A milk-quality and dairy-foods judging contest will be one of the highlights of the 34th annual Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Field Day, expected to draw some 3,000 FFA and 4-H high school students to UC Davis from California and surrounding states on March 6. The field day is one of the largest such competitions in the nation and the only one in California that is completely run by university students.

During the dairy-products judging contest, participating high school students will sample a variety of different milks for flavor characteristics, distinguish butter from margarine and coffee creamer from half-and-half creams, and identify 10 different cheese varieties. This contest, hosted by the Department of Food Science and Technology, will be held from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday in Cruess Hall, located on the west side of California Avenue, just two blocks south of Russell Boulevard.

Other Saturday field day events will include tractor driving, livestock judging and public speaking. Aggie Ambassadors, a student organization including students from a variety of majors within the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, coordinates the contest, along with faculty and staff advisers. Activities will take place in many locations and animal facilities on campus. For locations of specific judging contests, contact field day coordinator Grace Cun at (951) 941-6583.

The field day, sponsored by UC Davis’ College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, has over the years provided thousands of high school students with the opportunity to showcase their skills and to spend a day at a university campus.

About UC Davis

For more than 100 years, UC Davis has engaged in teaching, research and public service that matter to California and transform the world. Located close to the state capital, UC Davis has 32,000 students, an annual research budget that exceeds $600 million, a comprehensive health system and 13 specialized research centers. The university offers interdisciplinary graduate study and more than 100 undergraduate majors in four colleges — Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Biological Sciences, Engineering, and Letters and Science. It also houses six professional schools — Education, Law, Management, Medicine, Veterinary Medicine and the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing.