As Garrett Kuss, a coach for the University of Nebraska–Lincoln Crops Judging Team, guided the university van along Highway 23 in Frontier County, Nebraska, he asked agronomy major Zach Nienhueser how he had correctly answered the most difficult question in the Agronomic Lab section of the recently concluded competition.
“I could tell from the picture of those spray nozzles that they would not give good coverage, so I chose the preemergence herbicide option,” Nienhueser said.
“This is the kind of agronomy thinking that is rewarded in crops judging contests,” said Don Lee, a team coach and professor of agronomy and horticulture.
Nienhueser has competed in crops judging competitions for Northeast Community College in Norfolk and, for the last two years, with the Huskers. He showcased his agronomic prowess at the March 23 contest at Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture in Curtis. The senior took seventh place, and teammate Will Stalder was eighth.
Seven four-year colleges competed in the event. The Huskers finished third behind Kansas State University and Iowa State University, consistently the top two teams in the nation. The Nebraska team included Nienhueser, Stalder, Clinton Turnbull, Maggie Walker, Thayer Jonak, Dan Frey, Logan Nelson and Ashton Boehm.
“I would like to thank NCTA, the two-year ag program within the University of Nebraska school system, for putting on a fantastic event,” Kuss said. “Dr. Bradford Ramsdale, the academic lead of the agronomy program at NCTA, goes above and beyond to provide a rigorous and well-organized competition for both the two-year and four-year program divisions.”
The crops judging team hosts more than 200 students from Nebraska high schools participating in the state FFA Agronomy Career Development Event on April 4.April 4, the team, along with the Agronomy Club, supported agronomy youth by volunteering to create and manage the Agronomy Career Development Event during the Nebraska State FFA convention in Lincoln. Over 200 students from Nebraska high schools participated in the event held on East Campus. Four-person teams competed in soil science, plant, equipment, disease and entomology identification.
The team is already gearing up for their next challenge. On April 18, they will compete at the prestigious North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture National Crops Judging contest in Twin Falls, Idaho, aiming to further solidify their position among the top agronomy teams in the nation.
