CDEs

Time frame: March through April

Agronomy

All freshmen students will prepare for the agronomy CDE. Students will learn to identify various weed and forage plants and seeds, grade seed samples, and learn about basic agronomic principles. Participation in this event will additionally prepare them for later participation in the Range Judging CDE.

Meats Evaluation

All sophomore students will prepare for the meats CDE. Students will learn to evaluate the quality of meat products, identify cuts of meat, and meat quality and handling information. This event will serve as a foundation for those who will later participate in the Livestock Evaluation CDE.

All junior students will learn to demonstrate skill in a variety of hands on applications in a shop setting. In addition, students will complete a test with mechanics related information and calculations to be completed.

Ag Mechanics

All senior students will learn the basics of business management and financial principles. They will demonstrate their knowledge through completion of a knowledge test and a problem solving test.

Farm Business Management

Students will become proficient in the identification of flowers and bedding plants and learn to demonstrate the principles and skills of floral design. In addition, students will need to be able to made business style problem solving decisions related to floral industry.

Floriculture

Livestock Evaluation

Students will learn to evaluate and select superior livestock. They will also develop speaking skills by having to articulate to judges what factors led them to prefer one animal over another.

Natural Resources

Students will identify common insects, birds, mammals, fish, and trees of South Dakota. In addition, they will learn principles related to environmental and wildlife management through competition of a knowledge and a problem solving test.

Nursery Landscape

Tests students skills in maintaining landscape plants and related products, evaluating equipment and services and performing landscape design.

Vet Science

Students working in teams demonstrate their technical competency with small and large animals by completing a written exam, critical-thinking scenario questions, identifications and mathematics practicums.