-Submitted from FFA
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, May 2, 2024- Mt Vernon FFA Chapter attended the 73rd Annual
National Land & Range Judging to the Oklahoma City area from April 30th through May 2nd,
2024. Mt Vernon FFA was happy to attend with over 750 other high school students and 194
teams from across the country.
In order to qualify for the event, our Mt Vernon FFA participated
in the Ohio FFA state soil judging last fall. Competing in the contest from Mt Vernon were
Patrick Frazer, Lane Mussard, Galen Ruprecht and Madison Seng. They competed in the
homesite contest.
Teams traveled from an array of states including Washington state, Maryland, New Jersey,
Florida and Hawaii. Beyond the contest, NLRJ is a chance for high school students to explore
continuing education and career opportunities in the field of conservation and soil science. The
event reflected students as well as leaders in the next generation of conservationists. The
celebratory banquet included participants hearing from Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture,
Blayne Arthur, NRCS State Conservationist Jeanne Hamilton, and NRCS Chief Terry Cosby (via
video address).
Mt Vernon FFA competed to demonstrate their skills in judging the adaptability of the land for
various purposes, including farming, range management and home development. Our
members utilize skills in career fields such as environmental and range management, natural
resource conservation, home building and construction.
The Oklahoma Association of Conservation District is proud to host these exceptional young
people from across the country each year. OACD is the primary host of the National Land and
Range Judging Contest with additional sponsorship from 30 sponsors.
In addition, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and its employees play a significant role annually in
the success of the event, as does the Oklahoma Conservation Commission (OCC).
Complete results of the 2024 National Land & Range Judging Contest as well as photos can be
found at https://wwqw.okconservation.org/nationallandrangejuding
