Challenges

For the 2025 season, Ag in the Classroom is offering 3 challenges.

Mac and Cheese Challenge

From the young to the old, the appetite for macaroni & cheese is big! This beloved comfort food has more variations than we can count, and whether left in its classic cheesy form or used as a base for creative ingredient add-ins – the end product will be delicious.

With cheese taking the starring role, we find ourselves lucky to live in New York where so many delicious cheese varieties are produced. The dairy industry is the largest agricultural sector in the state and makes more than one billion pounds of all cheeses annually. Around 15 billion pounds of milk are produced on nearly 3,200 farms across the Empire State, making New York the 5th largest dairy producing state in the nation.

The Mac & Cheese Challenge allows your students to develop their perfect macaroni & cheese recipe, create marketing materials for their product, and learn about the dairy processing industry in their community. This cross-curricular experience will reinforce core curricular concepts in math, science, ELA, and expose students to career opportunities in our food system.

Pre-Registration - All classrooms must pre-register to participate in the Mac & Cheese Challenge.

Pre-registration will allow your students to place and receive prize money, and makes your eligible for material and supply reimbursement.

For full details, click here.

Registration closed for this challenge.

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Top Cut Beef Experience

The Top Cut Beef Experience is a cross-curricular program for middle and high school students to engage with and understand beef production, developed through a partnership between New York Agriculture in the Classroom and the New York State Beef Council. This experiential learning contest allows students to create a marketing strategy for a product of their choice, while learning about the multitude of agricultural careers and skills it takes to develop and sell a product. Students will also learn about beef production and beef nutrition, as a result of participation.

Following the realistic theme, "Cafeteria Takeover", teams will compete to develop a beef product of their choice that could be found in their school cafeteria while working with their school's food service personnel to identify the process of procuring, preparing, and providing a balanced school lunch.

NEW! New this year is an updated contest format. The Top Cut Beef Experience will be offered in both the fall and spring so that teachers with classes that switch out each semester may participate with all of their classes. The contest will no longer require pre-registration to participate and each teacher that has students submit a completed entry will receive a prize for their classroom.

Objective

Students will work as a group to develop a marketing and nutrition plan for a beef-centric product or recipe that could be served in their school cafeteria.

This year's school lunch theme will allow students the real-world experience of feeding their peers a nutritional and balanced meal while also developing connections with their school service workers and learning the intricacies of food procurement and recipe development.

Eligibility and Divisions

Sixth through 12th grade students working in groups or as a classroom in New York State are eligible to participate. Multiple groups or classrooms from the same school may participate. FFA chapters, home school groups, and private schools are also eligible to participate.

• Middle School (6th – 8th Grade)
• High School (9th – 12th Grade)

Contest Timeline

The Top Cut Contest is paused for the 2024-2025 school year. Please feel free to utilize the resources provided on this page to replicate this contest in your own classroom.

For full details, click here.

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Ice Cream Challenge

We all scream for ice cream! The sweetest treat is loved by many and is a New York specialty. From favorite local stands, to homemade delights, or eaten right out of the carton – ice cream is a staple treat, especially when the weather turns warm.

The dairy industry is the largest agricultural sector in the state, and along with producing fluid milk, cheese, cream cheese, cottage cheese, and sour cream - ice cream production in the state contributes to the over 1.39 billion gallons produced annually. The customization and unique flavor combinations are endless; the base of an ice cream allows for imaginations and taste buds to run wild.

The Ice Cream Challenge allows your students to develop their own ice cream recipe, identify their target audience, create marketing materials for their flavor combination, and learn about the dairy processing industry in their community. This cross-curricular experience will reinforce core academic concepts in math, science, and ELA, while exposing students to career opportunities in our food system.

Pre-Registration

All classrooms must pre-register to participate in the Ice Cream Challenge.

Pre-registration will provide your classroom with up to date contest information and the opportunity to receive ingredient or material reimbursement.

Eligibility

• Pre-K through 12th grade students in New York.
• Students may work in groups or as a classroom.
• Multiple groups or classrooms from the same school may participate.
• Pre-registration is required in the respective grade divisions.
• Homeschool groups and private schools are also eligible to participate.

Challenge Submission Requirements

Students or classroom recipes must create an ice cream using dairy products.

For full details, click here.

Last updated January 17, 2025