The Orange and Osceola Soil and Water Conservation Districts are pleased to announce their 26th Annual Land Judging Contest, scheduled to be held at Magnolia Park on Thursday, November 19, 2009. The Land Judging Contest is an in-the-field educational event where middle and high school students work together in teams of four answering questions about soil characteristics, soil types, and conservation practices in agriculture. We would like to encourage all FFA/4-H members to participate in this great opportunity to compete at the county, state, and even national level. As in past years, middle school students will have a competition of their own, and awards will be presented to the first place team and the highest scoring individual in each division. In addition, qualifying teams will go on to compete in Florida’s State Land Judging Contest, which is scheduled to be hosted by Lake County SWCD in Paisley, Florida on March 26, 2010.

The Land Judging Contest emphasizes problem-solving skills and team-work, as well as land management and environmental concerns. Should you decide to enter our contest, please submit a registration form (available on this website) via mail, fax, or e-mail no later than Monday, November 9, 2009.

We will be meeting for the contest in the parking lot next to the Lake Apopka overlook at Magnolia Park. The contest will last from approximately 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. and lunch will be provided immediately afterward.

Please feel free to contact us should you have any questions. Study materials can be found on the University of Florida IFAS Extension website, http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu   Upon entering land judging in the search box, you will find CIR 242, Land Judging and Homesite Evaluation in Florida in PDF form to download. We look forward to your entry and hope to see you in November.