Shown are members of the soil judging teams.

Submitted photo

PITSBURG — On Tuesday, Sept. 19, Franklin Monroe MVCTC attended the 2023 county soil judging. The rural team consisted of two seniors, Dalton Winterrowd and Quinter Garber; two juniors, Ty Riffle and Keir Boyd; and four freshmen, Zane Hissong, Blake Riffle, Wesley Baker, and Braden Gilbert.

The rural team placed second out of six teams in the contest. Four of those contestants placed in the top 20: Keir Boyd, Dalton Winterrowd, Quinter Garber, and Ty Riffle! The urban team consisted of sophomores Cash Davis, Victor Garber, Ian Norris, and Robert Baker. Out of three teams, the team placed second, with Robert Baker placing third, individually.

On Wednesday, Sept. 27, Franklin Monroe also attended the 2023 district soil judging. The rural team placed 10th out of 40 teams. The urban team placed ninth out of 21 teams. At this event, the students had to use many of their skills to find out what management practices are the most useful. For example, students needed to find the risk factors for soil erosion, soil compaction, water quality, and soil health. Based on the four risk factors, the student would decide what management practice was best to use.

This was a very beneficial learning experience for the students who attended this CDE. Being able to recognize a good plot of soil is a great skill to have as an agriculture student.