The Trempealeau County 44th Annual Land Judging Contest was held on Thursday, May 16th, 2019. This year's contest was held on the Geske Farm located in the Town of Gale. Nearly 80 students participated in this year's event, with participating schools being Arcadia, Blair-Taylor, Eleva-Strum, Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau, Independence and Whitehall.
Senior Division, Team Event
1st Place Senior Division Team Left to Right:
Beth Killian - Environment and Land Use Committee
Jacob Thompson, Emily Osborn
Kathy Zeglin - Environment and Land Use Committee
Not pictured: Leo Cherello, Sophia Lensing
| Place | School | Ag Instructor | Total Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | G-E-T | Kent Haake | 757 |
| 2nd | Arcadia | Kevin Whalen | 747 |
| 3rd | Whitehall | Melinda Goplin | 654 |
Junior Division, Team Event
1st Place Junior Division Team Left to Right
Beth Killian - Environment and Land Use Committee
Jonathan Thorn, Ian Pank, Justin Fremstad, Colton Sluga
Kathy Zeglin - Environment and Land Use Committee
| Place | School | Ag Instructor | Total Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Whitehall | Melinda Goplin | 688 |
| 2nd | Independence | Kent Haake | 679 |
| 3rd | Arcadia | Kevin Whalen | 663 |
Senior Division, Individual Event
| Place | Individual | School | Ag Instructor | Total Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Ryan Stein | G-E-T | Kent Haake | 285 |
| 2nd | Nolan Niemerovitz | Arcadia | Kevin Whalen & Steve Schank |
268 |
| 3rd | Noah Schank | Arcadia | Kevin Whalen & Steve Schank |
262 |
Junior Division, Individual Event
| Place | Individual | School | Ag Instructor | Total Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Justin Fremstad | Whitehall | Melinda Goplin | 249 |
| 2nd | Chriss Killian | Independence | Jason Hovell | 242 |
| 3rd | Ian Pank | Whitehall | Melinda Goplin | 242 |
Plaques were presented in each division to the top Trempealeau County School and to the top Trempealeau County students with the three highest individual scores.
The Land Judging Contest is sponsored annually by the Trempealeau County Environment and Land Use Committee. Donna Ferren Guy and Mike England, Soil Scientists with the Natural Resource Conservation Service, were the official judges. NRCS District Conservationist, Ryan Swatek, also assisted with contest preparations.
Participants in the Land Judging Contest had to examine soil from four pits. The characteristics of topsoil and subsoil had to be recognized. The texture, structure, depth, slope and drainage of the soil had to be determined. The fertilizer and lime requirements, based on the soil test for each pit, had to be judged. Contestants were also required to identify soil erosion and other limitations of the soil. They also classified the soil site according to its capabilities and recommended the correct farm management and conservation practices for the soil site.