What Oregon FFA Leadership Development Events Are
Leadership development events, or LDEs, test speaking, meeting and communication skills rather than a technical trade. The Oregon FFA 2025 convention program, posted on oregonffa.com, lists the contests held at the state convention, including several speaking events, Conduct of Chapter Meetings, Parliamentary Procedure and the State Coop Quiz. The program does not label which events are CDEs and which are LDEs, and news reports sort them differently, so this guide groups them by skill. Career contests are in the companion guide.
The Oregon Lineup
The 2025 program lists these events at the state convention:
- FFA Creed Speaking and the Spanish Creed Speaking Invitational
- Beginning Public Speaking and Sophomore Public Speaking
- Prepared Public Speaking and Extemporaneous Public Speaking
- Conduct of Chapter Meetings
- Parliamentary Procedure, often called Parli Pro
- State Coop Quiz
The program also shows job interview, agricultural issues, marketing plan and farm business management contests, and middle school speaking invitationals for Creed and Prepared Public Speaking appear in the 2026 results from Elkhorn Media Group. Agricultural Advocacy awards were also announced at the 2025 convention.
Where and When
The state convention is held in March. The 97th convention ran March 20 to 23, 2025, at the Deschutes Fair and Expo Center in Redmond, per the Redmond Spokesman, with about 15,500 FFA members and about 120 chapters statewide. In 2025 the program put Creed Speaking and Beginning Public Speaking on Thursday afternoon, Sophomore Public Speaking on Friday morning, Prepared and Extemporaneous Public Speaking on Friday afternoon, the Coop Quiz on Friday, and Conduct of Chapter Meetings, Parliamentary Procedure and the Spanish Creed Invitational on Saturday. Results are announced in evening and Sunday sessions, so families should plan to stay for the awards. The 2026 convention also met at Deschutes County Fair and Expo Center in Redmond, per Elkhorn Media Group.
How Students Advance
An older report from Newberg High School describes a sectional contest where first and second place finishers in events such as Beginning and Advanced Parliamentary Procedure, the three levels of Prepared Public Speaking and Extemporaneous Speaking qualified for state, while fourth-place finishers in Creed and Job Interview did not. A 2014 Crook County report describes Central Oregon district contests where winners advanced to a sectional or to state. Structures and dates change, so ask your advisor which contests your area holds and how many entries each chapter may send.
Recent Results
Elkhorn Media Group's 2026 report lists these Eastern Oregon placings: Parliamentary Procedure, third for Cove and fourth for Joseph; Prepared Public Speaking, first for Olivia Wieland of Ontario and fourth for Evelyn Hayes of Pendleton; Sophomore Public Speaking, first for Allison Bohnert of Crane and second for Karlee Patterson of Imbler; Creed, first for Flora Lindgard of Enterprise; Coop Quiz, first for Owyhee Harguss of Enterprise; and Conduct of Chapter Meetings, second for Joseph. The 2025 report lists Parli Pro first for Hermiston and Sophomore Public Speaking first for Josephine Bingaman of Imbler. Henry Bennett of Sandy won Prepared Public Speaking in 2025 with a speech on USDA's Beagle Brigade detector dogs, per the Redmond Spokesman.
The Convention Around the Contests
Contests share the week with a lot else. At the 2024 convention in Redmond, the Hermiston Herald reported that about 2,900 members attended in blue corduroy jackets, with a career and education show, workshops, speakers, awards and nightly dance parties. An earlier convention hosted by Oregon State University, per the OSU New Fields blog, featured public speaking and Ag Issues contests, proficiency and scholarship interviews and a career fair. For first-time speakers, that crowd can be a lot, so rehearse in a big room if you can.
What Competing Looks Like
- Public speaking events reward a clear message, delivery and handling of judges' questions. Extemporaneous speaking gives you a topic and little prep time.
- Creed Speaking tests how well you recite and understand the FFA Creed. A Spanish Creed Invitational also exists.
- Parliamentary Procedure is a team debate format built on Robert's Rules of Order, per KTVZ's convention coverage.
- Conduct of Chapter Meetings checks how a team runs a real meeting.
- Coop Quiz tests knowledge of cooperatives.
Choosing an Event
- Solo and nervous: start with Beginning Public Speaking or Creed.
- Second-year member: try Sophomore Public Speaking.
- Team player: Parliamentary Procedure or Conduct of Chapter Meetings.
- Quick thinker: Extemporaneous Public Speaking.
- Bilingual: the Spanish Creed Speaking Invitational.
Preparing
- Get the current event rules from your advisor, since they change.
- Practice out loud in front of people who will ask hard questions.
- For Parli Pro, rehearse motions until they are automatic.
- Plan lodging and travel early, since the convention runs several days.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the state convention?
Recent conventions in 2024, 2025 and 2026 have been held at the Deschutes County Fair and Expo Center in Redmond.
Is there a speaking contest for new members?
Yes. The program lists Beginning Public Speaking and Sophomore Public Speaking.
Is there a Spanish-language event?
Yes, the Spanish Creed Speaking Invitational.
Who answers rule questions?
Your agricultural education teacher and the Oregon FFA Association.
Guide checked Nov. 11, 2026. Rules and dates change; confirm with the organizer.