Kentucky FFA Leadership Development Events

How Kentucky FFA Leadership Development Events Work

Leadership development events, or LDEs, reward the skills behind a good chapter officer: public speaking, running a meeting, handling parliamentary procedure and interviewing for a job. In Kentucky, most of them come together at the state FFA convention in Lexington each June. The details below come from Kentucky FFA pages and convention programs, and they change yearly, so confirm with your advisor.

The Events

Kentucky FFA's CDEs and LDEs page lists 40 events but does not label each one. The 2026 convention program and the general rules identify these leadership contests:

• Parliamentary Procedure: a written test, preliminary rounds and finals
• Prepared Public Speaking and Extemporaneous Public Speaking
• Employment Skills
• Agricultural Issues
• Conduct of Chapter Meetings
• FFA Creed Speaking, with a Spanish Creed Invitational

The same convention program also shows Agriculture Public Speaking, Quiz Bowl, the Quiz Contest, Talent, Star Interviews and the Agriscience Fair. The state events list also includes an Essay Contest, and the general rules mention Impromptu Speaking and Auctioneering. The Rules Governing FFA Events explicitly label Parliamentary Procedure, Extemporaneous and Prepared Public Speaking as LDEs.

State Convention Schedule

The 97th Kentucky FFA State Convention ran June 8 to 11, 2026, in Lexington, with contests at the Central Bank Center and the Hyatt Regency, per the convention program. Highlights for high school LDEs:

• Tuesday, June 9: Parliamentary Procedure test at 10 a.m. At 11 a.m., Conduct of Chapter Meetings, Prepared Public Speaking, FFA Creed Speaking and Agriculture Public Speaking. Extemporaneous Speaking began with a preparation room at 10:30 a.m.
• Wednesday, June 10: Employment Skills at 8:30 a.m., Parliamentary Procedure preliminaries at 8:30 a.m. and finals at 1 p.m., Creed Finals at 8:30 a.m., Prepared Public Speaking Finals at 9:30 a.m., Extemporaneous Finals at 10:30 a.m., and Agricultural Issues at 1 p.m.

Middle school contests ran Monday, including Prepared and Extemporaneous Public Speaking, Opening and Closing Ceremonies, an Agricultural Issues Discussion Meet and Quiz Bowl. Awards for CDEs and LDEs were presented Wednesday at 8 p.m. in the fourth convention session, per the schedule at a glance. Future conventions are set for June 8 to 10, 2027, June 6 to 8, 2028, and June 5 to 7, 2029, per the advisor guide.

Agriculture Public Speaking at the 2026 convention was divided into categories by rooms, among them Beef, Crop, Dairy, Goat and Sheep, Horse, Poultry, Swine and Small Animal.

Entry Rules

• A school may enter only one team per event.
• A member may enter only one of these speaking events each year: Creed, Impromptu, Prepared Public Speaking or Extemporaneous Public Speaking.
• Members may compete again in Parliamentary Procedure, Extemporaneous, Prepared, Impromptu, Auctioneering and Quiz Bowl Team as long as they have not won the state contest. Other events above the chapter level can be entered only once.
• Past state winners may not compete in that event again, except Chapter Talent.
• Phones and communication devices must be off during competition.
• Official dress is required for competitive events, general sessions and leadership workshops, per the advisor guide.
• Eighth graders in an Agriscience Exploration class may become active members and join leadership activities open to them.

Deadlines from the advisor guide include April 1 registration for Agricultural Issues Forum and other events, and May 15 for Ag Issues portfolio submissions. Advisors can request accommodations at least 21 days ahead.

How Teams Qualify

Teams and individuals should be chosen through local contests. A regional winner must compete at the state event to receive a state award, and teams that win state LDEs represent Kentucky at the matching National events at the National FFA Convention. Chapters also work through the Chapter Rating Process, including a program of activities report to the regional contest.

Beyond the Contests

The convention is more than competition. Per the advisor guide, leadership workshops run Tuesday and Wednesday, are free and first come first served, and are limited by room size, with the schedule released in late May. The expo is free and open Tuesday and Wednesday, and parents, chaperones and special guests attend free. Members must be supervised by advisors or approved chaperones at all times, and violations of the FFA Code of Ethics can lead to disqualification or loss of recognition. Pre-registration closes May 15, and on-site registration requires payment on arrival. Middle school chapters have a special registration rate and attend Monday and Tuesday only.

Choosing and Preparing

• Start with the speaking event that fits you. You can enter only one of the four main speaking contests.
• Use posted topics. Kentucky lists 2027 topics for Agriculture Public Speaking and Extemporaneous Public Speaking, and a 2026 to 2027 Essay Contest topic.
• Practice in front of people and with a timer.
• Study the posted Quiz Bowl guidelines and question bank.

Frequently Asked Questions

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