Agriculture Career Day Spotlights Alternatives In Agriculture at The Great New York State Fair

Career Challenge Scavenger Hunt Highlights Variety and Value of Careers within the Agricultural Industry

New York Agriculture within the Classroom, FFA, and Partners Demonstrate the Diversity of Careers within the Industry

Participants Entered to Win a Nintendo Switch

 

There’s no higher place to focus on alternatives in agriculture than at The Great New York State Fair. State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball will be part of companions from the New York State Department of Labor, New York Agriculture within the Classroom, FFA, SUNY Morrisville, SUNY Cobleskill, and extra to host Agriculture Career Day at The Fair, Thursday, August 21 at 10:00 am in entrance Gate 2, close to the Administration Building on the nook of Tonawanda Street and Hiawatha Avenue.

Agriculture Career Day goals to get younger folks excited concerning the numerous prospects for future jobs within the agricultural business. The Career Challenge, an academic scavenger hunt with interactive reveals, will assist younger fairgoers study all kinds of profession choices and join instantly with business and schooling representatives identical to them, with an opportunity to win thrilling prizes.

State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball mentioned, “Young individuals are the way forward for our business and it’s extra necessary now than ever earlier than to get them enthusiastic about all of the unimaginable alternatives for profitable, significant careers within the agricultural subject. We are proud to work with some unimaginable companions to convey Ag Career Day to The Fair every year, and stay up for seeing this program proceed to develop and encourage the subsequent technology.”

New York State Department of Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon mentioned, “Agriculture Career Day at The Great New York State Fair is a unique opportunity to inspire and engage the next generation of leaders of New York’s agricultural industry. Through interactive exhibits, young New Yorkers can learn about the range of incredible careers available in this critical field. We are honored to partner with the Department of Agriculture and Markets to get young people excited about farming and agriculture as we help them discover the variety of career opportunities across New York State.”

Fair Director Julie LaFave mentioned, “The New York State Fair has deep roots in agriculture, so there’s no better place than The Fair to help young people learn about the endless possibilities this diverse industry has to offer. I encourage families with young fairgoers to take part in the Career Challenge to have some fun and learn about how you can help bring food from farm to table.”

As a part of Agriculture Career Day, occasion individuals are invited to benefit from the Career Challenge and enter to win one in every of two Nintendo Switches. The Career Challenge is a scavenger hunt across the Fairgrounds, the place individuals go to 9 stations that includes hands-on actions that tie in with an agriculture profession path to study extra concerning the varied agriculture-related careers accessible to younger folks in the present day and sooner or later. Young folks inquisitive about collaborating within the Agriculture Career Day occasions ought to register on the Gate 2 registration tent starting at 10:00 am and transfer via the Fairgrounds to numerous stops of the Career Challenge.

At every station, hosts from New York Agriculture within the Classroom, FFA, SUNY Morrisville, SUNY Cobleskill, and extra will speak concerning the profession alternatives meals and agriculture as individuals full an interactive activity. Stops this yr will assist individuals study profession pathways in dairy meals processing, plant and animal science, pure assets conservation, environmental engineering, and agriculture know-how.

Participants who full six out of the 9 stops and switch their playing cards in to the Agriculture Career Day tent on the Main Gate by 2:15 pm shall be entered in a drawing to win one in every of two Nintendo Switches at 2:30 pm.

Katie Carpenter, New York Agriculture within the Classroom Director mentioned, “Agriculture Career Day at the New York State Fair is a powerful opportunity to spark curiosity and inspire students about the vast world of food and agriculture. Surrounded by real-life examples of New York’s agricultural diversity, students can engage in meaningful conversations that connect what they see to future careers, higher education pathways, and their own potential to shape the future of food.”

SUNY Cobleskill President Dr. Marion Terenzio mentioned, “SUNY Cobleskill is proud to associate with the Department of Agriculture and Markets for Agriculture Career Day at The Great New York State Fair. As New York’s main faculty of agriculture and know-how, we see firsthand how crucial it’s to attach younger folks with the unimaginable variety of profession alternatives in trendy agriculture, from precision farming and agricultural know-how to meals science and sustainable agriculture practices. Events like this Career Challenge permit college students to find that agriculture is not nearly farming; it is about innovation, science, know-how, and feeding the world.

Sheila Marshman, PhD, Division Chair for Plant, Animal, and Agribusiness at SUNY Morrisville mentioned, “Ag Career Day at the New York State Fair is more than an event—it’s an investment in the future. By educating all youth about the diverse opportunities in agriculture, we grow the next generation of innovators, problem-solvers, and stewards of our land.”

Shari Lighthall, Director of Agricultural Education Outreach at Cornell University mentioned, “Agriculture Career Day is more than an event — it’s a hands-on invitation for young people to imagine themselves in the roles that will shape the future of our food, environment, and communities. By engaging students in real-world experiences, we’re helping them see just how many exciting opportunities are out there and inspiring them to take their next steps toward a rewarding career in agriculture.”

In addition to Agriculture Career Day, New York college students from throughout New York State exhibit their super expertise in agriculture, science, and robotics throughout all 13 days of The Fair.  Demonstrations happen day by day within the Youth Building and FFA Building on the west facet of the Fairgrounds. An entire schedule of occasions could be discovered at nysfair.ny.gov/your-visit/daily-schedules.

First launched in 2017, Agriculture Career Day at The Fair builds on the State’s ongoing prioritization of workforce improvement within the business to make sure that agriculture stays a viable business in New York State. In the present Budget, Governor Kathy Hochul devoted $1 million to assist FFA, along with $500,000 to assist the New York Agriculture within the Classroom program and $500,000 for the New York Association of Agricultural Educators to extend the variety of licensed agricultural educators within the state. In addition, $250,000 was included in assist of Urban Agricultural Education and $50,000 for the MANRRS program. This previous spring, Governor Hochul broke ground on a new FFA Building on the Fairgrounds, which is able to guarantee FFA college students can proceed to showcase New York agriculture to New Yorkers visiting The New York State Fair.

Additionally in 2024, the Governor convened the primary ever youth agriculture leadership conference. Following the convention, the Governor announced the establishment of a Blue-Ribbon Panel to Advance Agriculture Education, which brings collectively meals and agriculture business stakeholders, instructional establishments, and educators to chart a course for strengthening agriculture schooling and supporting the multi-faceted wants of the workforce.

The State’s efforts are paying off, with the variety of agricultural academics rising to 432 in 2025. Alongside this development in academics, the variety of FFA charters and members has additionally elevated. With 224 chapters established in 54 of New York’s 62 counties, there at the moment are over 13,000 FFA members in New York State, a rise from 9,300 in 2022. In 2016, Commissioner Ball challenged the FFA to extend its variety of charters throughout the State by 100; the FFA reached that objective in time for its a centesimal anniversary this yr, an thrilling benchmark because it celebrates its centennial and appears ahead to the subsequent hundred years.

In addition, there are presently 5 MANRRS collegiate chapters statewide, up from simply two in 2022, and one junior chapter at John Bowne High School in New York City. Today, there may be additionally a 4-H program in all 62 counties in New York State, offering instructional alternatives to younger folks inquisitive about agriculture in each nook of the State. Together, these applications assist meet the rising demand for agricultural schooling throughout New York.

The Fair begins Wednesday, August 20, and runs via Labor Day, Monday, September 1. All live shows are included within the worth of admission. Tickets are on sale now at The Fair’s web site, nysfair.ny.gov.  Packed with worth, a single admission ticket prices $8 and contains entry to all grounds leisure and the Chevrolet Music Series. In addition, a Frequent Fairgoer ticket choice is obtainable for $25.  The Fair continues to be probably the most inexpensive gala’s within the nation, with admission remaining free for these aged 65 and older together with youngsters 12 years outdated and underneath.

Founded in 1841, The Great New York State Fair showcases the perfect of New York agriculture, offers top-quality leisure, and is a key piece of the state’s CNY Rising technique of rising the Central New York economic system via tourism. It is the oldest truthful within the United States and is persistently acknowledged as being among the many high 5 state gala’s within the nation.

The New York State Fairgrounds is a 375-acre exhibit and leisure advanced that operates all yr. Audiences are inspired to study extra about The Great New York State Fair on-line, browse photographs on Flickr, and observe the enjoyable on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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