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Overview
To motivate 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 nonagricultural uses.
To develop the ability to observe selected soil properties and to interpret and evaluate these properties for recommendation for land use.
Rules
All district soil judging events shall be conducted at least 10 days in advance of the Iowa FFA Soil Judging Career Development Event.
The state event is open to the top five FFA teams in each district; these teams shall be from Iowa schools with approved high school Agricultural Education programs.
If one of the top five teams in a district is unable to participate in the state event, the sicth place team is permitted to advance. If the sixth place team is unable to participate, then the seventh, eighth, and so for will be given this opportunity.
Each school may enter a team composed of three or four participants with the top three scores determining the team score.
A team is permitted a maximum of two substitutes between district and state events. If team members ahve a conflict and a team cannot secure the necessary one or two substitutes, the remaining team members may participate for individual event awards depending upon the decision of the team which originally earned the opportunity to advance to the state event.
Participation in the district soil judging event by non-official FFA participants shall be left up to the discretion of each district.
Each participation will participate in all phases of the event.
All district events and the state event should not be held during regular school hours.
If participants or FFA advisors visit pits any time prior to the event, the teams and individuals will be disqualified. If any member of the first, second, third, fourth, or fifth place teams qualify to judge in the National Land Judging event at Oklahoma, these same persons shall not participate in any future district, state, interstate, or national FFA soil judging events. Members qualifying for the 2020 National Land Judging event at the 2019 State event arre exempt from this rule.
Any participant who does not provide his/her name and/or correct participant number on a judging card or answer sheet will receive no credit for the specific event site or the test when appropriate identification is omitted.
The state event will be held within a 40 mile radius of Ames.
Participants shall report to the state event chair between 8:00AM and 8:30 AM on event day.
Every FFA advisor must have a vehicle available to provide travel for participants to the state event site and pits.
The official Iowa Soil Judging Score Card, PM 1107 and is available via a free download from the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach website (see resource section for website in the link above on the Rules PDF for the form.)
Teams will be notified in advance as to the common meeting place; however, the exact location of pits shall not be announced until event day.
There will be a FFA advisors' meeting at 8:30 AM
Participants will bring the following items to the Soils event:
Tape measurers, yard stick, or meter stick
Knives for picking face of pit walls
Clean clip boards
pencil (#2 pencils only)
Items provided at each pit will include:
Score cards
Area of put to be judged will be identified with appropriate markers
Water bottle
10% HCL Acid
25 minutes will be the maximum time allowed at each of the four soil puts. A maximum of 30 minutes will be allowed for the written test.
The first event activity will be a 40 multiple choice question test over "Soil Judging in Iowa," PM 1106.
Four soil pit dug to a minimum of four feet will be judged and official placings will be done by a qualified soil scientist and a qualified soil conservationist. Judges will critique each pit following the event.
Land area for judging part III, IV, and V on the score card will be marked by the official judges.
Slop determination:
Stakes will be located on the slope to be judged.
Distance between stakes will be in multiples of 25 feet.
Difference in elevation between the stakes will be inidcated to nearest tenth of a foot at each site.
Participants will calculate percent slop. Calculators will be permitted.