10/7/96

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 - A team representing Iowa State University took first place in the American Society of Agronomy Region 5 soil judging contest recently. In addition, seven team members were among the top 10 individuals in the competition.

Matt Schuiteman, Sioux Center, a senior majoring in agronomy, took first place. Cory DeJong, Montezuma, a senior in agronomy, placed second. Jeremy Johannsen, Spencer, a senior in agronomy, placed third. Devin Helming, Schaller, a junior in agricultural systems technology, placed fourth.

Other ISU team members and their ranking include:
Chad Ihde, Elkader, sophomore in agronomy - 6th place
Carissa Cunningham, Madelia, Minn., junior in agronomy - 7th place
Brian Gates, Story City, senior in agronomy - 10th place
Jim O'Brien, Middletown, N.Y., senior in agronomy - 11th place
Allison Klocke, Mason City, senior in agronomy - 12th place
Heath Ellison, Clarinda, senior in agricultural studies - 15th place

The ISU team was coached by Jon Sandor, an associate professor of agronomy, and Mike Konen, a graduate student in agronomy.

The contest was held Sept. 17-20 west of Minneapolis, hosted by the University of Minnesota. 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.

A team from Kansas State University placed second in the contest. The top two teams qualified for the national contest, which will be hosted next spring by the University of Wisconsin.

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