NV Soil Judging team qualifies for state

How a landowner utilizes their land depends greatly on the type of soil on the land.

Agronomy students and FFA members at Nodaway Valley High School are learning this at such a high rate that they have a soil judging team that has qualified for the discipline’s state contest. Members of the quartet are Luke Kading, Paul Kading, Melanie Kilborn and Mark Kilborn.

A whole host of NV students attended a district contest last Wednesday at the ISU Extension Armstrong Research Farm near Lewis.

“I thought that all of the members who competed placed really well and I am very proud of them,” NV ag sciences teacher/FFA advisor Joelle Grubbs said. “For most of the members, this was the first time that they have competed in this contest. They were able to successfully take what we learned in class and apply it to real-world scenarios. We were hoping they would place well because we have been practicing since the start of the school year.”

The NV group placed fifth, with the top five teams from the district contest qualifying for state.

Being successful in soil judging requires knowledge and skill in a few different areas.

“We’re analyzing soil, looking at the landscape position, colors of the different soil horizons. We look at the thickness of each horizon and use that to analyze what uses the soil might have, what certain crops would grow best and what practices you might use to maintain the soil,” Paul Kading said.

Melanie Kilborn said a lot of soil judging boils down to the goal of soil productivity.

“We’re looking at what soil would be best for agricultural or non-agricultural use,” she said.

Contest officials dig four pits across the research farm that students analyze. There is also a written test that participants take about soil judging, Luke Kading said.

A few non-agricultural uses of land contestants could consider include housing and placement of a septic tank.

“The test gives you different scenarios. Out in the field, they have the four holes dug and you analyze each individual hole,” Mark Kilborn said. “You can only learn so much in a classroom, but these contests help you go out and see what it would be like in the real world.”

“How you use your land is supposed to be based on all of this,” Luke Kading said.

The quartet competes again Thursday, Oct. 9 at the state soil judging contest in Ames. The top five teams at that contest move on to nationals in Oklahoma.

“We had a soil team last year and haven’t done it for that many years,” Paul Kading said. “For us to be able to advance so early on as a newer team is really impressive considering there are some other chapters that are always going to state and nationals in our district.”