Professional Documents
Culture Documents
FFA CDE
Linsey Fowler
Contest Review
An entry consists of four participants
Four fields to be judged
Additional information provided at
each pit
Twenty minutes per field
70 points possible per field
(40 Part 1 & 30 Part 2)
General Information
A pit will be excavated inside a staked
area
Marked by four stakes flagged in white
Two additional slope stakes flagged in red and
located 100 ft apart will be positioned inside
the area to be judged.
Topsoil and subsoil samples will be made
available for texture and permeability
judgments.
Part 1
Surface Texture
Three classes:
Sandy
Loamy
Clayey
These classes
have been further
subdivided to into 5
classes:
Coarse
Moderately Coarse
Medium
Moderately Fine
Fine
Surface Texture
CDE Textures
Textures
USDA
Surface Texture
Soil Permeability
Concerns water and air movement in
the soil
Based upon structure, texture,
cracking and other features
Sub-soil is usually the limiting layer
Rapid
Moderate
Slow
Very Slow
Depth of Soil
Determined by the total
thickness of soil layers
readily penetrated by plant
roots
Deep Soils: > 40 inches
deep
Moderately Deep Soils:
20 - 40 inches deep
Shallow Soils: 10 - 20
inches deep
Very Shallow Soils: < 10
inches deep
Slope
The number of feet
fall per 100 feet
-
Nearly Level
Gently Sloping
Moderately Sloping
Strongly Sloping
Steep
Very Steep
Erosion
The removal of soil by water and
wind
- None to Slight
- Moderate
- Severe
- Very Severe
Surface Runoff
Rapid: Surface water flows away rapidly
Moderate: Considered as normal runoff from
soils with slopes of 1 to 3%
Slow: Surface water flows away slowly
Very Slow: Primarily includes soil having rapid
permeability, but soil having moderate, slow or
very slow permeability and slopes closely
approaching zero percent may also be
included in this category
Capability Classes
Eight land capability classes are
recognized
Classes I-III have the fewest restrictions
on use
Classes IV-VIII are most heavily restricted
Combination of Factors
Occasionally, individual factors may
combine to warrant a higher capability
class
Combinations are given on page 8 of
the CDE rulebook
Part 2
Treatments
Treatments should be selected by
considering soil characteristics,
vegetative conditions inside the
staked area (presence or absence of
brush), and information presented on
an additional information sheet
Vegetation, Mechanical,
Fertilizer & Soil Amendments
For Croplands
For Pasture, Range, Wildlife, or
Commercial Woodland
Control brush, terrace, drainage system,
gullies, etc.
Apply lime, phosphate, potash, nitrogen
Invitational Contests
Tarleton State University (March)
Sul Ross State (April)
Clarendon College Judging Contests
Dublin NRCS Land & Range Contest
(March)
Contests Continued
Area Contests:
-