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. Utah has 100 chapters and 17,257 members ages 12 to 21, according to the Utah State Board of Education's FFA overview, so the state contests draw many speakers and teams.
The Events
The state's 2023 state results list these speaking, meeting and communication contests:
- Prepared Public Speaking
- Extemporaneous Public Speaking
- Creed Speaking
- Parliamentary Procedure (team)
- Conduct of Chapter Meetings (team)
- Employment Skills
- Agricultural Communications
- Agricultural Issues Forum
A Salem Hills report also named a Farm Bureau Discussion Meet and a Conduct of Chapter Meetings event for seventh through ninth graders, which was new to Utah that year. Contest lists change, so confirm the current list with your advisor.
The 2026 State Convention
The 98th Utah FFA Convention was hosted by Utah State University, with a report published March 13, 2026 describing Thursday and Friday sessions and more than 2,000 members and guests, per the news account. A San Juan chapter report shows what members did there: Prepared Public Speaking on tail docking in the sheep industry (4th in the state), Extemporaneous Speaking with 30 minutes to prepare on a random agricultural topic, Creed Speaking as a freshman event (2nd in the state), and a six-member Parliamentary Procedure team running a mock chapter meeting. The same convention is where state officers were selected and scholarships and chapter awards were announced.
Earlier conventions were held elsewhere. A 2015 KSL report placed that convention at a Snow College campus in Richfield, with more than 1,500 students speaking, including job interviews. We did not find published 2027 convention dates or fees, so ask your advisor.
How Members Qualify
Qualifying starts locally. The Salem Hills report describes Area 5 leadership contests held January 30 and state contests on March 9 in Cedar City (the report gave no year). Two Creed Speaking contestants and two Farm Bureau Discussion Meet contestants advanced. We did not find a current statewide list of cutoffs, so ask your advisor which area contest comes first and how many entries each chapter may send.
Choosing Your Event
- New members: Creed Speaking is described as a freshman event and asks members to recite the FFA Creed and answer judges' questions about its meaning.
- Quick thinkers: Extemporaneous Speaking gives 30 minutes to prepare on a random topic.
- Researchers: Prepared Public Speaking is a researched, rehearsed speech.
- Team players: Parliamentary Procedure and Conduct of Chapter Meetings, per the state list.
- Job seekers: Employment Skills. Utah took gold and fifth in the nation in this event at the 2022 national convention, per the national results sheet.
National Results
The 2022 national sheet shows Utah medals in Agricultural Issues (Mount Nebo, silver), Conduct of Chapter Meetings (Mountain Crest, silver), Parliamentary Procedure (Uintah, silver) and Creed, Extemporaneous and Prepared Public Speaking (each bronze). The state overview also notes that Dixie FFA won gold in Agricultural Issues Leadership Development at the national convention.
Agricultural Communication and Issues
Not every LDE is a speech. Agricultural Communications and Agricultural Issues Forum appear on the state list as contests where members write, research and discuss current agricultural topics. Members who like research and debate can build skills here that also help in Prepared Public Speaking, since a good speech starts with a well-researched topic.
Beyond the Contest Floor
State conventions are more than contests. The 2026 convention included selection of the 2026-2027 State Treasurer, a Utah FFA Foundation scholarship, and a Superior Chapter Award for completing at least one activity in each of the 15 National Quality Chapter Standards categories, all per the San Juan report. The 2015 KSL report added that state FFA degrees, which require a two-year effort, are conferred at convention. A contest placing is one way to build a record toward those honors.
Younger Members
Utah FFA members range from ages 12 to 21, and the Salem Hills report shows contests aimed at younger students, including Conduct of Chapter Meetings for seventh through ninth graders. Creed Speaking is the usual first step: the contestant recites the FFA Creed from memory and answers questions about what it means. It is short, it can be practiced at home every night, and it builds the stage habits that carry over to longer speeches later.
Practical Tips
- Rehearse in front of people who will ask follow-up questions.
- Time every practice run.
- Teams should practice motions and officer roles until they are automatic.
- Ask your advisor early for the area contest date and the current rubric.
- Volunteer adults and former members can ask the advisor about helping judge or run contests.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where was the 2026 Utah FFA convention?
Utah State University hosted the 98th convention, per the news account.
Is Creed Speaking only for freshmen?
The San Juan report calls it a freshman event.
Are fees published?
Not in the sources we read. Ask your advisor.
Guide checked Nov. 11, 2026. Rules and dates change; confirm with the organizer.