Top Cut Beef Experience
The Top Cut Beef Experience is a cross-curricular program for middle and high school students to engage with and understand beef production, developed through a partnership between New York Agriculture in the Classroom and the New York State Beef Council. This experiential learning contest allows students to create a marketing strategy for a product of their choice, while learning about the multitude of agricultural careers and skills it takes to develop and sell a product. Students will also learn about beef production and beef nutrition, as a result of participation.
Following the realistic theme, "Cafeteria Takeover", teams will compete to develop a beef product of their choice that could be found in their school cafeteria while working with their school's food service personnel to identify the process of procuring, preparing, and providing a balanced school lunch.
NEW! New this year is an updated contest format. The Top Cut Beef Experience will be offered in both the fall and spring so that teachers with classes that switch out each semester may participate with all of their classes. The contest will no longer require pre-registration to participate and each teacher that has students submit a completed entry will receive a prize for their classroom.
Objective
Students will work as a group to develop a marketing and nutrition plan for a beef-centric product or recipe that could be served in their school cafeteria.
This year's school lunch theme will allow students the real-world experience of feeding their peers a nutritional and balanced meal while also developing connections with their school service workers and learning the intricacies of food procurement and recipe development.
Eligibility and Divisions
Sixth through 12th grade students working in groups or as a classroom in New York State are eligible to participate. Multiple groups or classrooms from the same school may participate. FFA chapters, home school groups, and private schools are also eligible to participate.
- Middle School (6th – 8th Grade)
- High School (9th – 12th Grade)
Contest Timeline
The Top Cut Contest is paused for the 2024-2025 school year. Please feel free to utilize the resources provided on this page to replicate this contest in your own classroom.
Contest Awards
Each teacher that has students submit a completed entry will receive a prize for their classroom. Prizes are limited to one per teacher each semester.
For teams that meet the state requirements for a well-balanced lunch in their project submission, their lunch could be selected to be featured on the New York Beef Council Website.
Each classroom will receive:
- George Foreman Grill
- Grilling Supplies
- "Beef. It's What's For Dinner" teacher's shirt and sticker
- Grilling & Beef Resources
Contest Procedures
Use the following documents to find the contest requirements and contest template. The requirements and template will walk you and your students step-by-step through this year's contest. The template should be used when submitting a project with each section filled out. The descriptors in each section should be removed in the final submission.
Procedural Documents
Judging Criteria
Questions
Please direct any questions you have about this contest to Sarah Hale.
Contest Resources
Please use the following resources to implement the Top Cut Beef Experience in your classroom.
Lessons
A Chilling Investigation
Grades 6-8
Purpose
Students will observe the difference in bacterial count between a hamburger that's left out at room temperature and a hamburger that's kept refrigerated. The lab reinforces the concept that food must be properly chilled in order for it to remain safe to eat. This lab will be conducted as a teacher demonstration.
A Tale of Two Burgers: Beef and Plant-based Protein
Grades 9-12
Purpose
Students compare the components of beef and plant-based burgers by determining the production and processing methods of each product; evaluate the ingredients and nutritional differences between beef and plant-based products; and discuss different points of view in the agricultural industry concerning plant-based proteins and traditional beef. This lesson covers a socioscientific issue and aims to provide students with tools to evaluate science within the context of social and economic points of view.
At Home on the Range
Grades 6-8
Purpose
Students investigate rangelands by growing their own grass to represent a beef or sheep ranch.
Beef: Making the Grade
Grades 9-12
Purpose
Students will evaluate the USDA grading system for whole cuts of beef and discuss consumer preferences and nutritional differences between grain-finished and grass-finished beef. Students will also distinguish various labels on beef products and discuss reasons for the government's involvement in agricultural production, processing and distribution of food.
Carbon Hoofprints: Cows and Climate Change
Grades 9-12
Purpose
Students explore the carbon cycle and evaluate the carbon footprint of cattle. Using critical thinking skills, students will use the Claim, Evidence, and Reasoning model to determine the effect of cows' methane production on the environment and investigate the extent cattle contribute to climate change.
Chain of Food
Grades 6-8
Grades 9-12
Purpose
Students will explore the path food takes along the Farm-to-Table Continuum. They will begin on the farm and investigate food safety issues during processing, transportation, at restaurants and supermarkets, and finally, in their own homes. Teams will identify how food can become contaminated along the continuum and develop and present strategies for preventing contamination at each step.
Cooking Right: The Science of Cooking a Hamburger
Grades 6-8
Grades 9-12
Purpose
The teacher will demonstrate cooking hamburgers to different temperatures. Students will analyze Petri dishes inoculated with hamburger and observe the amount of bacteria at each temperature. They will also learn that cooking hamburgers to the recommended temperature of 160° F (71° C) will kill pathogenic bacteria. Hamburger is used for this cooking lab because it's a food that students are familiar with and may be cooking at home.
Crossed Up!
Grades 6-8
Purpose
Students will discover that some items in their own kitchens may be contaminated by bacteria. They will be challenged to hypothesize about where bacteria might be found in kitchens and which items might have the most and the least bacteria. Students will develop awareness that bacteria can spread from surfaces to hands, and even to food, and will hypothesize how to control the spread of bacteria.
Food Safety Sleuths- Food Safety Specialist
Grades 6-8
Purpose
In this lesson students will learn about foodborne illness, its prevention, and the people and organizations that are involved in food safety. Students will conduct an experiment to learn how hand-washing affects the presence of bacteria on their hands.
Source Sleuth: Investigating Credible Sources About Beef
Grades 6-8
Purpose
Students will discover why it is important to use credible sources, learn strategies for identifying credible sources, identify primary sources of information, and practice citing sources.
The QUEST for the Whole Enchilada
Grades 6-8
Purpose
This lesson utilizes a process learning model to recognize how the Columbian Exchange and early Spanish explorers impacted the culture and cuisine of the Southwest United States. Students will participate in a food lab to make enchiladas and learn about the production of each ingredient.
The Remarkable Ruminant
Grades 6-8
Purpose
In this lesson, students will follow the farm to fork process of producing beef, learn how cattle and other ruminants convert grass into nutrient-rich foods such as milk and meat, discover ways cattle recycle food waste, and identify careers in the beef cattle industry.
Virtual Field Trips
All About Beef Playlist
Beef Farm Virtual Field Trips
Cooking Videos
Additional Resources
Beef for the Classroom
Teachers cooking with beef in their classroom may apply for the Classroom Grant. By filling out this short application you can earn up to $100 reimbursed for purchasing beef products for your students to cook with during your recipe development.
Explore the Past Winning Schools and Projects
Check out the impressive submissions from the past winners of the Top Cut Beef Contest!
