A tradition will continue at West Virginia Universitys Davis College of Agriculture, Forestry and Consumer Sciences as the faculty, staff and students welcome over 900 high school students from 60 West Virginia schools to the 81st annual State Agriculture Career Development Events Sept. 22-24.

The Career Development Events are an outgrowth of the knowledge that students gain from the classroom, in Future Farmers of America, and through supervised agricultural experience programs,said Stacy Gartin, professor of agricultural and environmental education.

Students will compete for individual and team awards in areas such as agribusiness management, forestry, livestock selection, floriculture, nursery-landscape, muscle foods and seven other areas of agriculture. The contests will consist of multiple choice tests and hands-on activities, which will be judged by the faculty of the Davis College and WVU Extension.

The contests serve as an excellent tool to develop leadership and communication skills,Gartin said.

Winners from the Career Development Events have the opportunity to compete at the national level.

West Virginia is becoming more of a national player in many contests,he noted.

This event brings more prospective students to the WVU campus than just about any other single activity, Gartin said.

The events will take place at various locations on the Evansdale Campus and at WVU s farms and forests in Monongalia County. The awards ceremony will be held Friday, Sept. 24, at 10 a.m. in the Blue and Gold room located in the Evansdale Residential Complex.

Additional information about the Career Development Events and a complete listing of contests can be found athttp://www.caf.wvu.edu/resm/aee/cde/index.html.