Tomball Memorial Career Development Teams
What do I need to know?
Agricultural Sales - Three or four-member teams demonstrate the professional sales process including customer relations, advertising and promotion, telephone skills and product display. Members also complete an exam, present a project summary and make a sales presentation for an agricultural product. They complete one of four practical problems and cooperatively solve a market analysis problem.
Dairy Cattle - During this event, team members complete a written exam, evaluate dairy cattle on physical characteristics and analyze cows based on pedigree and herd record. Team consists of three to four members.
Entomology - Students apply the fundamentals of entomology and develop skills in identifying common insects and their significance to people and agriculture.
Farm Business Management: Management skills and economic principles are applied to agriculture and agribusiness situations as team members complete a written exam and solve for farm analysis problems.
Floral - Classroom knowledge and skills are applied as students identify and evaluate cut flowers, house plants, flowering plants, floral designs and complete an exam that tests their knowledge of floral design, propagation as well as perpetration of floral and foliage products for sale.
Horse - This CDE allows members to observe and evaluate in order to rank horses based on breed characteristics and conformation. Performance classes are evaluated within various equestrian styles. American Quarter Horse standards are used in performance classes. Three or four member teams with the top three scores counting toward team score.
Livestock - Beef cattle, sheep and swine are evaluated for market values and desirable physical traits. Team members also rank livestock for breeding purposes, using observed physical characteristics and performance data.
Nursery/:Landscape - This CDE encourages members to apply their landscaping, marketing and service skills as they complete a written exam, identify various landscaping plant materials and landscape plans.
Meats - Students develop skills for careers in the meat animal industry as they complete a written exam; evaluate beef carcasses for quality and yield grade; identify various meat cuts, place beef, lamb and pork carcasses, and place wholesale and/or retail cuts.
Poultry - Students apply classroom knowledge to evaluate production, processing, marketing and consumption of chickens, turkeys, processed products and eggs. Participants complete a written exam, solve a management problem, evaluate animals and products, as well as identify various poultry products.
Wildlife - Students apply the information gained through enrollment in the agricultural science wildlife management course to demonstrate and identify plant species, proper habitat management practices, safety procedures, game laws, management techniques as well as compass and pacing skills.
Wool - Members within a team each evaluate fleeces for fineness, length and yield, rank fleeces within a group and give reasons for their placing of those classes. Contestants must be very familiar with all grading standards and evaluation techniques because no measuring devices are to be used during the contest.
Vet Tech - Students working in teams demonstrate their technical competency with small and large animals by completing a written exam, critical-thinking scenario questions, identifications and hands-on practicums.
For more information regarding these competitions please see your Ag. Science Teacher or visit https://www.texasffa.org/cde.