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FFA Members Qualify for State Land Judging

October 07, 2024

Heartland had 37 students compete in the area Land Judging competition where they received 5th place.

Carter Siebert waits his turn to be able to texture the soil.

Thane Wetjen finishes judging the field. He was the second highest on the Heartland team and qualified for state which will be held near Norfolk on October 16.

David Hiebner contemplates his choice of land treatments for the class of land.

Dr. Ray Ward leads the students on a tour of his laboratories by first explaining the importance of argon and other natural gasses that can be found in the atmosphere.

Dr. Ward talks to the students about organic matter in the soil.

Emma Ott and Faith Hiebner check out how soil pH is read at Ward Labs.

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Heartland had 37 students compete in the area Land Judging competition where they received 5th place.

On Wednesday, October 2, 37 Heartland FFA members attended District Land Judging near Gibbon, Nebraska. Competing members had four plots of land to judge based on different characteristics of the soil, slope, and the surrounding field. Over 400 agriculture students from the area competed this year.

Achieving the top four scores of the Heartland FFA Chapter were Brian Bearinger, Thane Wetjen, Madalyn Janzen, and David Hiebner. These four members helped the Heartland FFA place 5th, and they will be competing in State Land Judging on Wednesday, October 16, near Norfolk, NE.

After FFA members were finished with the competition, they toured to Ward Laboratories in Kearney, Nebraska. There they heard from owner Dr. Ray Ward and furthered their education on soil quality and testing. During the tour, members were able to walk through several laboratories where they saw how samples came to the lab and how each soil sample can be tested.