By Vernon Robison
Moapa Valley Progress
It’s crunch time for the Moapa Valley High School FFA Soils Judging team. The team is planning to attend the Soils Judging National Competition on May 2 in Oklahoma City and is in the final stages of earning a total of $3,000 to get there. In the final days before the trip, team members have been searching all over town for sponsors and fundraising work opportunities.
The team; which consists of members Brooklynn Shotwell, Brianna Davis, Darci Davis, Kaley Sproul, Klint Cardinal and Trista Palmasano; competed and won the Nevada state soils judging contest held in Lund last September. The State win qualified the team to compete in Nationals in Oklahoma City next week.
This isn’t the first time that the local Soils Judging team has gone to Nationals, said team member Brooklynn Shotwell. Two years ago, the team went to Nationals and won the contest for the Western Region which is everything west of Texas, Shotwell said.
Now Shotwell is setting her sites high for this year’s Nationals. “This year is my senior year and I’m hoping we take home something really big,” she said.
Soils Judging is a complicated practice of examining the soil from a series of 72 inch deep pits. The soils are evaluated for content, texture, slope and other criteria. Then determinations are made on best uses for the ground; whether it be for building a home, used for farm land or other uses.
The local team has been practicing diligently using different patches of ground here in Moapa Valley. The group has also travelled to Cedar City, Utah over the past year to do some practice with soils in other areas. But team members recognize that judging unfamiliar soils in far away Oklahoma will pose a significant challenge.
“We plan to go to Oklahoma a day or so early so that we can get some practice,” Shotwell said.
To raise money for the trip, team members have been doing various work projects for people in Moapa Valley. They have also sought business sponsors to help them on their way.
A special fundraising event will be held on Thursday, April 28 at Sugar’s Restaurant from 2-9 p.m.. Sugar’s Restaurant owner, Judy Metz, has pledged 15% of the proceeds at the restaurant during those hours to help the team. FFA Team members will be at the restaurant to help with waiting tables and serving customers.
Metz said that she was planning on having some dinner specials just for the event. “We hope that we can fill the place up that night to help these kids get to their Nationals,” Metz said.
Sponsors of the team will be listed on a special T-shirt which will be worn by the team at the competition and in the communeity afterwards. Those wishing to help in the fundraising efforts can call FFA teacher Craig Wolfley at 376-2083 .
