This study was the first phase of a three-phase study to develop, adopt, and implement competency based curriculum for Illinois agricultural occupations programs at the secondary level. As a procedural field test, phase I developed an occupational matrix for one of the U.S. Office of Education agricultural occupation program areas (horticulture) and tested task analysis validation procedures (purposive study) for one job title area--retail florist. The horticulture matrix (a listing of job titles, business titles, and business area titles which comprise the industry) was accomplished by the listing of job titles assembled by a literature search and by the advice of an advisory committee, and then correcting them through telephone interviews with 138 businesses in the Illinois horticulture industry. The purposive study was conducted to validate the retail florist job title list of tasks for the geographic area (Illinois); data was obtained from a series of sixteen personal interviews. The occupational matrix findings revealed significant differences between the pre-interview and telephone interview data. The results of the retail florist study suggested that beginning employees require training in the areas of sales, delivery, and design--while present curriculum emphasizes only the design element. For competency based curriculum development work in the other agriculture occupations areas, it is recommended that an occupational matrix be verified by field contact, and that the purposive study phase be included. (JH)