FFA Soils Judging team qualifies for nationals

The Lind-Ritzville FFA Chapter took two teams to participate in the state Land Evaluation competition on Wednesday, Oct. 22, with one team returning home with the state title.

The five member team has now received the opportunity to travel to Oklahoma at the end of April to compete in the national contest.

The two local teams traveled to Pomeroy to compete against 34 teams from across the state. The Lind-Ritzville teams attended four competitions in various counties prior to the state contest and excelled in the judging competition.

The soil judging competition is split into two parts; soil judging to determine land capability and home site evaluation. The home site evaluation challenges the students to grade the soil based on its viability and ability to build a home on the land.

At the contest, the students judged the soil in three 100 by 100 foot pits, which exposes the different types of soil and textures to the contest members. The students judge the soil based on texture, permeability, slope depth, erosion flooding, stone and a variety of other factors in order to determine the type of soil and best purpose for the land.

A fourth pit on the property is used specifically for the home site evaluation portion of the contest.

At the competition, the first place team continuing on the nationals consisted of Hallie Jo Galbreath, Tyler O’Brien, Madison Harder, Dinah Gadberry and Tessa Jantz. Overall, Galbreath finished with the seventh highest individual score and O’Brien scored eighth.

The second team competing at the state level consisted of Camden Smith, Bryce Esser, Peyton Curtis, TyAnn Tellefson and Abby Gering.

The team placed ninth in the state competition, and Smith had the ninth highest individual score.

The winning team travels to Oklahoma to compete in the three-day 64th annual National Land and Range Judging Contest at the end of April. The location of the site remains a secret until the day of the contest, but will be somewhere near the metro area surrounding Oklahoma City, according to the Oklahoma Conservation Commission.

The national contest has been held in Oklahoma since 1952 and the three-day event provides students with an opportunity to learn the soil of the area they are visiting. The Lind-Ritzville FFA chapter sent a team to the national soils competition last year and plans to use the knowledge gained from the previous contest to assist with studying for next year’s event.

The first two days that the students are in Oklahoma City, they have an opportunity to visit practice sites to learn about the soil and plants native to the area. The contestants also meet with soil experts to ask questions and gain as much information about the area prior to the contest.

The skills gained through the competition assist students in potential career fields such as environmental and agricultural management. Students interested in pursuing a career in home building or construction also gain valuable skills through the competition, specifically in the home site evaluation portion of the contest.

The Lind-Ritzville team is continuing to practice and prepare for the national event this spring in hopes of bringing a national title back to the communities.