Nebraska earned one of the most significant achievements in its history recently as the Overton FFA Chapter was named the National Champion Team in the Environmental and Natural Resources (ENR) Career Development Event at the 98th National FFA Convention & Expo in Indianapolis.
The title marks Nebraska’s first-ever national championship in the ENR CDE and only the second national team championship earned by the state in any FFA Career Development Event in the past 98 years. National CDE competitions draw the most highly prepared teams in the country, making this win an extraordinary milestone for Nebraska agricultural education.
Nebraska’s ENR CDE is led by Andy Little, associate professor in the School of Natural Resources, who has served as superintendent of the statewide contest since 2019. The ENR CDE challenges students to apply ecological principles, identify species, solve real-world natural resource scenarios, and work collaboratively through a comprehensive team exam.
“This contest requires students to think like natural resource professionals,” Little said. “Watching a Nebraska team rise to the level of national champions is an incredible testament to their hard work and to the teachers who prepared them. I play a small part — the credit belongs to the students and their ag educators.”
Overton agricultural education teacher Juliana Loudon, who coached the champion team, said Nebraska’s ENR contest is built to prepare students well for the national stage.
“Nebraska’s ENR CDE is doing exactly what it needs to,” she said. “Our students come out with strong foundational knowledge in soils, water, wildlife and environmental decision-making — and it shows.”
Each year, Nebraska’s ENR CDE brings close to 300 students to the University of Nebraska–Lincoln for the state-level contest. Students complete a 75-question individual exam, a 25-specimen species identification practicum held in UNL’s Great Plains Room, and a team problem-solving exam that mirrors the collaborative decision-making required in natural resource careers. The top one-third of teams from Nebraska’s 12 FFA districts qualify to compete at UNL after advancing through local and regional rounds.
Little coordinates the event with support from 8–10 volunteers, including faculty, staff, graduate students and professionals from the School of Natural Resources. Their work ensures accuracy, hands-on learning experiences, and engagement with students who may one day pursue natural resource careers at UNL.
Each year, the Nebraska Department of Education invites the top award recipients from each Career and Technical Education Student Organization (FFA, FBLA, FCCLA, SkillsUSA, etc.) to a “Commissioner’s Recognition” ceremony at the State Capitol.
The national championship underscores Nebraska’s growing strength in environmental and natural resources education and highlights the deep partnership between agricultural educators, UNL faculty and statewide FFA programs.
