ONO - You may have heard rumors of unusual pits being dug just south of the corner of Highway 10 and County Road CC or seen for yourself the many school buses parked in the alfalfa field of Grange Hall the morning of Oct. 8. Albeit strange looking at first, this affair was part of a long running circuit of soil judging competition.

For the first time in many years Pierce County joined its neighbors Dunn, Pepin and Buffalo counties to offer this opportunity to local students. Soil judging, sometimes also referred to as land judging, is a process where students evaluate four soil pits based on composition, slope, land use etc. and are scored based on how close they come to a soil scientist's evaluation. Not an easy feat, but the procedure showcases the hands-on observation skills soil professionals, agronomists, land use planners, and many more professionals use in their careers.

Pepin-Alma, Arcadia, Ellsworth, Menomonie, and Plum City high schools attended for a total of almost 90 students competing. With a combined top four score of 1,097 Pepin-Alma High School championed the day.

Pierce County Land Conservation would like to congratulate the dedicated students in attendance. Thank you to all the volunteers and teachers who made the day run smoothly and to Fetzer Farms for hosting.

Results

Team #1 – Pepin-Alma

Garret Krause – 292

Max Carothers – 273

Eli Krause – 271

Gavin Weaver – 251

Total team score – 1,096

Team #2 – Menomonie

Trent Quilling – 283

Summer Hagen – 280

Rayma Figi – 264

Lily Green – 244

Total team score – 1,071

Team #3 – Arcadia

Alec Grulkowski – 269

Derek Tamke – 257

Shaylah Rodriguez – 256

Kayla Grulkowski – 240

Total team score – 1,022

Team #4 – Ellsworth (tied)

James – 242

Nathan Augustine – 240

Marshall Funk – 233

August Benoy – 226

Total team score – 941

Team #4 – Plum City (tied)

Kaden McMurray – 241

Brett Kopp – 235

Maddey Kopp – 235

Riley Bechel – 230

Total team score – 941

Submitted by Pierce County Land Conservation