Submitted by Jacqueline Wetzell
GENESEO, Ill. – Geneseo High School will welcome about 80 FFA members from 20 to 30 schools on Wednesday, Oct. 28, when it hosts District 1 Career Development Events (CDEs).
Students will compete in three contests: Ag Ed, Ag Sales, and Job Interview. The events test practical skills students can use in agriculture careers and beyond.
In Ag Sales, competitors practice building a sales call that addresses a customer’s needs and objections, using questions throughout the sales process. They are scored on their team prep, a written exam and an individual sales call.
In Job Interview, students prepare a cover letter and resume for a chosen job ahead of time. At the CDE on Oct. 28, they will complete an application, sit for an interview and write a follow-up letter.
In the Ag Ed CDE, students create an agriculture lesson in advance, designed for freshmen in an introduction to agriculture class. On the evening of the contest, they will teach 10 minutes of their lesson, complete a written test and submit a reflection on their lesson.
Geneseo is one of the largest schools in the middle of FFA District 1, which makes it a convenient meeting place for chapters from across the district. The Geneseo FFA chapter considers hosting a privilege.
Geneseo FFA advisor Jacqueline Wetzell is working closely with Trent Taber, the ag teacher at Cambridge High School and the District 1 director for the Illinois Association of Vocational Agriculture Teachers (IAVAT), to organize the day. John Heiser, District 1 program advisor and Facilitating Coordinator for Agricultural Education (FCAE), oversees the Ag Ed CDE.
According to the Illinois State Board of Education, career development events build responsibility, teamwork and communication skills. Those skills carry over whether students plan to farm, work in agribusiness or enter an entirely different field.
The October contests are not Geneseo’s only district hosting role. The school also hosts the District 1 Proficiency Awards each March, where students interview before a panel about their Supervised Agricultural Experience projects, the hands-on work and record-keeping projects members complete outside the classroom. Geneseo hosted the contest in March 2025, drawing in over 200 judges and 300 students from across District 1.
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