On April 29, 2024, the Bourbon County FFA land judging team flew out to Oklahoma to compete at the 73rd National Land & Range Judging contest for homesites. These members were Sydnie Wells, Case Davis, Bradley Laytart, Dixie Barnett, Cole Nikcoles, and Joseph Sapp led by Tara Poe. These members have spent countless hours practicing and studying since September working towards this competition. All of the members had a great time down in Oklahoma. The National land judging competition was set to give all the teams two days to practice in Oklahoma.

Teams traveled from all across the country from Alaska to Hawaii, and California to Virginia. Over 750 students and 158 teams attended this contest. The contests were held on Thursday followed by a banquet later that night. The Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture, Blayne Arthur, NRCS State Conservationist Jeanne Hamilton, and NRCS Chief Terry Croby spoke at this banquet. The teams competed to demonstrate their skills in judging land capabilities in many fields from farming, range management, and home development. These students utilized skills that are used in career fields such as environmental, range management, Natural resource conservation, home building, and even construction. All members who participated this week put forth their best efforts.

The Bourbon County Homesite team this year was the first ever homesite team in Bourbon County to compete at the national level. This is our first team to compete at the national level for land judging in 20 years. This year’s team placed 19th overall, with only six teams from the East Coast placing in the top 20. Gratitude goes out to all the sponsors who helped make it possible for the team to get to Oklahoma and have this experience. With a special thanks to the Bourbon County Conservation Service for helping with the transportation costs.

The whole team had a wonderful time enjoying multiple attractions while they were in Oklahoma like The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. The team also enjoyed a day at the Crystal Bridge Tropical Conservatory in Oklahoma City, along with many other fun trips and activities. Overall this was a wonderful opportunity for these members and we would like to congratulate them all on their hard work towards this competition.