High School Day

Dairy Cattle Judging Contest – 9:30 - 11:30 am (Individual and Team Contest) Dairy Barn Lobby Contest will begin at 9:30am. It will be a lead out class.  If involved in other contests, please complete this contest first, then on to the other contests. The contest will consist of three to five classes of cows or heifers and will include questions. Questions will serve as the tiebreaker for both teams and individuals. Ten minutes will be allowed for each class. A school may enter a maximum of two teams or eight contestants. A team will consist of 4 members. The top three scoring contestants will comprise the team score, the lowest scoring contestant will be the alternate and will also be eligible for individual honors. Please note, biosecurity protocols are in place, and shoe coverings will be provided.

Dairy & Livestock Skillathon Contest– 9:30 – 11:30 am (Individual Contest) Center for Env Sci & Technology 111B The contest will consist of identification and description of various aspects of the livestock and dairy industries. Materials may be identification of breeds, equipment, health products, parts of the animal, dairy products, meat products and industry knowledge questions.

Equine Competition Contest – 9:00 - 11:30 am (Individual and Team Contest) Equestrian Center Contest will include English tack identification, points of the horse, and ageing a horse through teeth. Students compete as individuals. Team scores will be tallied.

Meat Processing Lab Contest - 9:00-11:30 am (Individual Contest) - Ctr for Ag & Natural Resources Room 034 Visit the USDA inspected meat processing lab and test your knowledge in the meat industry.  Topics covering beef, pork, and/or lamb. In addition to a short individual knowledge contest, the meat lab will be available to tour with students/staff to answer questions about the space and the courses offered at SUNY Cobleskill.

All Agricultural Engineering Contests will need to be pre-registered for by 9/22/2025 in order for your students to compete in contests. You will be receiving email correspondence from the department regarding pre-registration for all Agricultural Engineering contests. You will need to confirm your attendance when you arrive in the Curtis-Mott Lounge (Room 102) on High School Day.

Ag Engineering Field Demonstrations - Demonstrations of the latest technology will be ongoing throughout the morning.

Hydraulic & Light Construction Equipment Operation Contest - 9:00 to 11:30 am (Individual Contest) Curtis-Mott 103 for Written Test/Outside for Operation
Part 1: Student must pass preliminary written test on safe operation and use of controls for the machines to be operated in the contest (Reference: Machine Operator’s Manuals)
Part 2: Students may choose from 1 of the 3 contests listed below….

- Operation of a John Deere 317 Skid Steer with foot controls through a timed obstacle course.

- Operation of a John Deere 650H Dozer through a timed blade-control training course.

- Operation of a Bobcat ZTS Excavator moving objects in a confined space. Operator’s choice of Backhoe or Excavator control patterns.
NOTE: Limit of 2 contestants from each school in each of the three options in part 2

Small Gas Engines & Troubleshooting Contest – 9:00 to 11:30 am – (Team Contest)
Curtis-Mott 117B Each group of 2 students will take a timed, written and hands-on test consisting of such topics/tasks as: Overhead valve tappet adjustment, parts identification, engine operation theory, tool identification and electrical/electronic engine troubleshooting principles. Two individual contestants per school. Contestants must provide their own safety glasses. Tools are not required.

Tractor Driving Contest – 9:00 to 11:30 am (Individual Contest) Curtis-Mott 103 for Written Test/Outside for Operation
Part 1: Student must pass a preliminary written test on safe operation and use of controls of modern agricultural tractors. Part 2: Two-wheel trailer event NOTE: Contest is open to students age 14 and older, with experience in the safe operation of modern agricultural tractors. Participation is limited to 3 students per school.

Welding Contest– 9:00 to 11:30 am (Individual Contest) Curtis-Mott 103 for Written Test/CM 110 for Hands-On
Part 1: Written exam on safety and general knowledge.
Part 2: Arc Welding: Contestants will be expected to make a one-sided open electric arc butt weld and a one-sided horizontal fillet weld. NOTE: Three individual contestants per school. Contestants must supply helmets, gloves, welding jackets and safety glasses.

Identification of Information Technology Components Contest – 9:00 to 11:30 a.m. (Individual Contest) Ctr for Ag & Natural Resources Room 202- Participants will be asked to identify information technology hardware common to commercial applications. Designated rooms/labs will be used to set up 15-20 stations of computer hardware/components and networking-related hardware or printed images of hardware.  Each station's device or image will be covered so that contestants can't try to gain an advantage from a distance.  Students will be given a sheet to identify the device at each station and will then have 5 minutes to go through as many stations as possible, attempting to identify the devices. Scoring for the contest will then be for correct number of stations identified, using time as a tiebreaker.

Canine Contest - 9:30 to 11:00 am – (Individual Contest) – Animal Science Building A/Canine Training Center This contest will consist of students taking a "Guess the Breeds" quiz where 12 breeds - a mix of common and rarer breeds - will be presented in various photographs for students to guess.

Fisheries & Wildlife – 9:00 to 11:30 am (Individual Contest) - Ctr for Ag & Natural Resources Room 108 Participants will be asked to identify fish and wildlife species common to New York State.

Reading the Natural Environment – 9:00 to 11:30 am (Individual Contest) – Gazebo by the pond in front of CANR.  Test your knowledge of plant species identification, invasive species, and soil and water resources.

Forage & Seed Identification – 9:00 to 11:30 am (Individual Contest) - Ctr for Ag & Natural Resources Ctr for Ag & Natural Resources Room 210 Identification of common northeastern U.S. forages by seed and vegetative parts.

Forest Tree Identification – 9:00 to 11:30 am (Individual Contest) – Turf Grass Area #58 on map Trees chosen from Cornell 4-H Bulletin J-85. May use branches with or without fruits and fruits alone.

Weed Identification – 9:00 to 11:00 am (Individual Contest) - Ctr for Ag & Natural Resources Room 210 Identification of common northeastern U.S. weeds by seed and vegetative parts.

Ag Sales Contest – 9:00 to 11:30 am (Team Contest) - Ctr for Ag & Natural Resources Room 0007 Teams of 3 to 4 students from each school are to make a 10-minute sales presentation to a panel of judges about an agricultural product of their choosing. Product features and benefits, potential target customers, questions to determine customer wants and needs, and anticipating customer concerns and objections should be included. Teams should bring enough product materials for 3 judges. After the presentation, judges will ask teams questions for up to 5 minutes. This event is limited to the first 8 teams that sign up. Please contact mooretw@cobleskill.edu to pre-register.

General Business Trivia Blast – 9:00 to 11:30 am (Individual Contest) - Ctr for Ag & Natural Resources Room 0002 Join us to test your trivia skills! A combination of brain-twisting business and celebrity entrepreneur questions. It is a 15-minute test offered every half hour starting at 9:00. Test your knowledge of companies, events, and individuals such as John Deere, Steve Jobs, The Great Depression, and more.

Landscape Design Competition – 9:30 am (Individual Contest) - Ctr for Ag & Natural Resources Room 302 This is your chance to make your mark as a landscape designer. The Landscape Design Competition is where you can showcase your creative skills by transforming a blank site for a client. This individual contest encourages you to harness your creativity. All necessary drafting supplies, a base map, and a client profile will be provided so you can focus on crafting your design. With these tools, you'll conceptualize and plan your design in 90 minutes or less. The competition will commence at 9:30 AM, so please ensure you're punctual. Arriving a few minutes early is advised for event instructions.

Decorated Cake Contest - 9:00 – 11:30 a.m. (Team Contest) – The Rolling Hills Bistro, Prentice Hall, one team (up to 4 members) may enter a decorated 3-layer cake. The cake can be any flavor but should be frosted with a traditional “buttercream” frosting (butter/margarine/shortening) – no whipped cream frostings or ganache. Your cakes will be judged on the quality and flavor of the cake, technique, creativity, and cake presentation. No points will be awarded for decorating your space – we are only evaluating the cake. You must include a copy of your recipe with your entry and the school/team members. Competitors will display their whole cake with one piece cut and plated for the judges to taste. We can provide a knife and a plate. Cakes should be decorated prior to the competition. Cakes must be set up and ready for judging by 9:45 AM. Verbal feedback will begin at 10:45 AM. Students may pick up their cakes after feedback. Please note: Due to a space constraint this year, there will be a limit of 1 team per school for this contest and there will only be 20 spaces available. Reservations for a space can be made by email to campbed@cobleskill.edu.

High School Day October 02, 2026

Biotechnology Workshop – 9:00 - 11:00 am, Wheeler Hall 030
The contest will consist of a hands-on lab on plant tissue culture and genetic engineering. High school students will have an opportunity to work with tobacco plants, taking explants, preparing them for tissue culture in sterile media and simulated genetic engineering protocol. Students will learn sterile techniques which are used in the pharmaceutical, agricultural, and medical research laboratories.

Carriage House Marketplace & Café Open House – 9:00 - 11:30 am, Carriage House Café the Carriage House is an official Taste New York retail location featuring local and campus-made products. The Carriage House is located next to the Center for Agriculture and Natural Resources on Schoharie Parkway North.

Dairy Processing Center Open House – 9:00 am - 2:00 pm, Dairy Complex, The Dairy Processing Center will be open to visitors to showcase the equipment used to bottle milk and make cheese, yogurt and ice cream. Samples of milk and cheese curd will be available. The Dairy Processing Center is located next to the dairy barn.

Fish Hatchery Open House - 9:00 - 11:30 am, Ctr for Ag & Natural Resources Room 033

Herpetology Open House – 9:00 - 11:30 am, Ctr for Ag & Natural Resources Room 115 Wildlife Management students will provide supervision and instruction on the general life, care and handling of common reptiles found in New York. Participants will have the opportunity to handle various species of live reptiles.

Industry Expo – 9:00 - 11:30 am – Curtis-Mott Hall

Representatives from the businesses supporting the programs in the Ag Engineering Department will be on site to discuss employment in our industry. Come see some of the high-tech equipment you could work with in the future!

Meat Processing Lab – 9:00 - 11:30 AM - Ctr for Ag & Nat. Resources 034 The USDA inspected meat processing lab will be open to students/staff to tour the facility and to answer questions about the space and the courses offered at SUNY Cobleskill.

Canine Kennels Open House - 9:30 to 11:30 am, The Canine Department will present a guided tours of Animal Science Building D with current students present in a training room to show off some of the training they learn on campus.