What Oregon FFA Career Development Events Are
Career development events, or CDEs, are contests that test the knowledge and skills of a particular agricultural career, often as a team. KTVZ reported at the 2023 state convention that FFA offers 29 career development events, though it did not list them. This guide covers the Oregon contests documented in public reports. Speaking and meeting contests are covered in the companion leadership guide, and the Oregon FFA Association's own handbooks remain the authority on rules.
Contests Named in Oregon Reports
Oregon results published after recent conventions and spring contests mention these CDEs:
- Ag Issues, Ag Sales, Marketing Plan, Farm Business Management and Job Interview, listed under "State Career Development Event Results" in the 2026 convention report from Elkhorn Media Group
- Dairy Cattle Evaluation, Milk Quality and Products and Horse Evaluation, held at Oregon State University in 2025, per the Tillamook County Pioneer
- Environmental and Natural Resources, held at the Oregon Garden in Silverton
- Ag Mechanics, Poultry Evaluation and Crops/Agronomy, held at OSU on May 2 and 3 in a year reported by Newberg High School
- Soils, listed among 2025 convention events
Ask your advisor for the current full lineup, since events change and this list reflects only what was reported.
Where and When
The state convention is held in March. It was at the Deschutes Fair and Expo Center in Redmond on March 20 to 23 in 2025, with over 2,000 members attending per Elkhorn Media Group. The 2025 convention program, available on the Oregon FFA site, puts Job Interview preliminaries and Ag Issues preliminaries on Thursday, Marketing Plan preliminaries on Friday, and Farm Business Management on Saturday morning. The 2025 program also shows Job Interview finals on Saturday and Ag Issues finals on Saturday afternoon.
Many other CDEs are held away from the convention. Tillamook County Pioneer places the Dairy Cattle, Milk Quality and Horse contests at OSU in Corvallis and Environmental and Natural Resources at the Oregon Garden, in spring. Newberg reported the ENR contest at the Oregon Garden combined with the Envirothon: 15 of 38 teams were FFA teams, and the FFA division winner qualified for the National FFA Convention.
How Teams Advance
Pathways vary by contest. State champions can go on to nationals: the Tillamook County Pioneer reported that the state champion Dairy Cattle Evaluation and Milk Quality and Products teams qualified for the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, and the Milk Quality team's title was its first state win since 2008. For convention events, Newberg reported in an older story that first and second place finishers at a sectional contest qualified for state, and that district winners in Farm Business Management advanced directly. Ask your advisor how your chapter qualifies.
Recent Results
The 2026 Elkhorn Media Group report lists Ag Issues winners Hermiston first, Baker second and Imbler fourth, Ag Sales first for McLoughlin, Farm Business Management first for Nyssa with Ontario and Cove placing second and third in the B-team division, and Echo fourth in Marketing. The 2025 report has Ag Issues with Hermiston first, Baker second, Vale third and Imbler fourth. Newberg's Envirothon team placed first among FFA teams and first in the Soils and Land Use category in the year it reported, and Newberg's Ag Mechanics team's fifth place was the chapter's best in over 20 years.
What Competing Looks Like
- Farm Business Management and Marketing Plan reward business thinking, and Farm Business Management is a team event with B-teams that also place at state.
- Evaluation contests such as Dairy, Horse and Poultry reward judging practice with real animals.
- Ag Mechanics and Crops/Agronomy are hands-on and individual placements count alongside team results. At OSU, Newberg's Ag Mechanics team placed fifth and its Crops/Agronomy team placed second.
- Job Interview is an individual event, with preliminaries and finals at the 2025 convention, and chapter members such as Tucker VanDyke of Ontario took first place in 2026.
More Than a Trophy
CDEs are one piece of a convention week that also includes a career show, workshops and speakers. The Hermiston Herald counted about 2,900 members at the 2024 convention in Redmond, and the Redmond Spokesman reported 319 students receiving FFA degrees on the evening of March 21, 2025. A contest day is practice for the interview, the team project and the business pitch you will meet after high school.
Choosing a Contest
- Animal-minded: Dairy Cattle, Horse, Poultry, Milk Quality and Products.
- Plants, land and water: Crops/Agronomy, Soils, Environmental and Natural Resources.
- Hands-on and technical: Ag Mechanics.
- Business and communication: Marketing Plan, Ag Sales, Farm Business Management, Ag Issues, Job Interview.
Preparing
- Get the current handbook for your event from your advisor or the Oregon FFA Association.
- Practice with real material. Oregon dairies, farms and mechanics shops are natural practice sites to ask about.
- Form your team early, because many contests are scored as teams with individual placings.
- Plan travel, since contests may meet in Corvallis, Silverton or Redmond.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the Oregon FFA state convention?
In March. The 2025 convention ran March 20 to 23 in Redmond, per Elkhorn Media Group.
Do state winners go to nationals?
State champions in events such as Dairy Cattle Evaluation and Milk Quality and Products have qualified, per reports. Ask your advisor which events qualify.
Where is the ENR contest?
Reports place it at the Oregon Garden in Silverton, combined with the Envirothon.
How many members does Oregon FFA have?
The Redmond Spokesman reported roughly 15,500 members and about 120 chapters in 2025.
Guide checked Nov. 11, 2026. Rules and dates change; confirm with the organizer.