CDE/LDE INFORMATION

The Agricultural Sales Career Development Event will be held on Tuesday, March 31 and Wednesday, April 1.  A team rotation schedule for Wednesday's practicums will be distributed at the coaches' meeting on Tuesday.  All participants will complete the individual written exam on Tuesday. Exams will be taken online. All contestants must bring their own devices capable of accessing the internet. Wi-Fi access will be provided. Acceptable devices include laptops or tablets. Cell phones are not permitted. 

The team activity, customer service call, and individual sales activity practicums will take place on Wednesday. Information and product(s) from the team activity will be used in the individual sales activity and customer service call. Specific product and pricing information for the 2026 product is posted below. Each participant will be responsible for bringing a 1-inch binder to the event containing the provided product information and any other information gathered by the participant. This product information will not otherwise be provided to the students during the event. Please refer to the rules on the National FFA website for details on each part of the Agricultural Sales CDE.  

The Conduct of Chapter Meetings Leadership Development Event will be held on Tuesday, March 31 and Wednesday, April 1. All participants will complete the individual written exam (Part I and II) on Tuesday. Exams will be taken online. All contestants must bring their own devices capable of accessing the internet. Wi-Fi access will be provided. Acceptable devices include laptops or tablets. Cell phones are not permitted. Team presentations, team problem-solving, and the individual practicum focused on minutes and other records will take place on Thursday. 

The Demonstration CDE's (individual and team) are split into divisions - Division I (9th grade) and Division II (10th grade) and Division III (11th grade) and Division IV (12th grade).  

The Employment Skills Leadership Development Event will be held on Tuesday, March 31.  Each participant must submit a single PDF format file containing their cover letter, résumé, job description, and statement of authenticity* by March 1.  Files are to be submitted via an online form. Click here to access. The job description should include a description of the position the student is applying for, desired qualifications, and work experience.  Sources for job descriptions can be found by looking in the newspaper or online through job search websites and company websites. 

Written documents, including cover letters and resumes, must NOT include personal contact information. 

• Use their first initial and surname in place of their full name, e.g., M. Mouse in place of Mickey Mouse. 

• Use their local school address, school email, and agriculture department phone number.

The cover letter is to be typed, one page, single-spaced, left-justified using Times, Times New Roman, or Arial 10 to 12-point minimum font. The letter is to be dated for the first day of the state event in Indianapolis and addressed to:

Kim LaFleur

135 Center Street Street

Dighton, MA 02715

The judges will be provided with the exact materials submitted by each contestant for evaluation. Substitution of submitted materials after the registration deadline is not permitted.  The follow-up letter will be handwritten by each contestant.  

Practicums will include: written application, telephone interview, personal interview, follow-up letter, and networking activity.  Participants should bring the following: writing utensils, business cards, a portfolio, and blank paper.  Please note that additional materials, including portfolios, are not allowed to be brought into the interview room.

* Statement of Authenticity should include the following language: 

“I certify that all materials presented here are of my own creation and that any work adopted from other sources is duly cited and referenced as such." — signature

Extemporaneous Public Speaking Leadership Development Event - All national rules will apply except for computer access during the speech writing phase.  A computer will not be provided.  All contestants will develop speeches from the information they research and bring to the event in their binder.   

FFA Quiz Bowl Division I and II - The phase I (written exam) component for both events will take place on Tuesday, March 31 at 4:00 PM. Exams will be taken online. All contestants must bring their own devices capable of accessing the internet. Wi-Fi access will be provided. Acceptable devices include laptops or tablets. Cell phones are not permitted. 

The Floriculture Career Development Event will be held on Wednesday, April 1.  The written exam will begin at 8:30 AM.  Exams will be taken online. All contestants must bring their own devices capable of accessing the internet. Wi-Fi access will be provided. Acceptable devices include laptops or tablets. Cell phones are not permitted. The 2026 practicums are: 

General Knowledge Exam                            Team Activity (A Teams Only)

Identification                                            Floral Arranging (A Teams Only) 

Growing Procedures   Greenhouse Maintenance & Management Practices (A Teams Only)

Determining Retail Pricing                                        

Massachusetts FFA will provide the materials necessary for the team activity only.  Students should bring a pencil, clipboard, calculator, snips, floral shears, ribbon scissors, and a wire cutter. Calculators must be battery-operated, non-programmable, and non-scientific (basic five function only). No other calculators will be permitted. Please refer to the event rules on the National FFA website for details on each part of the Floriculture CDE.  

SPECIAL NOTE (per national rules) - The exam portion will cover the exam and problem-solving. Identification will include plants, equipment, and disorders/diseases. 

Resources - a list of potential flowers that contestants might be asked to work with is posted below. Please note the list is subject to change based on the availability of materials at the time of the event. The Determining Retail Pricing practicum may include fresh or faux floral arrangement, foliage plant basket, mixed planter, or dish garden.

The Marketing Plan Career Development Event is scheduled for Tuesday, March 31, at 12:00 PM.  Each three-member team must submit its written plan in PDF format by March 1 at 6:00 PM.  Files are to be submitted via an online form. Click here to access. The event format and rules are located on the CDE page of the National FFA website.  

The Nursery/Landscape Career Development Event will be held on Wednesday, April 1.  The written exam will begin at 8:30 AM.  Exams will be taken online. All contestants must bring their own devices capable of accessing the internet. Wi-Fi access will be provided. Acceptable devices include laptops or tablets. Cell phones are not permitted.  The 2026 practicums are:

General Knowledge Exam Identification of Plants, Pests, Disorders & Beneficial Insects

Landscape Estimating Verbal Customer Assistance (A team only)

Team Skills Challenge * (A team only)     Nursery propagation/potting (A team only)

Please refer to the event rules on the National FFA website for details on each part of the Nursery/Landscape CDE.  The state contest will include specimens included in the 2026 Nursery/Landscape Handbook. 

Contestants are required to bring their own calculator and architect's scale. Calculators must be battery-operated, non-programmable, and non-scientific (basic five function only). No other calculators will be permitted. 

*Team Skills Challenge. Skill practicums will be selected from this list: 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 9, 17, 19 (see the Nursery/Landscape CDE Handbook for descriptions). Team members must work together to complete the four skills. Participants will have thirty minutes to complete the event. 

The Parliamentary Procedure Leadership Development Event will be held on Tuesday, March 31 and Wednesday, April 1. All participants will complete the individual written exam on Tuesday. Exams will be taken online. All contestants must bring their own devices capable of accessing the internet. Wi-Fi access will be provided. Acceptable devices include laptops or tablets. Cell phones are not permitted. 

The Prepared Public Speaking Leadership Development Event will be held on Tuesday, March 31. Each contestant is required to submit their written manuscript in PDF format by March 1 at 6:00 PM. The file is to be submitted via an online form. Click here to access.

Agriscience Exhibits are run under modified rules of the National Agriscience Fair.  Agriscience Exhibit entries are divided into divisions based on grade and entry type.  Please consult the rules on the National FFA website to prepare and register your students accordingly.  The divisions are as follows: Division 3 - individuals in grades 9 and 10.  Division 4 - teams of two in grades 9 and 10, Division 5 - individuals in grades 11 and 12, and Division 5 - teams of two in grades 11 and 12. 

Each chapter is allowed to submit one entry in each division of each pathway.  Massachusetts FFA offers students the opportunity to participate in one of six pathways; Animal Systems, Environmental Services/Natural Resource Systems, Food Products and Processing Systems, Plant Systems, Power, Structural and Technical Systems, and Social Systems.  Please see the National Agriscience Fair Guidelines and Procedures packet, located on the Agriscience page of the National FFA website, www.ffa.org for complete rules and regulations.  

Only one overall winning exhibit per pathway will receive an award during the convention.  However, the high-scoring division winners for each pathway will be eligible to apply for inclusion in the 2026 National Agriscience Fair. Please note, that state winners are not automatically granted a slot at the National Agriscience Fair.  Students will be selected based on their project written plan ranking by Massachusetts FFA.  Written Plans must be submitted for consideration by May 15th. Resources to aid with written plan development can be found here.

STATE EVENT LEVEL REQUIREMENTS

The project abstract requirement has been eliminated from the state contest. Each entry must be accompanied by a tri-fold cardboard poster display (36" X 48"). The poster board must be in place by 12:00 PM on Tuesday, March 31. It shall remain on display until the conclusion of the convention.

Scoring - The convention rubric,  convention scoresheet, and poster board scorecard (linked below) will be used to evaluate the projects at the convention.   

TECHNOLOGY POLICY

Written exams and select practicums for Agricultural Sales, Conduct of Chapter Meetings, FFA Quiz Bowl I, FFA Quiz Bowl II, Floriculture, Nursery/Landscape, and Parliamentary Procedure will use Google as their testing platform. Each contestant must have their own device capable of accessing the internet. Acceptable devices include laptops or tablets. Cell phones are not permitted. 

Wi-Fi access will be provided. For school-issued devices, please consult your IT staff before the convention to set each device up to access a public network. MA FFA is not responsible for technology issues.

RULES & SCORECARDS

When registering contestants, please review the CDE/LDE Policy document below. It outlines who can participate in state, regional, and national events.

Rules and scorecards for events only conducted at the state level are posted on www.massffa.org. You can access the rules by clicking here.

Rules for national-level CDE's can be found here: National FFA CDE's. For all national-level events, use the 2026 version of the handbook. The date of the handbook revision (June 2025) is in the top right corner. Detailed handbook changes will be documented in the 2026 CDE/LDE Handbook Detailed Update Summary, available on the National FFA CDE/LDE webpage. Any changes posted by National FFA after February 1 will not be incorporated into the 2026 event without prior notice.