Chelsea Larkin (second on the left) and her 2025 state-winning agronomy CDE team.
Career development events (CDEs) are an important part of the National FFA Organization. CDEs allow members to challenge themselves in a variety of different agriculture fields and discover their passions. One member from the AAEC-EM FFA Chapter competed in a CDE that has helped her grow exponentially.
Chelsea Larkin, a senior and the chapter’s current student advisor, has spent the past three years competing in the agronomy CDE. In this event, contestants are tested on their abilities to identify plant disorders, insects, crops, plants, seeds and more. Teams must also demonstrate an understanding of proper crop and pest management.
“It seemed like a fun [CDE] to try, and the team needed a fourth (member),” says Larkin.
The 2023 AAEC-EM FFA Agronomy CDE team practices in a soils pit.
When the time came for Larkin and her team to compete at the 2023 Arizona FFA Spring Conference, they placed second as a team and Larkin placed 10th individually.
The following year, Larkin decided to compete in the CDE again for the 2024 CDE season. She set a goal of taking home the win at state. After another season of rigorous practice, Larkin’s hard work paid off. She placed fourth individually, and her team won and was bound to attend the National FFA Convention & Expo that fall.
Despite this, Larkin wasn’t able to compete with her agronomy CDE team at convention that year. She double qualified to compete with the poultry evaluation CDE team she was on, which also won and attended national convention that year.
Chelsea Larkin (far right) with her poultry evaluation CDE team at national convention.
When Larkin came back to compete in the agronomy CDE her senior year after attending national convention for the poultry evaluation CDE, she was determined to lead another team to a state victory.
On Feb. 28, 2025, she and her agronomy CDE team competed at the 2025 Arizona FFA Spring Conference. The following day, she was announced as the first place individual for the competition and her team won again, creating one of Larkin’s favorite memories from her time competing in the CDE.
“It has shown me what I want to do and has inspired me to become an agronomist myself,” she says.
Larkin plans to attend Arizona State University after graduation to receive a degree in environmental science. She plans on utilizing the skills from her time competing in the agronomy CDE while completing this degree and when looking for future employers.
Chelsea Larkin (holding the plaque) and her state-winning agronomy CDE team in 2024.
