NATIONAL LAND & RANGE JUDGING CONTEST APRIL 30 – May 2, 2024 | WINNERS ANNOUNCED

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, May 6, 2024 – The 73rd Annual National Land & Range Judging contest attracted students from across the nation to the Oklahoma City area from April 30th through May 2nd, 2024. There were over 1000 contestants, 194 teams, from 34 states. Teams traveled from an array of states including Washington state, Maryland, New Jersey and Florida. 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 30 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 Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture, Blayne Arthur, NRCS State Conservationist Jeanne Hamilton, and NRCS Chief Terry Cosby (via video address).

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 2nd at the CCEC arena.

Winners :
4-H Homesite Individual – Hunter Tounsend, Barbour County 4-H, West Virginia
4-H Team – Barbour County 4-H, West Virginia
4-H Land Individual – Griffin Hart, Barbour County 4-H, West Virginia
4-H Land Team – Barbour Country 4-H, West Virginia
4-H Range Individual – Emily Zickrick, Haakon / Bennett 4-H, South Dakota
4-H Range Team – Harken / Bennett 4-H, South Dakota
FFA Land Individual – Max Klein, Wessington Springs FFA, South Dakota
FFA Land Team – Blue River Valley FFA, Indiana
FFA Range Individual – Cooper Davis, Glen Rose FFA, Texas
FFA Range Team – Glen Rose FFA, Texas

Complete results of the 2024 National Land & Range Judging Contest as well as photos can be found at www.okconservation.org/nationallandrangejudging

Contact:
For additional information or imagery from the event, please contact Nicol Ragland – 323.791.2536 | nicolragland@okconservation.org