Collegiate Soil Judging

The 2026 National Collegiate Soils Contest took place March 22–27 near Raleigh, NC. Sponsored by the Soil Science Society of America and the American Society of Agronomy, it was the largest national soil judging contest ever conducted with 338 participants and more than 30 volunteers from USDA-NRCS and the Soil Science Society of North Carolina on site to teach students about soils of the southeastern region of the United States. 

The 2025 Northeast Regional (Region 1) Soil Judging Contest was hosted by the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown on October 8–10. With 13 schools participating and 101 student contestants, this was the largest Region 1 Soil Judging Contest in recent memory. See the results and watch a video from contest day!

North Carolina State University hosted the 2025 Southeast Regional (Region 2) Collegiate Soils Contest from October 6–9 in the Raleigh area. A total of 113 students and coaches representing 12 universities competed in the contest. Check out the photos and results. 

The Agronomic Science Foundation (ASF) is funding up to $20,000 annually for three years to support student teams with travel and equipment expenses for regional and national soil judging contests. The first awards are for contests this fall. This initiative not only supports student participation, but also strengthens workforce development by preparing the next generation of soil scientists.

The 2025 National Collegiate Soil Judging Contest (NCSJC) occurred April 27 to May 2, 2025 in Portage County, Wisconsin and was hosted by University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point. It featured 28 teams and more than 250 students and included a welcome reception, a career awareness fair and dinner, and a polka dance and brat fry social.