Mid-State Technical College welcomed middle and high school students active in FFA to compete in the annual agricultural technology FFA Career Development Events (CDE) competition on March 19. Over 750 students from across Wisconsin and Minnesota attended the competition, making it Mid-State’s largest FFA CDE event to date.

The competition covered a range of contests, including forestry, floriculture, dairy cattle and livestock judging, vet science and more. Top ranking teams will qualify for the state FFA competition later this spring. 

“Each year, FFA CDE falls on National Ag Day, which makes it the perfect opportunity to bring FFA members together to compete in events and celebrate ag,” said Dr. Alex Lendved, dean of Marshfield Campus and School of Applied Technology. “Due to the popularity of the event, we moved this year’s competition to the Wisconsin Rapids Campus to better serve the high volume of participants. We look forward to continuing to expand our contests to serve FFA members throughout the state.”

“At the competition, I am excited to try different milks and cheeses and meet new people,” said Maria Lauer, Tri-County High School junior, who competed in the Milk Quality and Products event.

The FFA CDE competition also provides middle and high school students an opportunity for career exploration. “Currently, I want to become an animal nutritionist and attend UW-River Falls in the fall of 2026,” Lauer said.

FFA CDEs occur at the local, state and national levels to develop college- and career-readiness skills and serve as an outgrowth of instruction for FFA members in grades 7–12. The events help participating FFA members to develop critical-thinking and effective decision-making skills, foster teamwork and promote communication while recognizing the value of ethical competition and individual achievement.

Learn about Mid-State’s agriculture programs at mstc.edu/ag-pathway.