Oregon Ag Fest

Oregon Ag Fest

In collaboration with Oregon Ag Fest, Oregon Agriculture in the classroom partners to create a fun filled field day event for winning classroom submissions of the Essay contest. At this field day event, students have the opportunity to learn about some of the diverse crops grown across the state of Oregon. Enter to win a FREE field trip for your class or a fun inquiry box for your class! Learn more about the contest below.

All essays must be postmarked or emailed no later than Friday, February 23, 2024. Winners will be announced by March 8.

Contest Information

Overview

Oregon Ag Fest is hosting a special educational and fun activity day for 12 winning Oregon classes on April 25.

The “What We’re Made Of” essay contest, sponsored by Oregon Ag Fest, is designed to get students talking about the products that are grown and raised locally, and learn about the unique food, fiber and flora grown in their area. For example, did you know Oregon ranks #1 for production of 16 different agriculture products, including peppermint, onions, and Christmas trees? Or that Oregon’s biggest export is wheat, just an acre of which is enough to make 2,000 loaves of bread? How about that a hazelnut tree grows for four years before it has enough nuts to sell?

With seven different growing regions and 38,800 farms there is plenty to learn about Oregon agriculture. The Willamette Valley alone boasts more than 170 different agricultural products. Students might pick some of the larger industries, such as hay or dairy and talk about the processes these foods go through to get from the farm to the table, or they might pick lesser-known products like dahlias, or alpacas on which to learn more. For more information on Oregon agriculture, including teacher resources, visit our commodity pages.

Contest Guidelines/Details

Contest Guidelines/Details:
1) Essays not to exceed 250-words in length and must contain information about the food and/or fiber and flora grown locally that will help educate others about agriculture in your area

2) Hand-drawn pictures that reflect the essay content along with a one-sentence caption are required. An illustration form should accompany each essay. There is space at the bottom of the form to include the one-sentence summary (i.e. cool fact, something unique, or key learning about the part of Oregon agriculture that is featured in the essay)
Hand Drawn Pictures Form

3) Teacher may submit up to five essays from his/her classroom

4) Essays must include student’s name, school, teacher’s name, and grade level (3rd, 4th and 5th grade entries are accepted to accommodate split classrooms)

5) This contest is open to schools located in Oregon

6) All essays must be postmarked or emailed no later than Friday, February 23, 2024.
    Mail essays, along with teacher contact info (including email & phone number) to:
                                  Oregon Ag Fest, P.O. Box 9141, Salem, OR 97305
                                  or Email teacher contact and submissions to: [email protected]