Special Notes
Possible Mechanical Treatments

     This column cannot be specific in all cases. It is the job of the contestants to pick out the treatments that apply. For example, a field can be found that would need no mechanical treatment for the most intensive use. Therefore, practice 20 would be shown. A similar field in soil, slope, and erosion could be covered with undesirable brush and trees and would need practice 14. Should a field also be gullied, practices 14 and 19 would be used. Depending on soil, slope, cover, erosion, and most intensive use, practices 14, 15, 16, or 15 and 16 could be the correct answer. 
     Class I land in grass or cultivation would require practice 20. The same class of land covered by brush and trees would require practice 14. In other words, any field will need to have one or more of the possible mechanical practices checked that are shown under the heading "Mechanical" on the scorecard.

Other Factors

     "Other factors" shown on the condition sheet will be a key to treatment needs. These treatments are not shown under mechanical treatments, but have been discussed elsewhere in this booklet. When conditions warrant, these will be noted on the condition sheet along with other given information. The contestant will need to check the appropriate condition on the scorecard.

All explanations given in this booklet are for teaching and understanding.Because of the possibility of overlooking a difference between the narratives and the tables, the tables will be the final word in contest situations.

Setting Up and Holding a Land Judging Contest
Plan 
     The coordinator or chairman needs to set up a meeting of interested leaders and agencies. Determine who can help and make assignments. As soon as the contest date is set, leaders should select judges, helpers, and graders. In planning, consider the number of teams, divisions, and number of individuals that will participate. A team consists of three or four contestants, with the three high scores tabulated as the official team score. 

Site Selection
     Locate a farm where different conditions can be found to judge. Secure permission from the owner to use the area. Select four sites, dig pits, and prepare an official scoring key for each site, before the contest. This will insure that graders can score the contest in the shortest possible time. 

Preparing Field Sites
     Each site should have colored flags to indicate field boundaries of the area to be judged. The fields should be a minimum of 100 feet x 100 feet in size, but it does not necessarily have to be square. Two well-marked stakes should be placed 100 feet apart for contestants to use to determine slope. These should be the same distance above the ground and as much as possible with the normal slope of the land. A hole or trench must be dug to expose the depth of the soil profile. It is best to use string to mark off an area in the trench as an "off limits area" that contestants use only to determine topsoil thickness and soil depth. Representative topsoil and subsoil samples should be available in boxes and appropriately marked. If the soil is very dry, a water bottle should be available to moisten soil samples. 

Site Card
     This card provides the contestant with all necessary information to judge the site. It should be prepared in advance and placed at the site before the contest. Include the field number, thickness of original topsoil, soil test data, and any other factors on the card.

Conducting the Contest
      Register teams by using consecutive numbers, and team members by using 1,2,3,4. Have sets of land judging cards prepared ahead of time if a large number of contestants are expected. When the contest begins, #1 contestant will go to site 1, #2 to site 2, #3 to site 3, and #4 to site 4. Allow 15 to 20 minutes to judge each site. Additional time will be required if homesite evaluation is also being judged. Use a signal to start and stop the judging at each site. Each group then moves to the next site. Group 1 goes to site 2, Group 2 to site 3, Group 3 to site 4, and Group 4 to site 1. Sites do not always have to be arranged to fit this sequence. When using the computerized card, collecting of card is done when the contestant completes the last site. Have someone designated to pick up the cards and take them to the graders. This procedure allows groups of 20 to 40 people to move without confusion. 

General Contest Rules

     1. No talking, comparing, or copying of cards.
     2. Clear plastic clipboards are allowed.
     3. No water bottles. Water to moisten soil will be provided as needed.
     4. No bubble vile, tape measure, or other measuring devices are allowed.
     5. Contestants can have the following pieces of equipment:
        a. soft lead writing pencil with a good eraser.
        b. knife or nail.
        c. towel or rag.
        d. contest cards.
     6. The land judging handbook shall be used to resolve contest differences and should be used in setting up and conducting all contests.
     7. Decisions of the judges will be FINAL!

Scoring and Grading
     Categories on the scorecard carry varying values depending on the judges evaluation of its relative importance. The total points possible on each site are 75 with 45 points from Part I and 30 points from Part II. See the following example. In Part I, items have only one correct answer, except "Major Factors" must have all appropriate blocks checked to get credit for the answer. In Part II, the applicable vegetative, mechanical, and fertilizer practices are checked according to the judgment of the contestant and other given factors. No partial credit is awarded.
     Use a master sheet to simplify the entry of individual scores by listing team members vertically and sites horizontally on the sheet. Circle the low total score for elimination. Team scores can then be added up quickly.
     In the case of a tie in the team score, first use the score of the 4th individual. If one team has only three members, the team with the 4th member is the winner. If a tie still exists, use the scores from Site 1, then use Site 2, Site 3, and Site 4 and the team with the first largest score can be declared the winner. If this does not break the tie, the score from Part I, then Part II of Site 1, Site 2, Site 3, and Site 4 can be used. If this procedure fails, all team names with tied scores can be placed in a hat and drawn for placings. This same procedure can be used to break individual tied scores.
 
 
 

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