Local Students Place in Land Judging Competition

(GRAND ISLAND, NE)  Kyler Kroeger, Doniphan-Trumbull High School, took first place at the recent South Central Land Judging Contest in Hamilton County.  Shickley High School placed as the top team.

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. Soil, land and home-site evaluation provide a setting for students to investigate the soils in their region, the environment that surrounds them and their effect on their daily lives.

Team Winners 
1st Place-Shickley, Kristin Witte
2nd Place- Red Cloud, Joe Strickland
3rd Place- Shelby-Rising City, Whitney Lehn
4th Place- Doniphan-Trumbull, Dave Johnson
5th Place- Aurora, Tony Sigler

Individual Purple Ribbon Winners (in order of placing): 1st-Kyler Kroeger, Doniphan-Trumbull;
2nd-Addie Swartzendruber, Heartland; 3rd-Morgan Nibbe, Red Cloud; 4th-Adam Moore, Red Cloud; 5th-Kody Mans, Blue Hill; 6th-Garrett Ingalls, Shelby-Rising City; 7th-Chris Lichti, Shickley; 8th-Rylee Kohmetscher, Blue Hill; 9th-Levi Schulze, Aurora; 10th-Anthony Beavers, Shickley; 11th-Michaela Chiplaski, Red Cloud; 12th-April Walkup, Cross County; 13th-John Alfs, Shickley; 14th-Carter Smith, Shelby-Rising City; 15th-Austin Allen, Aurora; 16th-Mary Nibbe, Red Cloud; 17th-Kiersten Dose, Hampton.

The top five teams and top 10 individuals that are not on a state qualifying team are invited to compete in the State Contest; which will be held in Pleasanton, Nebraska on Wednesday, October 26th.  Complete results are available at: http://cpnrd.org/land-judging/  

Participating Schools:  Adams Central, Aurora, Blue Hill, Cross County, Doniphan-Trumbull, Fillmore Central, Hampton, Heartland, Lawrence Nelson, McCool Junction, Shelby Rising, Shickley, Silver Lake, Red Cloud, Superior, Wood River

Prior to the contest, Bill Whitney, Prairie Plains Resources Institute and landowner, spoke to students about the history of the site and the importance of conservation.  David Carr, range management specialist, discussed a 5,000-acre large landscape prescribed burn performed by Central Platte NRD and NRCS this spring. The Central Platte NRD, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and UNL Extension host the South Central Land Judging contest as part of a rotation with other NRDs.

Hosts The competition was hosted by the Central Platte Natural Resources District, the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the University of Nebraska Merrick County Extension Office.

Soil is one of the most important natural resources of our environment. Soil supports and influences the crops we grow for food and fiber, the water we drink, and the air we breathe. The soils of the world fit for plant growth must sustain all the plants, animals and humans that make the Earth their home. The soil acts as a filter for the water entering the groundwater supply, as well as interacting with or being eroded by the water that flows over the surface. Soil has a direct effect on the air we breathe when it becomes airborne and is evident when dust settles or obscures vision. Soil takes long periods of time to develop but can be destroyed or eroded away in very short periods. It is only through proper stewardship of soil that life on Earth can be sustained and improved.

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 Marcia Lee
  Information/Education Specialist

  Central Platte Natural Resources District
  215 Kaufman Ave  Grand Island NE 68803
  Tel: (308) 385-6282  www.cpnrd.org

  Protecting Lives • Protecting Property • Protecting the Future