Members from the Marion/Florence FFA Chapter participated in the National Land Judging Contest last week in Oklahoma City.
Members Brett Billings, Brad Klenda, Mark Kukuk and Justin Herzet spent two days practicing, then competed in the rain-soaked contest on Wednesday, May 7.
The Marion team received 47th place in the National Land Judging Contest and 30th in the National Homesite Evaluation Contest.
More than 170 teams from 35 states competed in the contest.
The idea of a land judging contest was invented by three Oklahoma conservationists in 1942. They decided which soil qualities could be judged and developed score cards to test skills.
The idea caught on and Oklahoma City has been hosting the national contest since 1952.
The 4-H and FFA participating teams qualified for the national event by placing among the top five teams at contests held in their home states.
The teams match skills in judging the adaptability of land for various purposes including farming, range management, and homesite construction.
