IMPORTANT UPDATE TO IMPLEMENTATION TIMELINE
After feedback from FFA stakeholders, we have decided to delay the implementation of the recently announced changes to the 2025 Awards and Recognition Programs for Agriscience Fair and Agricultural Proficiency Awards. This decision will ensure that everyone has adequate time to prepare and transition smoothly, without disrupting the ongoing 2024 SAE programs, which could have been negatively impacted by mid-course application changes.
KEY UPDATES
- Adequate Preparation Time: Our members, advisors, and state leaders require more time to understand and implement the changes effectively.
- Consistency for Current Programs: We want to ensure that ongoing SAE work can be submitted using the same applications, maintaining fairness for all students and advisors involved.
- State Association Needs: State associations need additional time to communicate and integrate these changes before the new school year begins.
IMMEDIATE CHANGES FOR 2025
Minor adjustments will be made to the Agriscience Fair and Agricultural Proficiency Awards.
Agriscience Fair Updates
- Change “Categories” to “Pathways.”
- Update applications to allow students to select their pathway and align their skills with five AFNR standards from the Primary Pathway.
Agricultural Proficiency Awards Updates
- Add Performance Review D—Financial Explanation for Entrepreneurship
Additional updates are postponed until 2027.
LOOKING AHEAD TO 2027
In 2027, we will implement a more comprehensive update to the SAE-Based Awards Program to align with the “SAE for All” initiative. This includes:
- Creating School-Based Enterprise and Service-Learning categories.
- Potential updates to Placement/Internship, Ownership/Entrepreneurship and Research.
- Potential updates to degree requirements and CDE and LDE formats.
TIMELINE FOR FUTURE UPDATES
- January 2025: Announce minor updates for 2026 and release the 2026 handbooks. Major changes for 2027 will be announced with corresponding materials.
- Throughout 2025-2026: State Associations will receive complete 2027 update information to allow enough time to prepare for the transition.
This phased communication and implementation plan ensures ample preparation time for all parties, aiming for a seamless transition to the updated awards structure by 2027.
As a reminder, the 2025 CDE/LDE planning guide is unchanged.
We appreciate your support and feedback as we strive to enhance our programs meaningfully and thoughtfully. Please feel free to reach out to revisions@ffa.org with any questions or feedback.
Do you have questions or want to give feedback? Contact revisions@ffa.org
Kaitlyn Baker from Frederick, Maryland showing her Greenhand degree.
AWARDS AND RECOGNITION
UPDATE OVERVIEW
Addressing the Challenge
We are updating current awards and competitive events and creating new opportunities to showcase the skills members have learned in the classroom, through their SAE, and from their involvement in FFA. We are working on three event types.
Official National FFA Events
These are our traditional national events. The national final events are held and national winners are announced at our convention. We will update these events to ensure they remain relevant to the industry, our members and the agricultural education classroom.
National FFA Designated Events
Working with other organizations, national FFA may create National FFA Designated Events. These events will be vetted by national FFA staff and will include National FFA winners who will be recognized at our national convention. However, the finals event will not occur at the National FFA Convention.
National FFA Endorsed Activities
We are partnering with other organizations to create a variety of National FFA Endorsed Activities. National FFA staff will vet these opportunities to ensure relevance an quality. These activities are not limited to FFA members. Recognition will not take place at the National FFA Convention & Expo and will be at the discretion of the partner organization.
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