Fran tenBensel Benne | Agronomy and Horticulture
The University of Nebraska–Lincoln Crops Judging Team competed in the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture Collegiate Crops Contest March 6 in Curtis, Nebraska. As a team, the Huskers placed third overall in the four-year division with a score of 1,601 points. Kansas State University placed second with 1,929 and Iowa State University won with 1,962.
Nebraska students who participated included agronomy majors Jared Stander, Katie Steffen, Korbin Kudera and Jacob Vallery. Kudera placed eighth overall, individually, with a score of 467 points out of the possible 600.
Due to COVID, most teams were restricted to four students but the competition was still well attended. Ten teams came from Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Iowa and Wisconsin with around 56 participants competing in the four-part contest. Six of the teams were from four-year colleges, with four teams representing two-year colleges.
Designed to prepare students for a future career in agronomy, the crops judging contest included an agronomic exam, a math exam, a plant and seed identification exam and a lab practical. The agronomic exam covered general agronomic knowledge. The math exam covered mathematical problems related to agronomy. The plant and seed identification exam tested students’ knowledge of 140 crops and weeds species. The lab practical included questions on various agronomy related disciplines such as weed science, entomology and plant pathology.
This contest helps prepare students for their next competition in Hutchinson, Kansas, April 16. This will be the team’s last competition for the season as the national contest has been canceled.
The team is coached by Adam Striegel, a graduate student in the Doctor of Plant Health Program.
