Agriculture Career Day at the Great New York State Fair Spotlights Opportunities in Agriculture

The 2023 Great New York State Fair Promotes Agricultural Careers

The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets and Department of Labor have announced their partnership to promote agricultural careers at The 2023 Great New York State Fair. Agriculture Career Day at The Fair, held on Thursday, August 24, aims to inspire young people about the diverse possibilities for future jobs in the agricultural industry. The Career Challenge, an educational scavenger hunt with interactive exhibits, will help young fairgoers learn about a wide variety of career options and connect directly with industry and education representatives, with a chance to win exciting prizes.

New York State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball said:

“Getting young people interested in agriculture is critically important to the future of our industry. Events like Agriculture Career Day are a great opportunity to spark an interest in a wide variety of agricultural careers – from farming to engineering to environmental management – helping to ensure that New York’s agricultural community will continue to grow and thrive.”

New York State Department of Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon said:

“Agriculture Career Day at The Great New York State Fair is a unique opportunity to inspire and engage the next generation of agricultural leaders. Through interactive experiences and connections with agricultural professionals, we are fostering excitement about the incredible range of careers within this critical industry. We are proud to partner with the Department of Agriculture and Markets to make the event a success.”

Interim Fair Director Sean Hennessey said:

“The 13 days of the Great New York State Fair are rooted in agriculture, and there is no better time or place to showcase the diversity of agricultural careers available to young people. We’re excited that Agriculture Career Day remains a staple of our Fair lineup this year and encourage young people to take part in this exciting event.”

The Career Challenge and Agricultural Career Paths

As part of Agriculture Career Day, participants are invited to enjoy the Career Challenge and enter to win one of two Nintendo Switches. The Career Challenge is a scavenger hunt around the Fairgrounds, where participants visit nine stations featuring hands-on activities that tie in with an agriculture career path. The stops this year will help participants:

• Understand that all the products we use each day begin on a farm
• Sequence the steps of milk from farm to table, and identify related careers
• Identify the costs associated with producing New York food products
• Learn about agricultural career paths, including:
  • Environmental systems
  • Power, structural, and technical systems
  • Dairy processing
  • Natural resources
  • Plant systems

Participants who complete six out of the nine stops and turn their cards in to the Agriculture Career Day tent at the Main Gate by 2:30 pm will be entered in a drawing to win one of two Nintendo Switches.

Quotes from Industry Representatives

Katie Carpenter, New York Agriculture in the Classroom Director said: “Creating opportunities for students to experience careers in agriculture at the Fair is an annual highlight for our program. The Agriculture Career Challenge allows us to capture the attention and interest of students and families as they think about the entirety of our complex food system and the breadth of jobs that are needed in today and tomorrow’s food industry.”

SUNY Cobleskill President Dr. Marion Terenzio said: “In showcasing the state’s many agriculture sectors at the New York State Fair, we recognize that the foundation of our ag-focused industries relies heavily on the continuous influx of talent. SUNY Cobleskill is proud to be a leader in developing programs that foster a seamless path for college students to embrace agriculture disciplines and create an accessible pipeline for the next generation of agri-professionals. Through Agriculture Career Day, the College and our fellow representatives of New York’s food system are cultivating interest and passion in these fields and reaching the minds that will one day carry these vital industries forward.”

Sheila Marshman, PhD, Division Chair for Plant, Animal, and Agribusiness at SUNY Morrisville said: “At Ag Career Day, youth of all ages will learn about careers where they can make a difference with people and the planet. Through hands-on stations like SUNY Morrisville’s vermiculture station, youth will explore the amazing well-paying careers throughout the entire food system, from soils and agronomy to food production and safety.”

Shari Lighthall, Director of Agricultural Education Outreach at the Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences said: “By providing students with hands-on authentic learning experiences related to agricultural careers we hope to cultivate these students’ interest in our food and fiber systems and develop future agriculturalists. Agricultural education and FFA is growing the next generation of leaders who will change the world by developing a skilled agricultural workforce.”

Workforce Development and Sustainable Development Goals

Agriculture Career Day at The Fair aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the State’s commitment to workforce development in the industry. During her 2023 State of the State Address, Governor Kathy Hochul pledged to build a strong agricultural workforce pipeline. The 2024 New York State Budget has invested over $1 million to help the Department of Agriculture and Markets partner with key workforce experts, industry stakeholders, and educational institutions to grow and develop a pipeline that recruits new job seekers, advances existing employees, and connects migrant individuals and asylum seekers to the food and agricultural sectors through four key pillars: career engagers, career starters, career builders, and career advancers.

About The Great New York State Fair

Founded in 1841, The Great New York State Fair showcases the best of New York agriculture and provides top-quality entertainment. It is the oldest fair in the United States and is consistently recognized as being among the top five state fairs in the nation.

The New York State Fairgrounds is a 375-acre exhibit and entertainment complex that operates all year. Audiences are encouraged to learn more about The Great New York State Fair online, browse photos on Flickr, and follow the fun on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 4: Quality Education
• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
• SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
• SDG 13: Climate Action
• SDG 15: Life on Land

The article highlights the importance of promoting agricultural careers and workforce development in the agricultural industry. This aligns with SDG 4, which aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. It also connects to SDG 8, which focuses on promoting sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all. Additionally, the article mentions the need to understand the costs associated with producing food products, which relates to SDG 12’s target of achieving sustainable consumption and production patterns. The mention of environmental management and natural resources aligns with SDG 13’s goal of taking urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts. Finally, the emphasis on agriculture and the importance of young people’s interest in the industry relates to SDG 15’s goal of protecting, restoring, and promoting sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• Target 4.4: By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs, and entrepreneurship.
• Target 8.6: By 2020, substantially reduce the proportion of youth not in employment, education, or training.
• Target 12.8: By 2030, ensure that people everywhere have the relevant information and awareness for sustainable development and lifestyles in harmony with nature.
• Target 13.3: Improve education, awareness-raising, and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction, and early warning.
• Target 15.9: By 2020, integrate ecosystem and biodiversity values into national and local planning, development processes, poverty reduction strategies, and accounts.

The article’s focus on promoting agricultural careers among young people aligns with Target 4.4 of SDG 4, which aims to increase the number of youth and adults with relevant skills for employment. The mention of engaging the next generation of agricultural leaders relates to Target 8.6 of SDG 8, which focuses on reducing the proportion of youth not in employment, education, or training. The emphasis on raising awareness about sustainable development and lifestyles connects to Target 12.8 of SDG 12. The mention of education and awareness-raising about climate change aligns with Target 13.3 of SDG 13. Finally, the integration of ecosystem and biodiversity values into planning and development processes relates to Target 15.9 of SDG 15.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Indicator 4.4.1: Proportion of youth and adults with information and communications technology (ICT) skills, by type of skill.
• Indicator 8.6.1: Proportion of youth (aged 15-24 years) not in education, employment, or training.
• Indicator 12.8.1: Extent to which (i) global citizenship education and (ii) education for sustainable development (including climate change education) are mainstreamed in (a) national education policies; (b) curricula; (c) teacher education; and (d) student assessment.
• Indicator 13.3.1: Number of countries that have integrated mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction, and early warning measures into primary, secondary, and tertiary curricula.
• Indicator 15.9.1: Progress towards national targets established in accordance with Aichi Biodiversity Target 2 of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020.

The article does not explicitly mention specific indicators. However, based on the targets identified, the following indicators can be used to measure progress:

• Indicator 4.4.1 can be used to measure the proportion of youth and adults with relevant skills for employment in the agricultural industry.
• Indicator 8.6.1 can be used to track the proportion of youth not in education, employment, or training in the agricultural sector.
• Indicator 12.8.1 can assess the extent to which education for sustainable development, including climate change education, is integrated into agricultural education programs.
• Indicator 13.3.1 can measure the number of countries that have incorporated climate change education into agricultural curricula.
• Indicator 15.9.1 can track progress towards national targets for integrating ecosystem and biodiversity values into agricultural planning and development processes.

Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators