More than 60 high-school students from around the Panhandle participated in the 2019 West Regional Land Judging Contest.
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MITCHELL, Neb. – More than 60 high-school students from around the Panhandle participated in the 2019 West Regional Land Judging Contest. The event was held south of Mitchell.
The contest was hosted by the North Platte Natural Resources District (NRD), Upper Niobrara White NRD, and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).
For the individual contest winners, Candace Wolfe from Bayard (Nebraska) High School finished in first place, with a score of 288. Laura Albro and Hunter Geisler, both from Bayard High School, placed second and third respectively.
In the team contest, the Bayard High School team of Taeton Harimon, Garret Hopkins, Kody Harimon, and Laura Albro took home top team honors with a score of 783. Bayard High School also took home second place with the team of Kolton Kriha, Leah Albro, Ryan Liakos, and Branden Johnson; while the Leyton team of Brenton Abbott, Blake Miller, Alyson Holt, and Megan Ernest placed third.
The top three teams, not from the same high school, automatically qualify for the state contest. The third qualifying team is from Scottsbluff High School (Marlee Neu, Allison Carpenter, Daniel Hiltgen, and Graham Kovarik). The state contest will be held Oct. 23, in the Nemaha NRD.
Amanda Shepperd, Forestry Technician & Community Educator of the North Platte NRD and the Nebraska Forest Service, said she was pleased with the turnout.
“We had cool weather, great student participation, and our scores continue to improve,” Shepperd said. “Overall, it was a successful day for the students in the Panhandle as they demonstrated knowledge about soils through this contest”.
Land Judging is a high-school competition that challenges students to gain a better understanding of soil structure and land evaluation. Land judging enables each participant to learn how to recognize the physical features of the soil, determine land capability for crop production, and evaluate management practices needed for proper stewardship.
This year’s contest was a partnership between NRCS, the North Platte NRD, Upper Niobrara White NRD, and the University of Nebraska Extension.
