74th Annual National Land & Range Judging Contest

Oklahoma City

The 74th Annual National Land & Range Judging contest attracted students from across the nation to the Oklahoma City area from April 29th through May 1st, 2025. There were over 1000 contestants, 199 teams, from 39 states. Teams traveled from an array of states including Washington state, Maryland, West Virginia and Hawaii. Beyond the contest, NLRJ is a chance for high school juniors and seniors to explore continuing education and career opportunities in the field of conservation and soil science. The event reflected students as well as leaders of the next generation of conservationists.

The Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts ( OACD ) is the primary host of the National Land and Range Judging Contest with additional sponsorship from 60 sponsors. In addition, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and its employees play a significant role annually in the success of the event, as does the Oklahoma Conservation Commission (OCC). The event reflected students as well as leaders of the next generation of conservationists. The celebratory banquet included participants hearing from Deputy Commissioner from the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, JanLee Rowlett, NRCS State Conservationist Jeanne Jasper, and El Reno Mayor J. Steve Jensen.

The 4H and FFA students match their skills in judging the adaptability of the land for various purposes, including farming, range management and home development. The skills the teens apply at the contest involve principles they can use in career fields such as environmental and range management, natural resource conservation, home building and construction. The event was centered around the Canadian County Expo and Event center in El Reno, Oklahoma. Each year a different farm, ranch, company, organization or agency hosts the contest site on its land near the Oklahoma City metro area. The awards ceremony took place the evening of May 1st at the CCEC arena.

Winners:

4-H Homesite Individual – Luke Horstman, South Dakota White 4H, South Dakota

4-H Team – Shenandoah County 4-H, Virginia

4-H Land Individual – Alex Morales, Tri-County 4-H, Indiana

4-H Land Team – Tri-County 4-H, Indiana

4-H Range Individual – Rosie Abraham, Oliver County 4-H, North Dakota

4-H Range Team – Oliver County 4-H, North Dakota

FFA Land Individual – Tayten Reynolds, National Trail MVCTC FFA, Ohio

FFA Land Team – Tishomingo FFA, Oklahoma

FFA Range Individual – Garrison Johnson, Jacksboro FFA, Texas

FFA Range Team – Jacksboro FFA, Texas

All contest photos are now available at https://okconservation.smugmug.com/

Scores can be viewed at judgingcard.com

Contact:

For additional information or imagery from the event, please contact Taylor Marshall –

918-729-4229 | taylormarshall@okconservation.org