Iowa State University, Region V, hosted the National Soil Judging Competition April 21-26 at the Horticulture Research Station north of Ames. About 260 students and coaches made up 25 teams that participated from a variety of universities across the country, including from California Texas, Alabama and Delaware. The top overall placings were: 1) Virginia Tech, 2) University of Nebraska-Lincoln and 3) University of Wisconsin-Platteville.
Many thanks to everyone who helped make the event a success:
- Lee Burras, Elizabeth Severson (undergrad), Adam Subora (graduate), ISU soil judging team and Soil & Water conservation club (with adviser Bradley Miller) hosted a meal.
- The ISU Soil Judging Team were pit monitors for the event and helped with other activities.
- Jon Sandor (retired agronomy faculty), Rich Pope, Mike Konen, and Michael Thompson checked soil pit descriptions.
- Angie Rieck-Hinz (extension agronomist) assisted with contest logistics.
- Heidi Ackerman and Stephanie Zumbach served as pit monitors and contest day help.
- Agronomy Interim-Chair Mary Wiedenhoeft gave the opening address
- Alum Erik Christian, Becca Clay helped pit monitor
- Glenn Wiedenhoeft took photos of the contest.
- Agronomy alum Wade Dooley hosted the group judging contest location, Jeff & Shelley Taylor (CALS Global Programs) and Ron Huhn (ISU alum) hosted individual contest sites.
- Practice site locations, so students could see variety of soils in the area, were hosted by Agronomy/Ag Engineering Farm, Horticulture Research Station, FEEL Farm, Draintech and the Rhodes Farm.
Information provided by Amber Anderson
Photos by Glenn Wiedenhoeft
