Abilene Soil Survey Staff Assist with High School Land Judging Competition

On March 23, 2009, two members from the Abilene Soil Survey staff, Thomas “Riley” Dayberry and Jeremiah “Jo” Parsley, assisted the Sweetwater NRCS field office with the high school land judging competition, which was open to all high schools in Texas. The competition was held in Nolan County, with 73 students in attendance.

The Soil Survey staff members served as assistants to group leaders, ensuring that rules for the competition were adhered to. These rules included the prohibited use of measuring devices, non-transparent clipboards, and mobile phones by participants. In addition, staff members assisted in giving notice to participants when time came to move and then directed participants to the next judging site. Basic questions about the site were fielded by staff members such as, where the site boundaries and slope determination stakes were located.

Assisting with the land judging competition was a rewarding experience for both Soil Survey staff members. It was nice to see so much interest in the field of Soil Science by so many students. We hope that the opportunity to lend a hand for future land judging competitions is available in the future.