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Region Contest: None, state registration due March 1st State Contest: April 20-21st, 2026 | UM-Twin Cities The Agricultural Communications CDE prepares students for careers in journalism, radio and television broadcast, web design, marketing, and more. Participants in the Agricultural Communications Career Development Event (CDE) work as a team of communication consultants. This team CDE challenges students to communicate effectively through various avenues. Contact your advisor to participate!

Region Contest: March 24th, 2026 | ICC-Grand Rapids State Contest: April 20-21st, 2026 | UM-Twin Cities In the Agricultural Sales CDE, students demonstrate skills in customer relations, advertising and promotion, and merchandise displays. Each team in the Agricultural Sales CDE consists of four students, each person’s effort contributing to the team’s final score. Teams are provided an example product, product information, and customer profiles at the event's start, from which they collaboratively develop a sales plan. Judges then evaluate the collaboration process and the team’s final sales plan. Individuals also complete a written exam that tests sales concept knowledge. Contact your advisor to participate!

Region Contest: January 21st, 2026 | CLC-Brainerd State Contest: April 20-21st, 2026 | UM-Twin Cities This CDE helps students develop their technical skills and knowledge and their ability to work with others to solve complex problems. Teams in this event consist of four students that solve a multi-system agricultural problem scenario. The team works to solve the problem and prepare a report while judges evaluate. Additionally, individuals complete a written exam that covers agricultural technology and mechanical areas: compact equipment, electricity, environment and natural resources, machinery and equipment and structures. Contact your advisor to participate!

Region Contest: September 25th, 2025 | CLC-Staples State Contest: April 20-21st, 2026 | UM-Twin Cities Members compete in areas including plant and seed identification, a management test, and practicums in various crop areas including soils, insects, seed analysis, pesticides, fertilizer, and varietal trials. Teams of four students in this event evaluate an agronomic scenario and develop a crop management plan that includes crop selection, production, problem-solving, and marketing. Individually, the team members also compete in areas including plant and seed identification, a management test, and practicums in various crop areas, including soils, insects, seed analysis, pesticides, fertilizer, and varietal trials. Contact your advisor to participate!

Region Contest: February 11th, 2026 | CLC-Brainerd State Contest: April 20-21st, 2026 | UM-Twin Cities This event is designed to assess student knowledge, application, analytical, and evaluation abilities, in the area of companion animal care, veterinary skills, and pet store management. Students advance to the National competition in the Veterinary Science CDE. In the Companion Animal Science Career Development Event (CDE), students working in teams demonstrate their technical competency with companion animals by completing a written exam, critical-thinking scenario questions, identifications and hands-on practicums. Contact your advisor to participate!

Region Contest: October 8th, 2025 | Pierz State Contest: April 20-21st, 2026 | UM-Twin Cities Members complete a written exam relating to the dairy industry, evaluate dairy cattle on physical characteristics, and give oral reasons explaining their place of a class. Teams of our four students develop skills in observation, analysis, communication and team communication through this competitive CDE. Each participant contributes to the team’s total score through both team and individual activities. Members complete a written exam relating to the dairy industry, evaluate dairy cattle on physical characteristics, and give oral reasons explaining their place of a class. Contact your advisor to participate!

Region Contest: February 11th, 2026 | CLC-Brainerd State Contest: April 20-21st, 2026 | UM-Twin Cities Members demonstrate knowledge and abilities in applying economic principles to agriculture and agribusiness by completing a written test and solving farm analysis problems. Students competing in this event gain a wide appreciation of farm and agribusiness practices, ranging from business structure to succession planning and from cost concepts to risk management. Contact your advisor to participate!

Region Contest: February 11th, 2026 | CLC-Brainerd State Contest: April 20-21st, 2026 | UM-Twin Cities This CDE consists of the identification of twelve specimens in each of four groups: insects, birds, mammals, and fish. There is also a written test of 15 questions on each of the four groups and a team activity. Students advance to the National competition in the Environment and Natural Resources CDE. Contact your advisor to participate!

Region Contest: January 21st, 2026 | CLC-Brainerd State Contest: April 20-21st, 2026 | UM-Twin Cities Members demonstrate proficiency in plant identification, judging plants and arrangements, and skills that include either constructing a bud vase, corsage or floral arrangement. A written exam is also a part of the event. Contact your advisor to participate!

Region Contest: February 3rd, 2026 | CLC-Staples State Contest: April 20-21st, 2026 | UM-Twin Cities Students in this event participate in both team and individual activities. As a team, students respond to a product development scenario describing the need for a new or redesigned product that appeals to a potential market segment. The team’s task is to design a new food product or reformulate an existing product based on information in the product development scenario. The team also completed a food safety and sanitation activity. As individuals, an objective test, a problem-solving practicum, a sensory evaluation, and a food safety practicum are completed to count toward the team score. Contact your advisor to participate!

Region Contest: March 24th, 2026 | ICC-Grand Rapids State Contest: April 20-21st, 2026 | UM-Twin Cities Members demonstrate knowledge through a written exam of basic forestry principles, tree, and equipment identification, and demonstration of practical forestry skills, such as forest disorders, forest management, inventory, and approved silviculture practices. Contact your advisor to participate!

Region Contest: November 5th, 2025 | Verndale State Contest: April 20-21st, 2026 | UM-Twin Cities Student contestants evaluate halter classes which include Quarter Horse, Conformation Hunter, Appaloosa, Arabian, Paint, and Morgan; or they evaluate performance classes which may include Western Pleasure, Western Riding (Pattern One), reining, English Pleasure (Saddle Seat), Hunter Under Saddle (Hunt Seat), and Hunter Hack. Members give oral reasons explaining their placing of specific classes. Contact your advisor to participate!

Region Contest: November 5th, 2025 | Verndale State Contest: April 20-21st, 2026 | UM-Twin Cities Students participating in this CDE make accurate and logical observations of livestock, decide on the desirable traits in marketing and breeding livestock, and select and market livestock that will satisfy consumer demands and provide increased economic returns to producers. Contact your advisor to participate!

Region Contest: None, state registration due March 1st State Contest: April 20-21st, 2026 | UM-Twin Cities Members develop practical skills in the marketing process through the development and presentation of a plan that promotes a current or proposed agricultural product, supply or service. In this competitive CDE, teams of three students research and present a marketing plan for an agricultural product, supply or service in front of a panel of judges. The plan should provide a reasonable and logical solution to a marketing problem. Contact your advisor to participate!

Region Contest: September 25th, 2025 | CLC-Staples State Contest: April 20-21st, 2026 | UM-Twin Cities Members complete a written test, judge quality yield and grade of beef carcasses, and evaluate and place beef, lamb and pork carcasses. Students also identify various cuts of meat in relation to species, primal and retail cuts. Contact your advisor to participate!

Region Contest: October 8th, 2025 | Pierz State Contest: April 20-21st, 2026 | UM-Twin Cities Members complete a written exam on milk production and marketing, evaluate milk samples for flavor and quality, identify cheeses, evaluate sediment pads and milker parts for defects, demonstrate problem-solving skills in distinguishing real and artificial dairy foods, merchandising dairy foods, and current issues in marketing dairy foods. Contact your advisor to participate!

Region Contest: January 21st, 2026 | CLC-Brainerd State Contest: April 20-21st, 2026 | UM-Twin Cities Members complete a written exam, identify various nursery plants, judge plant materials and landscape plans, and complete practicums in the landscaping area. The Nursery/Landscape Career Development Event (CDE) tests students skills in maintaining landscape plants and related products, evaluating equipment and services and performing landscape design. Contact your advisor to participate!

Region Contest: February 11th, 2026 | CLC-Brainerd State Contest: April 20-21st, 2026 | UM-Twin Cities Teams consisting of four individuals evaluate and select live meat chickens and live egg hens. They also evaluate and grade ready-to-cook carcasses and parts of chickens and turkeys, eggs, and further processed poultry products. They identify poultry parts, complete a written exam on poultry production and management, and perform a team activity related to poultry science. Contact your advisor to participate!

Region Contest: September 25th, 2025 | CLC-Staples State Contest: April 20-21st, 2026 | UM-Twin Cities This Minnesota-only CDE consists of judging 4 land areas, either pits or soil borings. Contact your advisor to participate!