More than 3,500 Texas FFA members participated in this year’s State Career Development Events — each one vying to be named “State Champion” in their respective contest.

Career Development Events (CDEs) build on what is learned in agricultural classes and encourage members to put their knowledge into practice. These events are designed to help a member prepare for a career in agriculture by testing and challenging the student's technical, leadership, interpersonal and teamwork skills as well as their knowledge of the subject matter.

Many CDEs are qualifying events for the National FFA CDE competition and/or offer scholarship opportunities. Congratulations to the following 2011 National CDE Qualifiers!