(By FFA reporter Aspen Niklasen)- The Atlantic FFA chapter competed in the Southwest Iowa district Soils Judging Contest in Audubon on Monday October 19th. The team which consisted of Dylan Comes, Cooper Jipsen, Daniel Freund and Malena Woodward, got 5th place overall and earned a gold rating. There were 76 FFA members from 24 schools at the Contest. Cooper Jipsen placed 8th overall, Daniel Freund 13th, Dylan Comes 26th and Malena Woodward 28th. Team member Jipsen said “The pits were very hard to judge, because of the weather conditions, but we overcame the difficulties and rose to the occasion.”

Malena Woodward, Cooper Jipsen, Daniel Freund, Dylan Comes. (Photo & story submitted)

The Soils Judging Career Development Event is designed towards motivating students to gain knowledge on surface features, the soil profile, land capability and productivity, evaluation of land use and management practices, and suitability of soils for non-agricultural uses. Students also develop the ability to observe selected soil properties, and use these observations to interpret and evaluate these properties for recommendations for land use. “Soils judging has helped me learn more about what I should look for when Farming.” said Comes.

The day of the contest a sheet of snow started to cover the ground, and the temperature had dropped to the 30s. Team member Woodward said “there was 4 inches of snow covering the pits, the mud made it very slick, and the wind made the climate frigid. I was bundled up in layers to keep body heat.” Even with these non ideal weather conditions, the team trudged on.

After the contest took place, Mr. Miller, the Atlantic FFA advisor, felt good about the day’s competition. “I was impressed with the way our students performed. They made a lot of improvement in a very short amount of time.” Team members did not feel the same at first but changed their minds after they saw the results, Freund said “When we left we thought we did terrible, but when we heard the news we were excited. I am looking forward to judging soil from a different part of the state with my team.”

The Atlantic FFA chapter wanted to say thank you to Joe and Brittany Elmquist of Audubon County for hosting the event. Scott Hansen of Hansen Earthmoving who dug the soil pits, and Adam Hansen of Eagle Acres who provided tables.