The Houston Aggies placed fifth earlier this month in the annual Mid-America Grassland Evaluation Contest in Springfield.
The group –– consisting of Houston High School students Adale Bradshaw, Wes Monks, Rae Ann Kirkwood, Sierra Keller and under the direction of adviser Van Kirkwood –– tested their individual and team skills against other groups from Arkansas, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia and Missouri. There were 26 teams, consisting of 4-H and FFA, competing for high scoring team and individual awards.
The high school contestants rotated through the four areas of judging: Soil interpretation, plant identification, wildlife habitat and grassland condition. The contestants were given 25 minutes at each of the sites to answer various questions.
Awards were presented to the top five 4-H teams, the top five FFA teams and the overall high scoring team. Individual awards were presented to the top five high scoring individuals in both FFA and 4-H as well as the overall high scoring individual.
The Grassland Evaluation Contest is a joint effort between the Missouri Department of Conservation, University Extension and the Natural Resources Conservation Service. The contest began in Missouri in 1992 with two contests held. Since that time, the contests have grown to include six district contests, using the vocational agriculture districts as boundaries.
In 1995, the first State Grassland Evaluation Contest was held and the top two high scoring teams from each district contest were invited. The contest continued to grow and in 2000, the first Mid-America Grassland Evaluation Contest was held.