BROOKINGS, S.D. – Caleb Weyh can remember being out in his family’s pasture when he was 5 years old helping to spray thistles. His grandfather, a county conservation officer in Nebraska, helped spark a love of conservation and range management that hasn’t waned.
That background has proven handy for Weyh, who won the Top Hand Award for the Go-Getter age division at the 2023 Rangeland and Soils Days in June. Weyh, who wants to stay on his family’s ranch, said he is excited to keep competing and applying what he learns.
“When you know what you’re looking for, it helps you know what the cattle are going to eat,” Weyh said of the rangeland judging. “I love doing it.”
Weyh, a 17-year-old who attends Waubay High School and participates in Day County 4-H and on Webster’s FFA team, was one of about 75 youth who participated in this year’s Rangeland and Soils Days, held June 14-15 near Watertown. As Top Hand, Weyh received a traveling trophy that will be his for the next year. Weyh also won first place in the 4-H individual judging contest.
The top Go-Getter range 4-H judging team was from Haakon/Bennett County, and included Tara Schofield, Colden Kramer, Ashley Shriver, Emily Zickrick and Sarah Huston. The first place 4-H soils judging team was from Lennox, and included Tyler Strasser, Skyler Plucker, Callie Hammerstrom and Karin Sweeter. Both teams will represent South Dakota at the National Land and Range Judging Contest in May 2024 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
A joint effort between South Dakota State University Extension, the Natural Resources Conservation Service and a local conservation district – this year, the Codington County Conservation District – the annual Rangeland Days and Soils Days give youth ages 8-18 an opportunity to learn about South Dakota’s rangelands and soils through student displays and presentations, field visits, a land and homesite contest and a rangeland contest. There are four 4-H and FFA divisions in the rangeland contest: New Rangers (ages 8-10), Wranglers (ages 11-13), Scouts (ages 14-18) and Go Getters (ages 14-18).
Krista Ehlert, an SDSU Extension Range Specialist and one of the event organizers, said this year had an exceptional turnout, and a higher-than-usual number of students participating in the speech/display portions.
“All students put a lot of effort into their talks and displays, as well as judging – everyone seemed to have a great time,” Ehlert said.
Youth involved in 4-H and FFA ages 14-18 can participate in the Land and Homesite contest to learn more about soils, determining soil texture and type, interpreting soil limiting factors, and determining land capability with management recommendations. The Homesite Evaluation helps students determine suitability of the site for building foundations, lawns and landscaping, septic systems and sewage lagoons.
Ehlert said she and NRCS staff work together to teach the students about rangeland and soils, “why they matter, why we need to protect and conserve them and how the students can be better advocates for agriculture.”
“It takes a tremendous amount of effort and time from NRCS staff on both the range and soils side – without NRCS, we wouldn’t have the event,” Ehlert said.
On the day of the contest, in a lush pasture located about 30 minutes outside of Watertown, flags and markers note the sections youth need to visit and which plants or soils they must identify. It is a timed event. Once they are done, the youth turn in their sheets and wait for the next segment to start.
Jason Burma, agriculture teacher at Sunshine Bible Academy and a contest coach, said the summer event provides invaluable practice for students.
“I think it’s very valuable to be able to come out and do this during the summer where you can see things in different stages,” he said. “It sets us up for the whole year.”
For the soils contest, Burma noted that “everything starts with healthy soil.” On a soil site, participants must be able to rank how ecologically strong the site is. Soils competitors learn how South Dakota is divided into four sections based on soil type/precipitation, and how those sections developed. And the real-world applications extend far beyond agriculture.
“It’s a platform that crosses into other subject areas pretty easily,” Burma said.
Fred Zenk, coach of the Webster FFA and Day County 4-H teams, is in his 35th year of teaching overall and 25th year of teaching agriculture. What looks like different shades of green to the untrained eye are individual plants with unique characteristics to Zenk. He can stroll across a pasture, pluck a plant from the earth and explain what it is and how it fits into the eastern South Dakota landscape.
Smooth brome grass, for instance, is an invader. Scribner’s panic grass, on the other hand, is native to the area. Some plants work well as forage for livestock. Knowing which is which can cut down on supplement costs for producers. And Zenk, who raises cattle as well, noted that cattle are an important part of maintaining healthy, diverse rangelands.
It’s a ready demonstration of the knowledge students are working to absorb. Students must be able to identify plants based on their characteristics, not just their flowers and seeds. They must also be able to note if the plant is native or introduced, perennial or annual, and a warm or cool season variety.
Students also had to judge suitability for prairie grouse. Another section required them to calculate how many cattle could graze in an area based on provided numbers. There is also a section for youth to recommend needed management practices.
“They don’t just identify a problem, but how to fix it,” Zenk said.
For more information on Rangeland and Soils Days, contact Krista Ehlert, SDSU Extension Range Specialist.
Complete list of 2023 Rangeland and Soils Days winners:
RANGELAND CONTEST RESULTS
NEW RANGERS
- 1st place talk – Haven Heber, Wessington Springs
- 1st place display – Harley Heber, Wessington Springs
- 1st place judging – Haven Heber, Wessington Springs
- Top Hand – Vada Enfield, Sanborn County 4-H
WRANGLERS
- 1st place talk – Katy Scott, Spearfish
- 1st place display – Katy Scott, Spearfish
- 1st place plant mounts – Wyatt Lambert, Spink County 4-H
- 1st place judging – Jesse Schoon, Sunshine Bible Academy
- Top Hand – Katy Scott, Spearfish
SCOUTS
- 1st place judging – Darla Barnes, Perkins 4-H
GO-GETTERS
- 1st place display – Bobbi Eide, Gettysburg
- 1st place talk – Bobbi Eide, Gettysburg
- 1st place FFA individual judging – Treyvon Czmowski, Webster FFA
- 1st place 4-H individual judging – Caleb Weyh, Day County 4-H
- Top Hand – Caleb Weyh, Webster
TEAM CONTESTS
- 1st place Go-Getter FFA team – Webster FFA, including Jaidryn Rice, Norah Zubke, Treyvon Czmowski and Blaise McGregor
- 1st place 4-H judging – Haakon/Bennett County 4-H, including Tara Schofield, Colden Kramer, Ashley Shriver, Emily Zickrick and Sarah Huston
SOILS CONTEST RESULTS
- 1st place 4-H soils individual – Karin Sweeter, Lennox 4-H
- 1st place FFA soils individual – Brynlee Kriens, Dell Rapids FFA
TEAM CONTESTS
- 1st place FFA soils judging – Dell Rapids FFA, team including Brynlee Kriens, Haley Rydell and Orran O’Meara
- 1st place 4-H soils judging – Lennox 4-H, team including Tyler Strasser, Skyler Plucker, Callie Hammerstrom and Karin Sweeter