By Courtney Thom
Tarleton State University’s Soil Judging Team competed in Woodward, OK the week of October 16 through 21 at the Region IV Collegiate Soil Judging Competition. Region IV includes the states
Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. Texas, Arkansas, and Oklahoma fielded teams from the Land Grant Institutions and they were challenged by West Texas A&M and the Tarleton State University “Texan Soil Whisperers.” The contest consists of two parts: four individually judged pits and four selected judgers from each university are scored followed by a team pit where all institution members participate work in concert to judge the soil. The Texan Soil Whisper’s ranked 2nd in Team Pit score and 3rd overall winning them a spot at the National Collegiate Soil Judging Competition for the second year in a row. Courtney Thom, a soil judger, said about the contest, “Ranking highly within our region is rewarding; but more prized than any trophy is the knowledge gained and camaraderie fostered among my fellow judgers. Our progression on to Nationals would not be possible without Dr. McGahan’s excellent coaching and the support of Tarleton State University.”
This is the second year the Texan Soil Whisperer’s qualified for National Students of Agronomy, Soil & Environmental Sciences (SASES) which is the undergraduate student organization of the tri-societies American Society of Agronomy (ASA), Crop Science Society of America (CSSA), and Soil Science Society of America (SSSA).