KINGSVILLE (Oct. 16, 2025) — The Dick and Mary Lewis Kleberg College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and the Texas A&M University-Kingsville (TAMUK) Collegiate Future Farmers of America (FFA) hosted more than 160 high school FFA students from 24 region schools for the Hoggie Leadership Development Events (LDE) Invitational.
The events were held at the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Center and the Agriculture Mechanics Lab and focused on creating situations for students to demonstrate their abilities in public speaking, decision making, communication and their knowledge of agriculture and the FFA organization, as well as reinforce what is taught in agriculture science classrooms.
“A big part of the agricultural curriculum at both the high school and university level is professional leadership development,” said Dr. Steven Chumbley, professor of Agriculture Education and Mechanics. “These contests are challenging their leadership ability, speaking ability and technical agriculture. All those things are leadership development.
The contests included Parliamentary Procedure, Radio Broadcasting, English and Spanish Creed Speaking, Ag Advocacy, Public Relations, Ag Skills Demonstration, testing skills such as speaking, demonstrating procedures, informing, advocating and more.
On-hand for the contest was Robstown Agriculture Science teacher Damaris Cantu, who graduated from TAMUK with a bachelor’s degree in Agriculture Science and her teaching certification in May of 2024.
Cantu found returning to TAMUK for the LDE exciting for both her and her students.
“It’s exciting for my students to see where I went to school,” Cantu said. “It gives them an opportunity to go around, meet new people and professors. I think these events just help these kids with their leadership skills. I have some quiet kids and this is an opportunity for them to come out of their shells. It’s really amazing to see them start quiet and then get more talkative as they build their leadership and communication skills.”
While the LDE hosted many regional students, it gave current TAMUK Collegiate FFA members and AG students time to mingle with high school ag teachers and TAMUK alumni.
“We get to celebrate with some former students who are now alumni as they bring their students to compete,” Chumbley said. “We also have our students who get to interact with those former students and their future peers. This also helps with their future skills. They led and coordinated all these events and I just helped them.”
High Schools in Attendance included:
Agua Dulce
Alice
Banquete
Benavides
Corpus Christi Carroll
Edinburg
Falfurrias
La Vernia
Riviera Kaufer
Robstown
Roma
Sinton
Taft
Three Rivers
Uvalde
Yorktown
McAllen Memorial
Gregory-Portland
La Villa
Freer
Santa Gertrudis
Victoria East
Comstock
Woodsboro
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