South Dakota FFA Career Development Events

What FFA Career Development Events Are

Career Development Events (CDEs) are hands-on contests built around agriculture careers. In South Dakota they are organized as the Spring CDEs and held at the State FFA Convention. In 2025, according to the Brookings Register, 2,300 South Dakota FFA members competed in 15 CDEs at the State Convention in Brookings. The South Dakota FFA Association describes itself on its official site as a statewide organization of 6,515 agricultural education students in 112 chapters.

The 15 Spring CDEs

The state CDE page and the general rules list these events:

• Agricultural Business Management
• Agricultural Mechanics (called Agricultural Technology and Mechanical Systems in the 2025 convention results)
• Agronomy
• Dairy Cattle Evaluation
• Floriculture
• Food Science and Technology
• Horse Evaluation and Selection
• Livestock Evaluation
• Meats Evaluation and Technology
• Milk Quality and Products
• Natural Resources
• Nursery/Landscape
• Poultry Evaluation
• Range Plant Identification
• Veterinary Science

The SD FFA site posts rules and sample scantrons for each event, plus ID lists for events such as Agronomy, Floriculture, Natural Resources, Nursery/Landscape and Range Plant ID.

Team Size

The General Rules and Regulations (revised February 2025) set most CDE teams at 3 count / 3 or 4 participate. Food Science and Technology uses 4 count / 4 participate. A chapter may enter only one team of four in any single Spring CDE.

Who Can Compete

The general rules require team members to be:

• bona fide enrollees in a secondary Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (AFNR) program at an accredited South Dakota high school;
• FFA members in good standing; and
• passing at least three units of schoolwork.

Participants may compete in a given State Spring CDE as long as they are an active, in-school member, until they are on a first-place team at the state level or have taken part in the National CDE for that area. A participant may enter more than one CDE if eligible, prepared and the schedule allows.

How Teams Qualify

Chapters qualify at the district level. The top four teams and the top five individuals not on those teams qualify from each district. Food Science takes the top three teams, and Poultry takes the top three teams and top two individuals not on a qualifying team. Each district sends the State office a qualification form by a due date.

Rules on the Day

• An entire team must compete in the same session. Teams that arrive late may enter where others are working, with no make-up competition.
• Communication between participants during a CDE can eliminate the team members involved, and cheating or sabotage can too.
• Basic clipboards are allowed, without calculators or rulers. Where calculators are needed, the event provides them. Other electronic devices, including cell phones, are not allowed on the person.
• Advisors and CDE coaches may not be on site once an event starts until scorecards are collected.
• No videotaping of CDEs at the state level.
• Nobody may inspect animals or other CDE content at SDSU within eight weeks before the State CDE, except at Little International and SDSU-sponsored activities open to all chapters.

Official dress is highly recommended but carries no point deduction. Ag Mechanics hands-on portions and outdoor or unheated events do not need official dress. Meats and Poultry chairs supply hairnets and aprons.

Scoring, Ties and Appeals

Regular SDSU faculty organize the CDEs and set official placings, and scantron events are scored by a tabulations committee under the CDE chair. Ties for the top five teams and top ten individuals are broken using the criteria listed under each event. Results are final when announced as printed in the State Convention results book. The rules also set out a grievance process that allows appeals only for scoring errors.

Advancing to Nationals

The high-scoring team in each CDE represents South Dakota in national competition. To go, the winning team must have at least one original member who competed in the state CDE; if not, the second-place team goes. Participants in the National CDEs must be bona fide FFA members. The 2025 convention coverage says winning students advance to national competition in Indianapolis that fall.

The State Convention

The 97th Annual State FFA Convention was held April 3 to 5, 2025, at the Dacotah Bank Center and SDSU campus in Brookings, according to a Brookings Register preview. The 98th convention, April 20 to 22, 2026, was held in person and online, with a virtual convention page listing session times. Check the SD FFA calendar for the current year.

Practical Tips

• Read the event's own rules page, not just the general rules.
• Use the posted sample scantrons and ID lists in practice.
• Ask your advisor which district contest your chapter attends.
• Watch for the judge sign-up if you want to help; SD FFA says being an expert is not required.

Frequently Asked Questions

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