10/23/97

Contacts:
Jon Sandor, Agronomy, 515/294-2209
Susan Anderson, Agriculture Information, 515/294-0705

ISU STUDENTS TAKE FIRST PLACE IN SOIL JUDGING CONTEST

AMES, Iowa -- An Iowa State University student team took first place in the American Society of Agronomy Region 5 soil judging contest. Five Midwest university teams competed in the contest Oct. 6-10, hosted by the University of Nebraska. The first place finish earned the team the right to compete in the national contest at the University of Georgia next spring.

The team members were Devin Helming, Schaller; Luke Holly, Granville, Il.; Chad Ihde, Elkader; Suzanne Loadholt, Adel; Kelli Lotz, Independence; and DeAnn Ricks, Lake City. Ihde placed first in the individual competition and Ricks placed third. The team was coached by Mike Konen, a graduate student in agronomy, and Jon Sandor, professor of agronomy.

The contest area was in north central Nebraska near the Sand Hills region. During the contest, students wrote detailed descriptions of the soil layers, classified the soils, determined the geological characteristics of the site, made topographic and hydrologic measurements and interpreted soil properties for agricultural and engineering land use. In addition to the contest activities, the students toured a 10 million year old paleontological site and heard a presentation on the geological history of Nebraska.

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