Owen High School agriculture teacher Tim Paseour knows well the impact of seeing Polk County’s FFA team arrive at a competition.

“When I see that Polk bus at any FFA contest I know their team will be prepared and will always have a chance to win,” Paseour said. “It’s just how it is in Polk County.”

The recent 64th Annual North Carolina FFA Association Land Judging Career Development Event proved the wisdom of those words as Polk County qualified for the National Land Judging Finals for the seventh time in the past 11 years.

Polk County’s Senior Team – David Horton, Natalee Davis, Ailey Morlino and Taylor Newton – traveled to the event in Johnston County and swept first-place honors in the federation and Western Region and took fourth in the state senior division. Newton was the individual state runner-up.

The finish means another trip to Oklahoma City next spring for the national finals.

Polk County’s Junior Team – Hunter Lynch, Wyatt Kay, Hope Patterson and Karli Kilgore – placed first in the federation, Western Region and in the state junior division. Karli Kilgore was the highest scoring individual in both the junior and senior divisions.

More than 50 teams took part in the state competition.

This event encourages students in grades 7-12 to analyze land characteristics such as soil type, erosion and drainage to determine the best possible use. Knowledge about soils can be organized and applied in managing farms, fields and woodlands, developing communities as well as engineering work. Students are able to comprehend why soils respond differently to management practices and how soil properties affect crop growth and urban uses as well as environmental concerns.

The top three teams and high scoring individual will be recognized during the 90th North Carolina FFA State Convention in Raleigh on June 19-21, 2018.

This event is one of 43 different career development events offered to North Carolina FFA members on the state level. The Soil Science Society of North Carolina sponsors this event.

If you are interested in helping sponsor the Polk County High School FFA Land Judging Team’s trip to Oklahoma please contact Chauncey Barber at (828) 894-2525 or cbarber@polkschools.org.

– submitted by PolkStudents.com