Meetings is for ninth-grade members, and Parliamentary Procedure - Senior is the older division. Per the District Leadership School page, 14 Conduct of Chapter Meetings teams and 15 Senior teams fill all state spots.
• Middle grade events. Middle Grade People in Agriculture and Middle Grade Quiz Bowl are for grades 7-8.

Preparing

• Start with the guidelines. Each event page links to Kansas rules and rubrics.
• Practice against the rubric. Judges score on published rubrics, so practice with them.
• Study for the leadership test. The District Leadership School page lists the Official FFA Manual, the FFA Student Handbook and Kansas FFA's Golden Years as sources.

Frequently Asked Questions

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