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Fall CDEs

Fruit & Vegetable Identification - Students must identify fruits and vegetables commonly grown and sold in NJ. Students also judge classes of fruits or vegetables for quality, conformation, and uniformity.

Turf Management - Includes all aspects of the industry in producing, marketing, utilizing, and maintaining turf as well as related products, equipment and services.

Land Judging - Students determine the quality of land sites by investigating topsoil and subsoil depths, drainage, slope, and erosion. Students then use this information to make recommendations on the agricultural or housing use of the land.

Milk Quality & Products - students identify various kinds of cheeses, identify flavorings and impurities in milk samples, and judge the quality of milking equipment. Also, students answer a written test on dairy marketing and production.

Spring CDEs

Agricultural Sales - Students must demonstrate the ability to sell products, assemble advertisement information and create advertisement displays, handle customer negotiations, and utilize market research data in various aspects of agricultural business.

Agricultural Technology & Mechanical Systems - Contestants are tested in many areas of mechanics in an ag setting. Three Students must show a proficiency in three of the following areas: welding, carpentry, plumbing, electricity, masonry, tractor power, and safety. Which three depends on the year. Students must complete a written test, a problem solving area, and a practical or hands-on problem.

Environmental and Natural Resources - Individual and team activities for this event include a national/global issues interview and cover press release writing, environmental/natural resources problem solving, soil tests and profiles, air/water analysis, GPS use, waste management, identification and ecological successions.

Floriculture - Students are competing in various areas of the floral business; making a corsage or arrangement, creating a window display, identifying houseplants, potting plants, waiting on a customer, taking a phone order, interviewing for a position. Several of these are combined each year along with a written test.

Nursery and Landscape - Students must identify trees, shrubs and equipment, answer questions using a landscape design, propagate cuttings, measure plants, provide customer assistance and complete a written exam.

Veterinary Science - Students must identy breeds/species, equipment, and parasites/microscopic, conmplete a written exam and a math applications exam, respond to a current events prompt, complete 2-4 hands-on handling & restraint or clinical procedures.

Winter CDEs

Farm & Agribusiness Management - Students take a written exam based on various situations in managing an agricultural business or farm. Situations include determining net worth, profit versus loses, taxes, and payroll.

Forestry - Participants in this event complete a written exam, identify trees and forestry equipment, and are interviewed regarding forestry-related issues. They also demonstrate their skills in forest disorders, forest management, inventory and approved silviculture practices.

Meat Evaluation & Technology - Students will take a written exam, identify cuts of meat, place 4 classes of ___ and solve a meat formulation.

 

 

Convention LDEs & Events

Chapter Secretary's Book - Each chapter's Secretary should keep a record of all meeting minutes, committee reports, correspondence, and other chapter business. This event awards the Secretary who keeps the neatest, most complete record of chapter business.

Chapter Treasurer's Book - Each chapter's Treasurer should keep a record of receipts and disbursements. This event awards the Treasurer who keeps the neatest and most accurate records.

Creed Speaking*- open to first-year members in 9th or 10th grade only. These students recite the FFA Creed from memory. The Creed vocalizes the ideals, dreams, and hopes of the FFA.

Demonstration* - As an individual, or in a team of up to four people, FFA members may demonstrate any agricultural ability or skill. The demonstrators may make use of any appropriate equipment or tools needed for their demonstration.

Employment Skills** - Students apply for this event just like a real job, with an application, resume, and cover letter. Each is written up for a fictitious job in Agriculture. At the Convention, each applicant is interviewed by the "employer" for the job applied for. This is an excellent preparation for actually finding a job.

Essay - Students research and prepare an essay based on an agricultural topic.
Member of the Year - Applicants for this honor must have been selected as a Member of the Month during the year.

Extemporaneous Speaking* - Students are given an agricultural topic and have 30 minutes to write a speech lasting 4 - 6 minutes. Students then present their newly-written speech and are questioned by the judges for 5 minutes.

Hall of States Exhibit Event - Chapters will submit a written plan for a Hall of States Exhibit to be used at the National FFA Convention.  Chapters invited to state convention will be evaluated on the exhibit itself and a 10-minute demonstration with a panel of judges. 

Official Ceremonies Event - Students form a team of eight members, representing the six constitutional offices, an advisor, and one member. Students perform three official FFA ceremonies from memory within 10 minutes.

Parliamentary Procedure Event - Students form a team of six members made up of a chairperson, secretary, and four members. The team is given a list of parliamentary abilities and have 10 minutes to use all the abilities correctly in a business meeting setting.

Portable Exhibit - Chapter members design and build a table-top exhibit using the current state FFA theme. These exhibits are on display throughout the Convention and are highly usable throughout the year.

Prepared Public Speaking* - each student competing prepares a speech on an agricultural topic. Members in 9th & 10th grade speak for 3 - 5 minutes. Members in 11th & 12th grades speak for 6 - 8 minutes and are questioned by the judges for 5 minutes.

Scrapbook - Each chapter's Reporter (and/or historian) should keep a record of all chapter activities through pictures, new articles, newsletters, and other media attention. This event awards the Reporter who has compiled the most interesting, complete, and neatest scrapbook.



*Preliminary Events will be held at the Annual State FFA Convention if more than 8 contestants are registered. In this case, the top two individuals in each room will move on to the Final Round. If there is no need to hold a Preliminary Round, then all teams/individuals move to the Final Round.

**Employment Skills - The top five students based on application, resume and coverletter will be invited to interview at the State FFA Convention.

Additional Events

Agronomy - Contestants will take a general knowledge exam, identify crops weeds or seeds, complete a soils practicum and commodity evaluation, identify equipment/machinery, disorders and insects.

Dairy Management & Evaluation - Contestants judge the conformation of dairy cattle, and out of a class of four cows, putting the cows in order of best, second, third, worst. This tests the student's ability in critical thinking. Then the students have to justify their placings orally to one of the officials.

Food Science & Technology -
 Contestants will complete a general knowledge test, a problem solving/math practicum, aroma ID Triange Test, food safety and quality practicum, and modified product development activity.

Livestock Evaluation - Students judge the conformation of hogs, sheep, and beef cattle, to decide the quality of the animal's for use in the market. Each class is made of four animals that the students must put in order: best, second, third, worst. Then the contestants must justify their placings orally to one of the contest officials.

Horse Evaluation -
Students judge the conformation of horses, depending upon the use of the animals (ex. - pleasure, racing, draft, etc.) Contestants rank the four horses in each class in order from best to worst. Students also must justify their placings orally to one of the officials.

Horticultural Exposition - This three day event houses over 500 floral arrangements competing in over 70 different categories. The fresh and silk arrangements are made by the students in school and brought to the Expo. Also, many students create floral arrangements in the Floral Design CDE, which is part of the Horticultural Exposition. The students are given materials and a specific design to create. These arrangements are then judged and offered for sale to the general public.

Poultry Evaluation - This event supports learning about production, processing, marketing and consumption of chickens, turkeys, processed products and eggs. Participants complete a written exam, solve a management problem, evaluate animals and products, identify chicken carcass parts and give oral reasons explaining their placing/grading of various classes.

 

 

Summer CDEs

Dairy Handlers - Students are evaluated on how well they handle and present dairy animals.

Tractor Driving - This event involves identifying the safety checks in proper use of tractors, driving a tractor through an obstacle course while pulling a two wheel wagon, then a four wheel wagon, a skid steer, a loader and finally taking a test on tractor safety and maintenance.