West Virginia FFA Career Development Events

How West Virginia FFA Career Development Events Work

Career development events, or CDEs, are contests where FFA members show practical agriculture skills such as evaluating livestock, identifying plants, running a tractor or keeping records. In West Virginia, the state CDEs are hosted by West Virginia University's Agricultural and Extension Education program, and teams register online through JudgingCard. The rules below come from the program's CDE policy and its published bulletins. Details change each year, so check the current guidelines with your agriculture teacher.

When and Where

West Virginia spreads its contests through the school year. The Team Ag Ed bulletins list:

• Fall CDEs: September 25-26, 2025, at WVU, per the July 21, 2025 bulletin
• Winter CDEs: December 11-13, 2025, at WVU, per the October 6, 2025 bulletin
• Spring contests: in 2025, the Agriscience and Agronomy contests were held May 6 at West Virginia State University, per the April 28, 2025 bulletin
• Regional contests: advisors enter regional results in a shared spreadsheet as regional competitions finish, per the June 1, 2026 bulletin

The state convention, with more contests, was held July 8-11, 2026.

Events You Will See

West Virginia does not publish one public master list, but its bulletins, rules and news coverage name events including agronomy, agriscience, land judging and homesite evaluation, tractor driving, and livestock judging. Middle school students can compete only in the 7th and 8th Grade Agriscience and Middle School Food Science contests. Ask your advisor which events your chapter will enter, then check the WVU Ag Ed site for the current study materials and handbooks. For example, an agronomy CDE handbook was posted for 2025.

Who Can Compete

According to the West Virginia FFA CDE policy:

• Students must be in grades 9-12, enrolled in secondary agriculture, and active FFA members. Recent graduates may compete until August 1.
• Members must be dues-paying members in good standing at the local, state and national levels.
• A student can compete in the same contest for up to four years, and total CDE participation is limited to four years.
• At selection, a student must be enrolled in at least one agricultural occupation course or planned course of study, including a supervised agricultural experience.
• Members of first-place teams may not compete in the same contest again.
• Each member must submit the notarized standard FFA permission form before the event.

The State Supervisor of Agricultural Education certifies eligibility. If an ineligible student is entered, the entire team is declared ineligible.

Teams and Registration

A team is four students. A school may enter only one team per event. Teams of three or four are full teams, and schools with fewer than three students can compete only for individual awards. Teachers register online at judgingcard.com for each event, and teams not properly registered are ineligible. Late registration carries a $100 penalty per contest, which goes to the WV FFA Foundation. Advisors should avoid scheduling one student in two contests that may overlap.

Contest Day Rules

• Electronic devices are prohibited unless the coordinator allows certain calculators, and a violation eliminates the entire team.
• Students may bring only specified reference materials plus a standard clipboard.
• Students wear a name badge or contestant number during the contest.
• On Scantron sheets, students must correctly enter team and student numbers or be disqualified. Use a #2 or similar mechanical pencil and fill the bubbles darkly.
• Advisors and coaches may not be in the livestock pavilion or within 300 feet of penned livestock while students judge.
• Teams and advisors may not visit WVU livestock facilities or greenhouses within 60 days of an event.

Awards and Sweepstakes

Winning teams receive plaques, and the three highest-scoring individuals in each contest receive medals. Results go to agriculture teachers at least 12 hours before the awards ceremony so mistakes can be reported. A school must enter at least six contests to be eligible for the Sweepstakes Award, which is based on the school's six highest-placing teams. The sweepstakes year runs August 1 to July 1, and the award is presented at the State FFA convention.

Reaching National Events

The winning high team in a contest has the right to represent West Virginia at the matching national CDE. If a team will not attend, the State Coordinator must be told by July 15, and the spot moves down the placings until a willing team is found. All team members must be certified in the National FFA system by August 25.

How to Prepare

• Ask your advisor early which contests your chapter is entering.
• Download the current handbook and study materials from the WVU Ag Ed site.
• Check every member's dues and permission form well before registration.
• Practice with the exact tools allowed, then leave everything else at home.

Frequently Asked Questions

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