Students dig the dirt

PRAIRIE CITY – Despite the cold wet weather Oct. 10, Strawberry Mountain FFA District students were neck deep in the soil pits of this year’s soil judging contest.

In recent weeks, students in agriculture classes around the district have been reading and studying about the different types of soils in the area, all of them in preparation to be tested on their abilities to interpret, not only types of soil, but crops best fitted to the area, irrigation suitability, and many other characteristics of the pit sites.

The contest has three pits. Each contestant is graded on how he or she interprets the soil in the pit. The correct answers were taken before the contest, and graded by the official soil judge Jamie Kienzle, head soil scientist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture in John Day.

The top scores of the contest went to George Wickhoist, beginning; and Mike Bass, advanced; both of Prairie City. Each had a score of 105.

Five schools in the district participated in the annual contest; Grant Union, Prairie City, Burns, Monument, and Mitchell.

Team scores were:

Beginning

1st – Prairie City, 404.

2nd – Grant Union, 377.

3rd – Mitchell, 331.

4th – Burns, 307.

5th – Monument, 195.

Advanced

1st – Prairie City, 414.

2nd – Grant Union, 377.

3rd – Monument, 330.

4th – Mitchell, 297.

5th – Burns, 282.

Individual:

1st – Mike Bass (PC) and George Wickhorst (PC), 105.

2nd – Tel Winegar (PC) and Caitlin Patten (PC), 104.

3rd – CJ Clark (PC), 103.

4th – J.T. Black (PC) and McKenzie Portugal (PC) and Jake West (GU), 101.

5th – Cody Crampton (GU), 99.

6th – Russ Clark (GU), 96.

7th – Jordan Dehlen (PC) and Ian Averett (GU), 95.

8th – Austin Brown (GU) and Sabrina Buckhaults (GU), 93.

9th – Payton Warner (Mon.), 92.

10th – Emma Emery (Mich.) and Haley Olsen (GU) and Kayla Lee (Mon.), 90.