Crops Judging contest

30 stations worth 2 points each (60 pts). 

Each station will have photographs or samples of crop pr weed plants, plant parts, growth stages, field problems, nutrient deficiencies, herbicide injury symptoms, fertilizers, pesticides, seed samples, pesticide labels, seed bags, data tables, equipment, insects, diseases, etc.

Questions may require identification, interpretation, calculation, or evaluation of the display material to answer correctly. 

These stations represent common activities in laboratory classes, including crop scouting, investigating agronomic production problems, or field trips in crop production/soil management courses. For example, contestants may have to: 

• Identify common crop diseases and symptoms (see attached list, to be provided during contest)
• Identify common crop insects and damage (see attached list, to be provided during contest)
• Identify/describe common crop production and soil management practices from photos, illustrations, or displays.
• Evaluate various crop production or soil health problems from photos, illustrations, or displays.
• Identify specific plant and seed structures, crop growth stages, or developmental characteristics on plant samples or photos.
• Recognize common nutrient deficiency symptoms (N, P, K, S, Fe) on both dicot and grass crops.
• Recognize common herbicide injury symptoms on weeds and crops.
• Read/interpret information from a commercial seed bag (germination, purity, seed size, noxious weeds, variety or hybrid identification, genetically modified traits, refuge requirements, seed treatments applied, recommended seeding rates, planter adjustments, recognize classes of pedigreed seed from standard color of tags, etc.).
• Interpret information on insecticide, fungicide, or herbicide label, including composition of active ingredients, common/chemical names, formulation, agricultural use requirements, precautionary statements, environmental restrictions, and recommended rates/application requirements for use on specific crops and/or soils.
• Describe common fertilizer carriers (major nutrient supplied, typical analysis, common name) and interpret information on a fertilizer bag.
• Recognize common pesticide formulations and standard abbreviations.
• Determine proper sprayer nozzle tip size and type, screens, pressure, etc for pesticide applications.
• Identify and explain the purpose of items such as agricultural lime, inoculum, seed treatments, soil amendments, etc.
• Use a soil textural triangle to name soil textural class.
• Determine soil texture by feel, distinguish between types of soil structure, relate soil color to properties.
• Interpret information found in soil test report.
• Identify stored/processed crop products and common livestock feed crop ingredients (silage type, hay type, alfalfa pellets/cines, soybean meal, cottonseed meal/hulls, wheat bran, corn meal, beet pulp, dried distillers’ grains, flaked or ground grains, etc.).
• Match various food and/or industrial products with the crops (or classes) from which they are made.
• Evaluate crop quality by ranking two or more samples of hay, silage, seed, cotton. Give typical levels for quality factors in grain/forage crops (protein content, oil content, etc.).
• Write commercial grade and determining factors for market grain samples given quality factors and official FGIS grain standard tables.
• Interpret data from tables or graphs (i.e. analyze a variety trial based on LSD mean comparison statistic, select proper spray nozzle tip for given conditions from manufacturer’s spraying equipment manual, read a calibration nomograph for a sprayer or planter, interpret crop yield response to different input levels, determine economic threshold from pest counts vs yield response)

30 specimens worth 2 points each (60 pts).

Plants and seeds will be identified by common name as given on the official identification list provided to each contestant. 

• Crop and weed plants will be shown either fresh or as dried and pressed samples.
• Crop and weed identification materials will be selected from the official identification list. Items are marked with a (p) for plants that may be shown in the flowering to mature plant stage, (v) for plants that may be shown in the vegetative stage, and (s) if seed identification is required.
• The final group of plants on the list (“Additional Plants”) will be selected by the contest sub-committee chair and members and may be used for other parts of the contest. A maximum of 10 plants will be added to the list.
• Sample specimens may not be moved. Live plants may be touched carefully to aid in identification but must not be damaged by contestant or disqualification may result. Dried plant specimens cannot be touched. Seeds may be rearranged in their place but may not be removed from containers.

This section will focus on solving mathematical problems related to agronomic scenarios.  Critical information will be given in the problem or obtained from materials provided such as soil test reports, seed tags, crop consultant reports, hybrid/variety descriptions, previous crop production or input application history, yield maps, grid soil sample maps or remotely sensed data maps, temperature or precipitation data, etc. Required conversion factors may be given, except for commonly known conversion factors, concentrations, or formulas.  

Possible types of problems are listed below:

• Area conversion calculations (Estimate per acre yield from harvest strips or small plots; Calculate areas and yields from irregularly shaped fields; Area covered and time required for given capacity and delivery rate of fertilizer/chemical applicator; Time to complete tillage/harvest operation given area of field, width of equipment, and speed of travel; Obtaining material and cost estimates for inputs for a given field size; Converting units involving area to corresponding metric units, etc.)
• Pesticide application (Calibrate broadcast or band application given number of nozzles, nozzle spacing, output from one or more nozzles, and distance traveled or intended speed of travel; Find amount of chemical formulation to add to a spray tank to meet product or active ingredient label recommendations given tank size and delivery rate; Calculate costs of pesticide application, etc.)
• Fertilizer/lime application (Spreader calibration given amount delivered in a distance traveled or by turning the drive wheel; Fertilizer application rates given carrier analysis and recommended rates in elemental or oxide form or replacement of nutrients removed by the crop; Prepare bulk blends from given rates and available carriers; Calculate costs of fertilizer/lime application; Compare costs of different fertilizers/lime sources)
• Seeding/Planting (Calibration of row planter or grain drill given quantity of seed delivered in a set distance traveled or by turning the drive wheel a certain number of revolutions; Seeding rates, plant population, and percent seed emergence calculations; Calculating PLS and adjusting seeding rates and comparing costs based on PLS)
• Volume calculations (tank capacity, storage volume for hay, grain bin, or silo); Unit conversions (English to metric and vice versa); Concentration conversions (ppm, %)
• Harvest (estimating yields, harvest losses, harvest speed, area covered, harvest efficiency)
• Irrigation (application rate for given GPM and area covered, time to irrigate a given field; convert gallons to acre-inches)
• Tillage and field operations (time required, field efficiency, cost per acre, labor and fuel costs)
• Pasture carrying capacity (stocking rates based on animal units)
• Soil erosion loss equation
• Soil physical properties (bulk density, % soil moisture - gravimetric vs volumetric, water retention in soil profile - available vs total)
• Plant breeding (heritability, % homozygosity, expected genotypic and phenotypic ratios from a cross)
• Water usage (day, season, species)
• Weed competition (seeds/acre, yield loss, spread of resistant weed seed)
• Yield determination and adjustment for % moisture
• Forage quality (protein content, NDF, ADF, TDN, relative feed value)
• Livestock rations (combining forages, grains, and supplements to target protein levels - Pierson square)
• Heat units/growing degree days using models for different crops

Team

•  1st Place: Kansas State Crop Cats

Individuals 

• 1st Place: Quinten Bina, Kansas State University
• 2nd Place: Landon Albrecht, Kansas State University
• 3rd Place: Ashlynn Hartman, Kansas State University
• 4th Place: Abe Dieleman, Iowa State University
• 5th Place: Brandon Boyd, University of Wisconsin-Madison
• 6th Place: Benton Kerr, Kansas State University

Team

•  1st Place: Badger Crops Club, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Individuals 

• 1st Place: Rianne Wagner, University of Wisconsin-Madison
• 2nd Place: Cade Halbrook, Oklahoma State University
• 3rd Place: Derek Gehin, University of Wisconsin-Madison
• 4th Place: Jason Emsweller, Purdue University
• 5th Place: Carissa Sohm, Kansas State University
• 6th Place: Lakin Giager, Kansas State University

Team

•  1st Place: Wheat State Agronomy Club, Kansas State University

Individuals 

• 1st Place: Jake Roden, University of Wisconsin-Madison
• 2nd Place: Landon Trout, Kansas State University
• 3rd Place: Grand DeBruin, Ohio State University
• 4th Place: Ike Bahr, Kansas State University
• 5th Place: Ashley Chandler, Kansas State University
• 6th Place: Daniel Zhu, University of Wisconsin-Madison