The East Knox FFA Urban Soils Career Development Event Team competed in the 71st National Land and Range Judging Contest in El Reno, Oklahoma from April 30 to May 2, where they finished 57th place in the Homesite evaluation category. Team members were Isabelle Bostic, Weston Bostic, Hayden Baker, and Rylan Winkler.
There were 194 total teams and 776 individuals from 37 states that competed in the National Land, Homesite and Range Judging Contest. The contest is sponsored by the Oklahoma Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts and the Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce and is open to FFA and 4-H teams across the nation. To qualify to compete in the event, the East Knox Urban Soils team placed third in the state contest held last October. Each state can send up to five teams to compete in each category of the national event. Ohio sends the top five agricultural teams to compete in the Land division and the top five Urban teams to compete in the Homesite category.
Team members had to determine surface and subsurface texture, permeability, soil depth, erosion, slope (without the use of a measuring device), runoff, shrink-swell, water table level, and flooding hazard. Using these characteristics, the students had to give the degree of limitations for the urban uses of foundations for buildings, lawns and landscaping, septic systems, and sewage lagoons.
The awards banquet was held at the Canadian County Expo Center in El Reno, Oklahoma. This is the 30th East Knox FFA soils career development event team that has qualified for the National Contest, which is the most of any FFA Chapter in Ohio.
The team would like to thank all who helped with the expenses for the national trip to Oklahoma.
