Agriculture and Natural Resources Activities Day (ANRAD)

Registration is due by November 30, 2025. The registration form will close after that date.

Attendance Fee: $10 per Student

Payment instructions:

• Invoices will be issued by the University of Minnesota and sent the week following ANRAD.
• Invoices will be sent via email unless physical mail is requested.
• DO NOT send any payment until you have received this official invoice.
• Follow the payment instructions provided on the invoice.

2025 Online Registration

Rooms are available for reservation at:

• AmericInn (218-281-7800)
• AmeriVu Inn & Suites (218-470-1111)
• Crookston Inn & Convention Center (218-470-1000)

Ag Mechanics

Contest participant capacity: 36

Important: Every student competing in Ag Mechanics MUST have a signed Safety Form. This must be sent in within 3 days of the registration form being completed. Please click the link labeled Required Safety Form below, read through the document, then complete the form on page 9. Send the completed form to Michael Martin at [email protected]

If we do not have a completed Safety Form for your student, they will not be allowed to participate.

The Ag and Natural Resources Activities Day Ag Mechanics Contest follows the contest subject matter as determined by the Minnesota FFA Association. Topics will follow the same subject rotation to be covered during state FFA competitions during the current school year. We plan that the 2025 ANRAD topics will be in the following areas:

• Metal Fabrication – SMAW Welding
• Electrical Wiring
• Wood Construction 

Required Safety Form

Crops Contest

Contest participant capacity: 95

The contest follows the FFA contest rules. The crops contest consists of the following three phases:

1. Crop and weed identification
2. Management Test
3. Practicums. Practicum topics include soils, insects, seed analysis, pesticides, fertilizers, and varietal trial.

Dairy Cattle Judging Contest

Contest participant capacity: 75

The Dairy Cattle Judging Contest requires judgment ability to select/rank four animals from best to worst based on an industry "ideal". This skill is important when buying or culling animals that will be profitable. This selection process is based on visual appraisal as opposed to evaluation of milk performance data or DHIA records. In larger contests, a set of oral reasons is required, which is a verbal justification for your placing. A perfect score is "50". For this part of the contest, 2 live animal classes will be utilized: a yearling class and a calf class. Also included in this contest are evaluations of 2 paper classes.  The sire selection includes a scenario to rank animals by their compatibility to the given cow, while the pedigree is solely ranked on the given genetics and DHIA record.

Farm Management Contest

Contest participant capacity: 34

The farm management contest tests skills and knowledge about the management of a farm business. Items included in the contest are: (1) methods of accounting and understanding balance sheets and their interpretation; (2) income tax procedures and management; (3) farm management principles; (4) budgets; (5) enterprise analysis. The contest is similar to the FFA state and national contest.

Floriculture Contest

Contest participant capacity: 100

There are four parts to the Floriculture Contest:

1. Written exam covering general horticulture/floriculture knowledge. The exam covers information about fertilizers, plant care, insects and diseases of greenhouse plants, annual and perennial flowers, plant structure, soils for the greenhouse, and many other areas.
2. Problem Solving- Will include 10 multiple-choice questions. (Examples will be selected from the MN CDE Floriculture List).
3. Plant Identification - Students will identify 45 plants by sample or by picture. The samples are from several areas including annuals, perennials, foliage plants, cut flowers and cut foliage. (Samples will be selected from the MN CDE Floriculture List)
4. Floriculture Tool & Equipment Identification - Students will identify 15 examples by actual sample or picture. (Samples will be selected from the MN CDE Floriculture List)

Food Science Contest

Contest participant capacity: 8 teams (4/team = 32)

This contest is designed to assess student knowledge and understanding of food product development, food presentation and food safety issues. Students will be expected to problem solve and come up with a creative spin on their own homemade cuisine following our provided development scenario. Students will participate in both team and individual activities which are as follows:

1. Team- Design a new food product or reformulate an existing product based on development scenario and provide a marketing scenario.
2. As individuals- Complete a food safety & sanitation and sensory activity.
3. As individuals- An 50 point multiple choice objective exam.

Note: This contest is limited to the first 8 teams to register.

Forestry Contest

Contest participant capacity: 65

The Forestry Contest is a modified version of the Minnesota FFA Forestry Contest. Participants identify tree and wood samples as well as a selection of tools commonly used in the forestry profession. They also take a written exam covering topics such as forest policy, forest ecology, tree biology, the forest products industry, land survey, and forest measurements. Scores are based on a weighted combination of the identification and written portions of the exam. 

General Livestock Judging Contest

Contest participant capacity: 125

The General Livestock Judging Contest requires the ability to rank four animals from best to worst for either breeding purposes or sale of meat (slaughter) purposes. This contest involves FOUR species: beef cattle, swine, sheep, and goats.  These animals should have the desired traits for breeding purposes or the meat animal industry and ultimately the consumer. A perfect score on a class is "50".

Horse Judging Contest

Contest participant capacity: 125

Students judge horses at halter (conformation) and during performance. Possible halter classes include Quarter Horses or Stock-type horses, Arabians, and/or Morgans. Performance classes today are Western Pleasure, Hunter Under Saddle or Hunter Pleasure, and/or English Pleasure. Often, contestants are required to give 'reasons', which is a timed oral presentation on why they placed the class the way they did. Due to lack of time and space, we do not require that part of the contest in this competition. Questions (worth 50 points) will be asked on one designated class to break any ties. Each class is worth 50 points. Official judge(s) will place the class and assign point values to the different possible placings. The closer to the official placing, the more points a contestant earns. When there are more than three contestants from one school, the top three contestants' scores will count for the team score.

Nursery/Landscape Contest

Contest participant capacity: 40

There are four parts to the Nursery/Landscape Contest.

1. Problem Solving - 12% 10-20 multiple-choice questions dealing with a given scenario at 5-10 points per question. No more than two questions will be from the following areas. Not all areas will be used each year.
   • Plant disorders and pest treatments
   • Landscape design or plant selection
   • Retail Pricing given wholesale information
   • Nursery plant production schedule
   • Determine equipment specifications, demonstrate pre-check operations.
   • Lawn care procedures and equipment operation.
   • Chemical handling procedures, e .. g., fertilizer or pesticide equipment calibration and application.
   • Preparing service receipts.
   • Plant material quality assessment.
   • Pruning maintenance.
   • Safety practices.
   • Questions may use bare root, container grown, balled and burlapped nursery stock or landscape plans.
2. Exam - 35% of the contest is based on questions regarding nursery production, plant science, soils, fertilization, plant materials, plant propagation, landscape design, landscape practices and turf and grounds maintenance.
3. Plant Equipment/Pest Identification - 44% 44% of the contest is based on identification of landscape plants including shade trees, ornamentals, evergreens, vines, ground covers, annuals and perennials, and weeds.
4. Practicums (2) - 12% of the contest is based on problems relating to two practicums selected from the following areas:
   • Determine necessary soil amounts for potting.
   • Calculate needed material for patio and sidewalks using pavers and keystone system.
   • Determine materials for retaining wall
   • Pruning nursery stock.
   • Determining material for planting a bed or hedge.
   • Establish a lawn by seeding or sodding.
   • Volume and area for different plots.
   • Estimate materials for a given landscape plan, use of architects scale.

Small Animals Contest

Contest participant capacity: 150

This contest is designed to assess student knowledge, practical application and evaluation abilities in the area of small animal care, veterinary skills and pet management. 100% of the contest (all written exam and I.D.) will involve the five species recommended in the Minnesota FFA CDE Manual (dogs, cats, fish, birds and rabbits). The contest will consist of three sections including:

1. Written Exam – multiple choice
2. Animal Identification – Identifying the 5 species in either photos or live animals
3. Practicum - dog & cat food label reading, common diseases or problems, anatomy of skeletal, nervous and digestive systems, mathematical problems related to purchasing, veterinary bills, grooming etc.

90 points of ID and Multiple Choice Questions
10 points of Practicum Questions

Students should bring with them:

• Calculator
• Clipboard
• #2 Pencil

Soils Contest

Contest participant capacity: 9 teams (4/team = 36)

1. The soils contest will consist of judging 2 land areas using the "FFA Land Judging Scorecard" and instructions. The information in the "FFA Land Judging Scorecard Instructions" will be the subject matter guide.
2. Teams will be composed of four members with the top three scores counting.
3. Tiebreakers - The official judge or faculty chair shall determine the order of total pit scores that will be used to break ties.
4. Materials available for FFA Land Judging are posted on the FFA website
   • Minnesota FFA Land Judging Score Card (2017)
   • FFA Land Judging Instructions (2012)
   • Land Judging Placard (2006)

Wildlife Contest

Contest participant capacity: 200

The wildlife contest consists of both identification and written questions. The contest uses the basis of the Minnesota FFA regulations, but in an expanded format to handle the average 200 participants each year. Students must be able to identify and answer written questions about 150 wildlife (birds, mammals, fish, reptiles, amphibians) and a yearly rotating category. Questions cover identification, habitat, life history, and regulations pertaining to any of the species. A study list is available and includes the years’ rotating topic.

2025 Wildlife Contest ID Sheet

2025 Schedule of Events

*subject to change, updated 11/14/2025