JOHNSON COUNTY, Nebraska, October 2, 2024 – A total of 332 students and adults participated in the 2024 Southeast Area Land Judging competition held on Wednesday, October 2, 2024 in Johnson County, Nebraska. The farm of Arlen (Kathie) & Andy (Amber) Grotrian of Johnson generously hosted the event. Participants from a record eighteen schools were brought together to test their skills in soil and land evaluation. The competition, designed to promote sustainable agriculture and expose youth to potential career opportunities, continues to grow in size and importance.

The land judging competition challenges students to gain a better understanding of soil structure and land evaluation. Students learn to recognize physical features of soil, determine land capability for crop production, and evaluate management practices needed for proper stewardship. “Soils are the foundation of agriculture in Nebraska” said Mike Burgert, District Conservationist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) serving the Nemaha NRD.

The event was a collaborative effort between the USDA NRCS, Nemaha NRD, and Nebraska’s Association of Resources Districts (NARD). Mark Willoughby, retired NRCS soil scientist volunteered his time for the ninth consecutive year as contest foreman. Landowners like the Grotrian family continue to play a crucial role in supporting the educational goals of the competition by offering their land as judging sites.

During the contest, participants had 20 minutes to judge each of the four distinct locations. A notable update this year was the continued use of scantron technology to streamline the scoring process.

“We typically see around fourteen schools participate,” said Ashley Rippe, Nemaha NRD Information & Education Coordinator. “But this year, with a record eighteen schools participating, we were able to qualify an additional school for the State competition on October 16, 2024. It is very exciting to see the growth!” State qualifying teams include

Lewiston – Brody Wright, Cooper Swendener, Axel Seeman, Ashlynn Anderson
Pawnee City – Dylan Layne, Tyler Tegtmeier, Madolyn Gottula, Taelyn Blecha
Johnson County Central – Kayden Badertscher, Molly Weber, Riley Wellensiek, Stefani Peters
Johnson-Brock – Ellanor Gerdes, Andrew Hodges, Taryn Ottemann, Austin Meyer
Falls City – Bowdy Jones, Dayton Snethen, Malori Kuker, Taiylah Moore

In addition to the top qualifying teams, the top ten individuals will also advance to the state competition. Individual state qualifiers are Bowdy Jones (1), Dylan Layne (2), Axel Seeman (3), Ashlynn Anderson (4), Kayden Badertscher (5), Samuel Thomas (6, Meridian), Tyler Tegtmeier (7), Joely Weers (8, Diller-Odell), Madolyn Gottula (9), and Taelyn Blecha (10).