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The Polk FFA Chapter participated in the 70th Annual North Carolina FFA Association Land Judging Career Development Event on November 16, 2024, in Robeson County.  The Soil Science Society of North Carolina sponsors this event. 

The Senior Team members include Leah Morton, Essie Mitchell, Porter Langley, and Alex Martin. They claimed 5th place at the event, qualifying them for the National Land and Range Competition held in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, at the end of April. 

The Junior Land Team, which includes Reeve Carroll, Abigail Lewis, and Chloe Emory, was named state runner-up. Lewis was the highest-scoring individual in the state junior division.  

“We always want to win state, but our number one goal is to try to get every kid who participates the chance to go to nationals,” said Agricultural Education Teacher Chauncey Barber. “I’m proud and thankful to have great students and community support. I believe these experiences outside of school give students an advantage down the road in life that cannot be measured by a test. My old agricultural education teacher, Richard Smith, and I look forward to taking this group to nationals. This will be our sixth consecutive group going to nationals and is the longest streak of any high school program in North Carolina.”   

In April 1955, 188 FFA members met on a parcel of land in Harnett County near Dunn, North Carolina, where Interstate 95 was being constructed. It was on this site that the first “Soil Appreciation and Soil Judging School” was held. Sixty-nine years later, hundreds of FFA members from across the state traveled to Robeson County to participate in the year’s 70th annual event.

The 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, and doing engineering work. Students can comprehend why soils respond differently to management practices, how soil properties affect crop growth and urban uses, and environmental concerns.

The top three teams and the highest-scoring individual will be recognized during the North Carolina FFA State Convention in Raleigh on June 24-26, 2025. This event is one of 43 career development events offered to North Carolina FFA members on the state level.  

If interested in helping sponsor the Polk County High School FFA Land Judging Team’s trip to Oklahoma, contact Barber at (828) 817-0528 or cbarber@polkschools.org. 

The North Carolina FFA is a youth organization of 48,241 student members preparing for leadership and careers in the science, business, and technology of agriculture. It has 270 local chapters across the state. Visit www.ncffa.org for more information.