I Love New York Agriculture Art & Writing Contest
Each year, NYAITC and New York Farm Bureau sponsor an opportunity for Pre-K through middle school students across the state to discover more about where food comes from and why agriculture is important. The contest is divided by grade level, and each level has a specific topic to create a piece of art, poem, or narrative related to an aspect of agriculture. There were over 1,000 entries in the 2012 contest. All awardees receive a Certificate of Recognition, and the first place winners are awarded $25 to invest in their education or an agricultural product or experience.
Congratulations to the all the award winners! We wish we could feature all of them!
Maisyn Stanton, a Pre-K student at Downsville Central School painted a picture of her favorite New York farm animal – a pig in front of a red barn! Maisyn was the 1st place winner in her age division.
Sara Burrowes of Tioga Central was the 1st place winner in the Kindergarten category, where the students were asked to color a drawing of themselves with their favorite food. As you can see in Sara’s drawing, she pictured herself enjoying carrots with corn growing in the background.
The category for the 1st grade contestants celebrates New York’s dairy industry. The students were asked to paint or color a drawing showing where milk comes from and products made from milk. Tony Recio of Holy Name created this winning piece of art.
In 2012 the 2nd grade competition proved to be the most competitive as it had the most entries of any other age group. Joshua Miller of Fonda-Fulton came out in 1st place with his creative picture of an apple tree and pig. Along with the picture, Joshua was asked to write four sentences about his favorite New York food and where it comes from. He said, “My favorite New York food that is good for me is the apple. But I also love bacon which comes from a pig. Bacon is delicious with eggs! I love New York food!”
Third grade students are asked to paint or color a drawing with a one sentence slogan about New York agriculture. The slogan can be general or specific to a particular agricultural process of commodity. Strawberries were the product of choice for Teara Tattro, a 3rd grader at Deleaven Elementary School. Her slogan states, “New York Strawberries are Berry Good”
New York Agriculture Poem
Students in 4th grade are asked to compose a poem. The poem can be general or specific, and it can focus on one of the over 200 agricultural commodities produced in New York, a specific farm or farmer, or an aspect of the food system. Jesse Fisher of Cattaraugus-Little Valley Intermediate won the division with her poem entitled “Farmers”. A section of her poem reads:
“Farmers collect sap,
Out of a maple tap.
A farmer ends their day
By giving thanks to pray.”
Leah Pasqualetti of South Davis Elementary wrote the second place poem entitled “Three Cheers for Agriculture”. A section of her poem reads:
“We’re thankful for farmers who plant fruits and vegetables to eat,
And others who raise livestock for poultry, pork, and beef meat.
Agriculture is much more than just food,
It’s also about fibers for clothing to fit every mood.
In the Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring,
Three cheers for the farmers who do their thing!”
New York Agriculture Essay
Liam Sayward, a homeschooled 5th grade student received 1st place in his category for his original narrative he wrote. The students were asked to write an informative narrative, real or imagined, that utilized research and information from a variety of sources to develop their topic or stories. Liam’s winning story is entitled, “The Lamb’s Amazing Recovery”, and a section of his story reads:
“I noticed the first lamb had droopy ear. Her mouth was cold. This meant she probably was suffering from hypothermia. Her body temperature was lower than it was supposed to be. The book says 102-103 degrees F. I gave her an enema, very warm soapy water injected into her anus, to clear the meconium out of her body to warm her up. Then my mom helped me tube feed the little ewe lamb colostrum. But it did not warm her up. The lamb stayed cold and she started to go downhill. I gave her two more enemas. The second one failed, but the third one worked. Lots of black gooey meconium squirted out. I brought her inside the house and turned the oven on to 150 degrees F.”
1st Place Poster
Students in 6th grade were asked to create a poster that celebrates New York farms or farmers, using a media of their choice. Hunter Newland of Pioneer Middle School created the 1st place poster.
People of New York Agriculture
Very wonderful.