Louisiana FFA Leadership Development Events

How Louisiana FFA Leadership Development Events Work

Leadership development events, or LDEs, are the speaking, interview and meeting-skills contests in FFA. Instead of judging livestock or identifying seeds, members recite the FFA Creed, deliver a prepared speech, answer a question on the spot, interview for a job, or run a meeting by parliamentary rules. Louisiana runs these through local, district and area rounds, then a state final. This guide gathers what Louisiana sources have published. Rules and dates change each year, so ask your chapter advisor for the current Louisiana FFA handbook.

The Events

Louisiana's state LDEs, as reported in recent years, include:

• Creed Speaking: sponsored by the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation in the reports below.
• Prepared Public Speaking: also sponsored by the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation.
• Extemporaneous Public Speaking: sponsored by Bunge in 2022.
• Employment Skills: sponsored by Bunge in 2022.
• Gulf of Mexico Public Speaking: sponsored by the Sabine River Authority.
• Geaux Teach Ag: a teaching competition sponsored by the Louisiana Teach Ag Campaign in 2021.
• Parliamentary Procedure: a team event.

The Louisiana Administrative Code's reporting form lists Extemporaneous Speaking, Prepared Public Speaking, Gulf of Mexico Prepared Public Speaking, Parliamentary Law and FFA Officer Candidate(s) as leadership events. National results from Louisiana chapters also include Conduct of Chapter Meeting, Agricultural Issues Forum and Creed events.

What Each Event Looks Like

• Employment Skills: in 2022, participants wrote a resume and cover letter and interviewed before a panel of judges, per the Louisiana Farm Bureau report.
• Extemporaneous Speaking: the 2022 topic was rural broadband access.
• Gulf of Mexico Public Speaking: first held in 1995, it is a prepared speech on Gulf environmental issues. Its rules match the traditional prepared speaking contest, and a student may enter both if the manuscripts are significantly different, per an article on both events.
• Geaux Teach Ag: started in 2008, it has eight state finalists, two from each area. Each prepares a lesson plan in LSU's format with seven required elements and teaches it for 12 to 15 minutes to four people acting as students, followed by up to 3 minutes of judge questions, with three judges. The 2024-25 subject area was Natural Resources and Conservation.

How Members Qualify

The AgCenter's report on the 2021 state LDEs says members qualified through parish, district and area competitions held that fall, and the top two students or teams from each area were invited to the state events. The 2022 report says the same: students placed in the top two at one of four area events earlier in the month. The winner of each event represents Louisiana at the National FFA Convention in October, per the AgCenter.

Where State LDEs Have Been Held

• 2021: McNeese State University
• 2022: Central Louisiana Technical Community College, Alexandria

The sources do not give exact event dates, and the location can change from year to year, so confirm yours with your advisor. The 2022 results also named a top middle school finisher in some events, which shows younger members take part.

Past Winners

Looking at winners shows which chapters invest in speaking. In 2021 Jennings took Prepared Public Speaking and Creed Speaking first places, Florien won Employment Skills and Gulf of Mexico, Winnfield won Extemporaneous and Parliamentary Procedure, and Jennings won Geaux Teach Ag. In 2022, Winnfield won Prepared Public Speaking, Iowa the Creed, Northshore Gulf of Mexico, Winnfield Extemporaneous and Employment Skills, Dutchtown Geaux Teach Ag, and Elton Parliamentary Procedure.

At the National Level

At the 98th National FFA Convention in 2025, the AgCenter report lists gold for Jennings in Conduct of Chapter Meeting (2nd overall) and for DeRidder in Parliamentary Procedure (4th overall), silver for Church Point in Employment Skills, and bronze in Agricultural Issues Forum (Vinton), Creed (Acadiana), Extemporaneous (Forest) and Prepared Public Speaking (LaSAS). Grand Lake earned gold and 5th in the nation in the Agricultural Education invitational. In 2024, Winnfield's Emily Nevils earned gold and a top 8 finish in Extemporaneous Public Speaking, per the AgCenter report.

Beyond the Contests

LDE skills show up elsewhere in FFA. The 2022 state convention, per the AgCenter, elected a state officer team and honored members with State FFA Degrees and Star Awards.

Choosing and Preparing

• Pick the event that fits you: memorizing, thinking on your feet, teaching, or working with a team.
• Get the current Louisiana FFA rules and score sheets from your advisor.
• Practice in front of strangers, with a timer, many times.
• Follow rural news: the 2022 extemporaneous topic was rural broadband access.
• Check area contest dates early, since the top two at each area advance.

Frequently Asked Questions

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