Brokaw FFA Soils Team Competes at National Competition
The Brokaw FFA Soil Judging team recently competed in the National Land and Range Judging Contest in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on May 4. The team consisted of Sadie Graham, Hunter Crawford, Austin Gutknecht, Joslynn Williams, and alternate, Lane Harvey. The soils judging team qualified for the national competition after receiving 2nd place at the Iowa State FFA Soils Contest held in October. At the competition, the Brokaw team placed 50th out of a total of 92 teams from across the country. Sadie Graham placed 30th overall out of 363 total participants. This is the second highest individual placing a participant from Clarinda has had at the national competition behind Jon McNees’ 3rd place finish last year. This marks the ninth time in the last fifteen years that a soils judging team from Clarinda competed at the national competition.
The event included the judging of four soil pits. The scorecard used to judge the soil pits is divided into two parts. In the first part, contestants must determine textures, slope, depth of soil, erosion, permeability, and runoff to select a land capability class, and in part two, they must decide on recommended vegetative and mechanical land treatments.
During the trip, the members toured the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum and the National Cowboy Hall of Fame and Museum. Members spent time practicing for the contest at practice pits and also attended an awards banquet as well.