B-A agriculture students participate in land judging
Sophomore Trevor Zimmerman grades soil at land judging.
October 13, 2016
In the case of an apocalypse would you be able to find suitable land to build homes? Would you be able to find land to grow your own food?
In a way, that was the question Bellwood-Antis FFA members were trying to answer yesterday.
Vocational agriculture students, led by FFA adviser and Bellwood-Antis vo-ag teacher Mr. Matthew Webreck, participated in the Blair County Conservation District’s land judging contest in Bellwood yesterday.
Land judging is when you survey land to find fertile spots to produce crops and find well leveled land to build new homes.
Those who participated were excited with how they performed. Senior, Tom Whiteford said, “We are hoping to crack the top 20.”
Whiteford said the the contest consists of students examining holes in the ground dug by representatives from the Blair County Conservation District. Then, the night before the contest, agriculture teachers from participating schools visit the site to grade out the soil.
“We go into a pit to judge how well a crop could grow there,” said senior Abie Boutiller
However, the contest is not just for students that want to become a farmers. As they grow older, it will help students in the long run with knowing some things about the earth itself.
“It helps someone who is going into agriculture, because its hands on. You learn about soil and what can thrive there, even if you’re not going into agriculture it helps with building a new house and determining what land would be suitable,” said Tom.
