Bolivar Central FFA Land Judging Team Heads to Nationals
The Bolivar Central FFA land judging team is headed to the national stage. The Hardeman County team placed fifth at the Tennessee State Land Judging Contest in Jackson, earning a trip to the national contest in Oklahoma this spring.
Team members Makayla Graves, Tatum Lanini, Quintarious Douglas and Morgan Graves will represent Bolivar Central at nationals, according to Hatchie Press. Lanini also earned individual honors as the third-highest-scoring contestant in the state.
Bolivar Central FFA results at the state contest
- FFA land judging team: 5th place in Tennessee, advancing to nationals
- Individual: Tatum Lanini, 3rd-highest score in the state
- Hardeman County 4-H team: 11th place in the state
The 4-H team of Ashton Ferge, Annabelle Hubbard, Savannah Voisine and Brett Howell also competed and placed 11th against a strong field.
“Both teams have worked extremely hard to make it to this level and we are proud of all that they have done,” Bolivar Central FFA said in a social media post celebrating the results.
What is land judging?
Land judging is a hands-on agriculture contest built around soil science. Teams visit pits dug in a field and study the soil and the land around them. Contestants judge features such as soil texture, depth, slope, erosion and drainage. Then they decide the best use for the land and what conservation practices it needs.
The contest rewards the kind of knowledge farmers, conservationists and landowners use every day. That makes it a natural fit for FFA and 4-H students in farm country like Hardeman County and nearby North Mississippi.
Hosts and sponsors
The state contest was hosted by the University of Tennessee’s West Tennessee Research and Education Center in Jackson. Bolivar Central FFA thanked Farm Bureau for sponsoring the event and the Natural Resources Conservation Service for planning and preparing the contest.
Next up: nationals in Oklahoma
The four-member FFA team will spend the coming months preparing for the national contest in Oklahoma in the spring, where teams from across the country compete. A national date and location have not been announced by the school.
The trip adds to a strong fall for agriculture students in our region. Earlier this fall, Tippah County 4-H members brought home honors from the Mississippi State Fair livestock shows.
Congratulations to the Bolivar Central FFA and Hardeman County 4-H teams on representing the county well.
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Source: Hatchie Press
