Agricultural News
Oklahoma Assoc. of Conservation Districts Promotes Soil Health Through Support of Youth Programs
Mon, 08 May 2017 12:45:10 CDT
Last week, the Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts, in conjunction with the Oklahoma Conservation Commission and Natural Resources Conservation Service, hosted the 66th Annual National Land and Range Judging Contest in Oklahoma City. Radio Oklahoma Ag Network Associate Farm Director Carson Horn attended the contest's awards banquet and while there, spoke with OACD President Jimmy Emmons, a wheat and canola farmer from Dewey County, about the organization's involvement as the major sponsor for this year's event. You can listen to their full conversation by clicking or tapping the LISTEN BAR below at the bottom of this story.
"We've been the major sponsor for years and years. It's very important for us to sponsor the youth of agriculture, especially in the land and range judging contest," Emmons said. "It's vital that we protect our land and range as natural resources here in our nation and it's very important that we involve the children and the youth of our country in that."
The nature of this contest is particularly specialized and requires years of practice to develop the skills necessary to compete at this level.
"There's several different aspects that they look at, trying to understand its function - the quality of the soil, what's in the soil, what class of soil that is," he explained, adding that these skills can help contestants later in life depending on the fields they go into, be it farming or even construction, architecture and engineering.
With more than 600 4-H and FFA members from 33 states in attendance, the competition this year was stiff. Oklahoma though proved well represented, with two national winners from our state named including Jamie Steele of the Chickasha, Oklahoma FFA Chapter for high individual in homesite evaluation and Kevin Stacy of South Coffeyville, Oklahoma who won the range judging contest in the adult division.
"It never ceases to amaze me the quality of youth that comes out of ag program - so respectful, so quiet, no joking around, they take it very seriously," Emmons praised. "The competition was very, very tough. A very impressive group."
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