Agricultural Issues Forum
FFA Contest
What is Ag Issues?
How to train and ag issues team and some tips of the trade:
First, communicate what an issue truly is to your team. Make sure they understand the importance of analyzing both sides of a problem to accurately communicate in an unbiased manner their findings to make decisions from a more intellectual standpoint.
Study the history and background of issues in question to more fully understand what certain terms mean in light of the background information.
Investigate every form of information available: books, online sources, etcetera. Don’t settle for a single source, even if it is primary. Personal experiences can be of great use in this event, adding liveliness to your arguments. Personally observe the issue if possible and be able to communicate your findings accurately and precisely. Talk with people who know more about the issue than you do. Listen and read: media can be one of your biggest sources. Use the library’s resources, including books, magazines, newspapers, pamphlets, etcetera. Don’t get distracted: know what you are looking for before you go in.
Place your research on index cards in order of importance. As you research further, some index cards may become unnecessary, and it is okay to drop that information.
Additional Study Materials
Practice Schedule
Some of our competitions:
LDE Invitational
November 2nd, 2016
LDE Invitational
October 31st, 2016
LDE Invitational
November 3rd, 2016
Mesa District
Plains High School- Plains, Texas
November 7th, 2016Area 2 LDE Competition
November 19th,2016
State LDE Contest
December 2nd-3rd, 2016
Point Breakdown:
- Portfolio: ten single pages or five double sided pages maximum, worth 25 points total
-Bibliography: 5 points
-Documentation of local forums; 15 points
-All forums require independent verification of when, where, and to whom forums were presented, and independent verification of the times of forums if they were conducted on the same day
- Deductions: max. 10 points are deducted if the portfolio exceeds the maximum number of pages or not having a cover page with the required information.
- Team Presentation
-Questions: 25 points- responses must reflect team’s knowledge of the issue
-Effectiveness of Presentation- 20 points total
-Each member must participate, presentation must be creative, presentation must be quality, speaking must be clear and paced, pronunciation counts, must have purposeful and directive gestures and no mannerisms distracting to the purpose
- Tiebreakers