What Leadership Development Events Are
Leadership development events, or LDEs, are FFA contests in public speaking, meetings, interviews and communication. They differ from career development events, which test technical agricultural skills. In New Mexico, per the Grants FFA chapter page, the first level is the District I LDEs, where members show leadership skills in public speaking and parliamentary procedure. High school competitors qualify for the State Convention, while junior high members aim for the State Junior High LDEs in spring.
Events Offered at the State Convention
The 2026 New Mexico FFA State Convention registration form lists these contests:
- Chapter Prepared Public Speaking
- Greenhand Prepared Public Speaking
- Extemporaneous Public Speaking
- Greenhand Creed
- Employment Skills
- Agriculture Education
- Greenhand Quiz and Greenhand Quiz Team
- Agriscience Fair
- Agricultural Communications
- Agricultural Sales Team
- Agricultural Issues Forum Team
- Parliamentary Procedure Team
- Conduct of Chapter Meetings Team
The form also asks chapters to upload a membership roster showing who is attending and an NMAA form if members are competing in LDEs, and it asks Agricultural Issues Forum teams whether they need a projector. Check with your advisor before you register, because we did not find a published judging rubric for each New Mexico event.
The Convention
The state convention is held each summer in Las Cruces. It includes LDEs, award ceremonies and retiring addresses; members elect the next year's state officers, and the convention ends the FFA year. The NMAA page lists the next convention as June 1 to 4, 2027 on the NMSU campus. For 2026, the registration form listed registration at $60 per member, dance tickets at $5, and concert tickets at $20 each, required for everyone entering including advisors and guests. It also mentioned a Future Ag Teacher Dinner on Wednesday, May 27, hosted by NMSU's College of Agricultural and Extension Education for 11th and 12th graders interested in teaching agriculture, and four community service shifts with projects such as tie blankets, personal care packages and coloring book kits. We did not find 2026 contest dates in the sources we read.
Who Has Placed
NMSU's report on the 2022 convention, held May 31 to June 3 at NMSU, shows how titles spread across small and large chapters. Texico won Agricultural Issues, with Jayda Goodson winning Greenhand Creed and Greenhand Prepared and Remington Hunt winning Chapter Prepared Public Speaking. Artesia won Agricultural Communications, Las Cruces won Agricultural Sales, and Capitan won the Greenhand Quiz team and individual (Jewel Joy). Caylee Jimesson of Mayfield won Employability Skills, Paydon Kniepkamp of Artesia won Agriculture Education, and Maddie Glass of Imago Dei won Extemporaneous Speaking.
An Artesia FFA report from a later convention in Las Cruces shows second place in Conduct of Chapter Meetings Team, fourth in Chapter Prepared Public Speech, and fifth in FFA Creed and Greenhand Quiz. These are single-chapter reports, not full statewide results, so check with NM FFA for complete standings.
Choosing Your Event
The list covers several kinds of competitor. First-year members can start with the Greenhand events: Greenhand Creed, Greenhand Prepared Public Speaking and the Greenhand Quiz, which has an individual and a team version. Confident speakers can try Chapter Prepared or Extemporaneous Public Speaking. Team events such as Agricultural Sales, Agricultural Issues Forum, Parliamentary Procedure and Conduct of Chapter Meetings suit chapters that like to practice together, and Employment Skills suits members who want interview experience. The 2022 convention drew nearly 600 members from 83 schools, so even a small chapter will see real competition.
Junior High and Other Leadership Events
Younger members have a path. The New Mexico Leadership Conference features workshops led by state officers and is the site of the state Jr. High LDEs, per the Grants FFA state events page. Other leadership programs include Chapter Officer Leadership Training, FFA Day at the Roundhouse at the State Capitol, and the Washington Leadership Conference. State FFA Leadership Camp teaches leadership and team-building in the Lincoln National Forest; the 2026 camp was June 23 to 26 at Aspendale Mountain Retreat in Cloudcroft, per the camp page.
Practical Tips
- Start with your district: ask your advisor for District I LDE dates and entry steps.
- Rehearse in front of people who will ask follow-up questions, not only a mirror.
- Prepare resumes, applications and speech drafts well before the district contest.
- For team events such as Parliamentary Procedure and Conduct of Chapter Meetings, practice until motions are second nature.
- Return the NMAA form and roster by the registration deadline your advisor gives you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the New Mexico FFA State Convention?
At New Mexico State University in Las Cruces.
How do I qualify for state?
High school competitors qualify through the District I LDEs. Ask your advisor for the cutoffs.
Is there something for junior high members?
Yes. Junior high members compete in State Jr. High LDEs at the New Mexico Leadership Conference in spring.
What does the convention cost?
The 2026 registration form listed $60 per member, plus optional dance and concert tickets.
Guide checked Nov. 11, 2026. Rules and dates change; confirm with the organizer.