MACON, Ga. – Winners of the Agricultural Sales Career Development Event (CDE) were recognized at the 96^th Georgia FFA State Convention held at the Macon Centreplex on April 25-27, 2024. 

Alonna McLaughlin of Veterans placed first in the individual CDE competition, followed by Erin Miller of Veterans and Eden Walker of Veterans, finishing second and third, respectively. In the team competition, the state winner was Veterans, followed by Wilcox County in second place and Apalachee High School in third.

CDE awards are granted to FFA members and teams who have exhibited premier leadership, personal growth and career success in a variety of competitions. The Agricultural Sales CDE is a team event designed to provide an individual with the basic skills to take advantage of the career opportunities offered in the sales field. Sales are an essential part of a market economy. Agricultural products benefit from sales skills, both for inputs for production and the marketing of the products. 

All individual and team winners received a plaque and a cash award. Individual winners received $100. Second place individuals received $50 and third place individuals received $25. The winning team was awarded $2,000 travel money to attend the National FFA Convention. Additionally, the advisor of the state winning team received a $100 cash award. 

The Agricultural Sales Career Development Event was sponsored on the state level by Support Georgia Agriculture.

The National FFA Organization, formerly known as the Future Farmers of America, changed its name in 1988 to reflect the growth and diversity of agriculture. There are nearly 940,000 FFA members nationwide. The Georgia Association has more than 80,000 members, making it the third largest Association in the nation. The FFA makes a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth, and career success, through agricultural education.