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Northeast Area Land Judging Competition Challenges Students Near Tilden

By Evans, Jessica on November 02, 2022

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Students and instructors from 28 high schools met near Tilden to compete in the Northeast Area
Land Judging Competition Wednesday, October 12th, 2022. The Lower Elkhorn Natural
Resources District (LENRD) hosted the annual competition at a site just North of Tilden.
Land Judging is a high school competition that challenges students to gain a better
understanding of soil structure and land evaluation. Each participant learns how to recognize
the physical features of the soil, determine land capability for crop production, and evaluate
management practices needed for proper stewardship.

During the competition, students judge four soil pits using an evaluation card to make
assessments on: soil depth, surface texture, permeability, slope, thickness of surface and
erosion. Each evaluation card is scored and added together to determine overall scores for
individuals and the team.

Individuals from Osmond that competed in the contest were freshmen Ava Reikofski; juniors
Matthew Alderson, Ethan Davids, and James Doyle; and seniors Cali Gutz, Reese Hanna, Zach
Reikofski, and Caden Wingert. Individually, Zach Reikofski earned a red ribbon and Reese
Hanna earned a white ribbon at the contest. However, all gained valuable experience in
assessing soils.