THE HISTORY OF THE NATIONAL LAND AND RANGE JUDGING CONTEST IS NOW PRESERVED AT THE OKLAHOMA HISTORY CENTER

Photograph from the c. 1956 National Land Judging Contest from the collection archived at the Oklahoma Historical Society

Since 1952 Oklahoma has hosted the National Land and Range Judging Contest. The contest welcomes high school students from across the country.  Contestants must first qualify in their home state. The contest consists of three separate events—land judging, range judging and homesite evaluation.  Land judging looks at soil characteristics to determine its quality and capabilities.  Examples include erosion, slope, drainage and permeability. Range judging teaches students how to identify plants, their growth habits and their value to livestock, as well as how to best manage and preserve rangeland to maximize use and minimize negative impacts.  The purpose of homesite judging is to increase awareness of the importance of our soil resources and educate students about the diversity of soils. This event introduces students to the basics of soil assessment and proper management for both ag and urban land uses.

Each year students from between 30 and 40 states are represented in the contest competing in either the FFA or 4-H division.  Nearly 1000 students participate annually.  Since 1988 the Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts (OACD) has been the principal sponsor of the event.  OACD in partnership with the Oklahoma Conservation Historical Society wanted to permanently preserve the 73 years of records and historical information about the contest. So, in March of this year OACD gifted their Land Judging files to the Oklahoma Historical Society to be permanently archived at the Oklahoma History Center and available for the public to access in the future.  The Oklahoma Conservation Historical Society commends OACD for preserving this important part of Oklahoma’s conservation history and the role the National Land and Range Judging contest plays in educating students about conservation and the importance of our soil resources.