Proposed - State Ag Skills CDE Schedule:

This past year the State FFA Board has invested time polling instructors, in an attempt to make the delivery of CDEs more efficient and more effective.

This poll is completely anonymous, so be honest.

While quality is of significant importance, a majority of local advisors asked for fewer days and fewer locations. Most said that CDE participation from their chapter may increase, if the state offered more events at fewer locations on fewer days. A significant number of advisors also expressed concerns about future travel based upon their school's current and future financial challenges. (K-12 student numbers are projected to decrease in many parts of the state.)

At the March 30, 2009 State FFA Board meeting, the board agreed to poll advisors about the proposal described below. This proposal is not an attack on any advisor or district, but reflects the new reality in which we live. We need to promote the educational opportunities and value of FFA for ALL agricultural education students.


A red asterisk (*) indicates required questions.

  1. 3-Day PROPOSAL for 2010 Ag Skills CDEs
    (if appropriate facilities and dates can be secured)

    Day 1: State Leadership Conference
    Ag Sales, FBM, Ag. Comm., Mktg. Plan

    Day 2: one day in May or June
    Ag. Mech., Floriculture, Horse, Agronomy, Meats

    Day 3: one day in August or late September
    Dairy Foods, Food Science, Dairy Cattle, Livestock, Nursery-Landscape*
    A. I like it.
    B. I can live with it as it is.
    C. I can live with it, with the following minor change(s). (type change in #2 below)
    D. I hate it.


  1. (ONLY complete this cell, if your answer to #1 was C.)

    CHANGE(s) to the above proposal:


  1. District:*
    NW
    NC
    NE
    SW
    SC
    SE


  1. I would like to see Day 2 and Day 3 on CONSECUTIVE days.

    This could decrease travel costs by requiring only 1 round trip expense (for these two days). If a chapter (that traveled a significant distance) needed to stay overnight, this could eliminate one hotel night.

    Start Late Day 2 & Finish Early Day 3: If we started late (10 am) on Day 2, then stayed overnight, and started early on Day 3, with departure shortly after 1 pm or 2 pm. This could everyone from travelling extremely late or extremely early, even if coming from the corners of Iowa; and keeps the hotel stay at 1 night maximum.
    Yes
    No


  1. Because of cte program reporting requirements, I would like to see Ag Skills CDEs serve as assessments to measure Technical Skill Attainment. (i.e., a "hands-on" ITED approach)
    Yes
    No





Dale Gruis
Instructor
Collins-Maxwell MS/HS
IA