National Soil Judging Competition 2024

The Colorado State University Soil Judging Team will participate in the National Collegiate Soil Judging Competition (NCSJC)! The competition is being hosted by Iowa State University, and we are bringing this news to you to ask for your support to assist with travel expenses for the team. The NCSJC is an integral component in the intellectual growth of our team and provides an opportunity for members to hone their skills. It also allows us to network with professionals of various earth sciences as well as compete with students from 20 other universities. Our team is representing Region 7, which includes all universities located in Colorado, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, and Montana.

Soil judging is an educational experience that allows undergraduate students to competitively evaluate physical properties of a soil and interpret these evaluations into recommendations for land use. For students studying soils, soil judging is an exciting way to gain valuable hands-on experience evaluating soils in the field, which is essential for any successful soil scientist, land manager, or agronomist. Participating in soil judging leads to enthusiastic students with a developed understanding of the intricacies of soils and personal experiences to continue to motivate their efforts in soil-related fields.

With our land-grant heritage as a guide, Colorado State University has a long tradition of agricultural and conservation education and research. Educating young soil scientists through hands-on field and research experiences has been at the forefront of these endeavors. Soil judging embodies this mission to the fullest extent.

We could not be more excited to participate in this year's National Collegiate Soils Contest in Ames, Iowa in April. We have already begun budgeting and planning for the trip, but as our team grows, funding can be tricky. 

All gifts to this project will benefit the Soil Judging Team fund at CSU. The opportunity to experience this competition goes beyond just education; is a life experience worth supporting. We kindly ask for your financial support in sending our team to Iowa. We greatly appreciate any donation and look forward to representing you and Colorado State University at the national competition this April!

Faculty Member and Coaches: Dr. Suellen Melzer and Dylan Casey

Assistant Coaches: Adam Norris; John Blackwell; Ian O'Banion

Team Members:

Bee Bott; Soil and Crop Sciences 

Lauryn Daniel; Soil and Crop Sciences 

Lucas Lenoch; Soil and Crop Sciences 

Michael Ryan; Soil and Crop Sciences 

Mireya Ortega; Soil and Crop Sciences 

Sydney Holpp; Soil and Crop Sciences 

Caleb Clancy; Soil and Crop Sciences

Nicole Murray; Soil and Crop Sciences