The University of Nebraska–Lincoln Crops Judging Team placed fifth in the nation at the annual North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture Crops Judging Contest held April 22–25 and hosted by Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois. Team member Gabrielle Clifton placed eighth individually.
The team competed in the four-year division against 16 other universities from across the country. Team members included Maddie Weber, a senior agronomy and agricultural leadership, education and communication major; Gabrielle Clifton, an agronomy major with a minor in grassland ecology and management; Ryan Groff, a sophomore agricultural economics major; and junior agronomy majors Abby Frank, Clinton Turnbull, Alex Banzhaf and Xavier Ettwein. The team is coached by Garrett Kuss, a plant biology alumnus and graduate student in the Doctor of Plant Health program.
Gabrielle Clifton (left) and Xavier Ettwein (third from left) compete in the Lab Practical portion of the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture Crops Judging Contest April 25 at Illinois State University. Clifton placed eighth overall individually.
In addition to competing, the team spent time during the week visiting with agriculturalists, producers and manufacturers in the area. They began their trip with a visit to Hungry World Farm, an organization focused on regenerative agriculture and education for people who want to better understand where their food comes from. Manager Sam Ingersoll gave students a tour of the diversified farm, including multispecies rotational grazing of cattle, sheep and chickens; permaculture crops such as pawpaw, raspberries and wine grapes; and fungiculture, cultivation of mushrooms.
During the visit, Ingersoll shared that it would not be his generation that would fix today’s issues, but instead be up to the students and their peers to think differently and develop new systems to make farming more sustainable and better serve the communities they find themselves in. His message challenged students to see themselves not only as future agricultural professionals but also as problem-solvers.
Abby Frank competes in the Crop and Weed Plant and Seed Identification section of the contest.
The team also visited Precision Planting’s state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Morton, Illinois. Opening in 2024, the 510,000-square-foot facility gave students an inside look at how agricultural technology is designed and produced. Brittany Durdle, a University of Nebraska–Lincoln alumna, walked students through the process Precision Planting follows to create highly precise equipment that helps farmers improve efficiency and yields. Students were also given a demonstration of the company’s new Radicle Lab, a fully automated soil laboratory designed to provide farmers with fast, accurate soil health analysis without relying on storage, shipping and off-site lab testing that can lead to soil degradation and give inaccurate results.
The team toured Precision Planting’s state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Morton, Illinois.
Finally, the group met with Chef Ken Myszka, founder and specialty crop farmer of Epiphany Farms. After earning his bachelor’s degree in hospitality management from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and working in the elite kitchens of renowned Las Vegas hotels, Myszka returned to his home in the Normal, Illinois, area with a goal of bringing elevated cuisine to the community in a more connected, sustainable way.
Epiphany Farms grows more than 500 varieties of vegetables, raises heritage livestock and manages vineyards across 70 acres. Myszka believes that if people are going to eat healthier, food needs to be accessible, affordable and produced locally. During the tour, he showed students how he rotates fields with different crops throughout the year and incorporates livestock to support soil fertility and pest management.
After touring the farm, the team visited one of the restaurants in town that sources ingredients from Epiphany Farms. Their waitress, who also works at the farm during harvest, treated the team to samples of menu items featuring ingredients grown on the farm. This experience allowed students to see the full farm-to-table system in action and better understand how agriculture, sustainability, hospitality and business can work together.
Coach Kuss believes that through both competition and industry tours, the Crops Judging Team gives students the opportunity to apply classroom knowledge, meet agricultural professionals, explore career paths and build connections with their student peers across the country. For students interested in agronomy, food systems, agricultural technology or professional development, the team provides a valuable way to learn, travel and grow beyond the classroom.
Nebraska students and incoming freshmen are encouraged to contact Kuss for more information. The team meets once a week in the fall and twice a week in the spring during competition season.
