4/17/97

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

ISU STUDENTS TAKE SECOND PLACE IN SOIL JUDGING CONTEST

AMES, Iowa -- A student team representing Iowa State University took second place in the American Society of Agronomy national soil judging contest near Athens, Georgia. Sixteen university teams competed March 28-April 4, hosted by the University of Georgia.

The six-member team included Devin Helming, Schaller; Chad Ihde, Elkader; Suzanne Loadholt, Adel; DeAnn Ricks, Lake City; Luke Holly, Granville, Ill.; and Kelli Lotz, Independence. Ihde placed fifth out of 64 in the individual competition. The team was coached by Jon Sandor, professor of agronomy, and Mike Konen, a graduate student in agronomy.

Sandor said the contest was made particularly challenging by intense rainfall. "The students are to be commended for persevering during the adverse weather," he said.

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.

Sandor said the ISU students found southern agriculture very interesting. "They could really appreciate the fertility of Iowa's dark, organic-rich soils after the Georgia red clay," he said.

News Releases Agriculture in Action Ag Online Communications Skills Home