2025 Contest
When: May 21, 2025
Where: Freeport High School, 701 W. Moseley Street, Freeport, IL 61032
Check-in begins at 8:45am. Contest will begin at 9:00am.
Students compete in teams of four. Registration is due 5/3/25 at 4:00 pm to give the organizer enough time to organize judges and food.
Lunch is provided.
There is no cost to register- thanks to the generous sponsorship of Compeer Financial!
A pennant will be awarded to the top scoring High School and Middle School teams. Students on those teams will receive blue ribbons.
The team practicum/problem will be posted on this page on Monday March 24 by Noon.
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Format
- Written exam (individual, completed before arrival via Google Quiz)
- Business plan presentation (team, prepare before arrival and present when you arrive)
- Plant identification (individual)
- Food judging (individual)
- Growing site selection (team)
- Practicum TBA (team)
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History
On Friday May 13, 2022, Illinois hosted our nation's first (invitational) Urban Agriculture Career Development Event (CDE) at the Gary Comer Youth Center in Chicago. 65 Students in 18 teams competed to test their knowledge about growing food. Students completed a written test, plant identification, environmental site selection practicum, food product packaging activity, evaluation of food products, and an "urban agriculture business plan" group presentation.
Thank you to Compeer Financial for sponsoring the event.
You can get photos from the 2022 event here. Photos with GCYC at the beginning of the file name are credited to Gary Comer Youth Center. The rest are credited to Illinois Association FFA.
Reminder: this is not an official IAVAT or Illinois FFA CDE.
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2023 Contest
When: Friday May 5, 2023
Where: Gary Comer Youth Center, 7131 S. South Chicago Ave, Chicago
View event photos here.
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