Gobble Up!

Welcome to Gobble Up! 

We hope you and your students find this program to be engaging, exciting, and applicable. Please find the resources below to help you with this project! 

Elementary Division Rules Middle School Division Rules High School Division Rules

Elementary Rubric Middle School Rubric High School Rubric

Student Pre-Inventory     Student Post-Inventory     

Recorded Virtual Events

Learn more about the poultry industry through our recorded Ag in Action - All About Poultry FarmChats  

What is Gobble Up?

Gobble Up! Turkey Marketing Competition is an exciting cross-curricular program for elementary, middle, and high school students to engage with and understand turkey production. This experiential learning contest will allow your students to creatively develop 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 be learning about the turkey production industry and turkey nutrition as a result of participation. It is funded in part by the Iowa Turkey Marketing Council.            

What is the objective of the contest?

Students will work as a group to develop a marketing and nutrition plan for a turkey-centric product or recipe. 

Who is eligible to participate?

Third through 12th grade students working in groups or as a classroom in Iowa are eligible to participate. Registration is required in the respective grade divisions. Multiple groups or classrooms from the same school may participate. FFA chapters, home school groups, and private schools are also eligible to participate.

What are the divisions of the contest?

There are three divisions: elementary (grades 3-5), middle school (grades 6-8), and high school (grades 9-12). Each division has slightly different expectations and will be judged separately.

What's the timeline?

The 2023 contest has closed. Please check back in the fall for the 2024 contest!

Curriculum connections

Students who fully participate in this competition have the opportunity to learn about health literacy, nutrition, food safety, writing skills, financial literacy, careers, and many aspects of animal agriculture, from life cycle of a turkey to engineering of a turkey barn.

Curriculum Connections for Gobble Up!

What are the prizes?

The marketing plans and/or poster advertisements will be judged by a panel of turkey producers and educators (see rubric for judging criteria). The top three teams from each division will be announced as winners. Prizes include:

  • 1st Place
    • $200 (made out to the school)
    • Opportunity to share their recipe and serve as panelists for the January 23 FarmChat
    • Lunch brought to their school and catered by the Iowa Turkey Federation (up to $250)
    • Printed certificate
    • Official IALF recipe card
  • 2nd Place
    • $100 (made out to the school)
    • Printed certificate
    • Official IALF recipe card
  • 3rd Place
    • $50 (made out to the school)
    • Printed certificate
    • Official IALF recipe card

Prize money will be written as a check to the school and should be used for class or school use. The lunch should directly benefit the winning team/students.

First-time Participant?

While it is not required to register your classroom to participate in Gobble Up, you may register to receive monthly emails for the duration of the contest (September – December). Emails will contain tips and tricks to help with implementing Gobble Up into your curriculum, as well as deadline reminders and other pertinent information. Teachers of grade band 3-5 can also utilize the Gobble Up Elementary Pacing Guide to help implement the Gobble Up program in a few different timeframes (ex: how to participate with only two days to implement).  

Resources

Use these lessons and resources to help teach the marketing and turkey concepts and prepare students to enter the contest.

Gobble Up! Turkey Marketing Competition Lessons

Elementary Lessons

Middle School Lessons

High School Lessons

Videos

Other Resources


2023 Winners

Elementary Division: Guthrie Center - Fried Turkey Wings

Middle School Division: Clear Creek Amana - Mini Turkey Empanadas

High School Division: Knoxville - The Gobbler Turkey Sliders 


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