1. FFA Land Judging Using the 2005 Scorecard and Guidebook
Terence H. Cooper
Dept. of Soil, Water, & Climate
University of Minnesota, St. Paul

2. Soil - the essence of life
Darkle, darkle, little grain, I wonder how you entertain a thousand creatures microscopic.
Grains like you from pole to tropic support land life upon this planet. I marvel at you, crumb of granite! (Hole, 1989)

3. Part 1 & 2 Surface Soil & Subsoil
Describing the Soil Profile
Horizon Depth
Soil Color
Soil Texture
Gravel and Rocks

7. Thickness Clarion A = 18 in. Nebish A = 3 in Subsoil = 54-18= 36 in

8. Surface Soil Color – Munsell Color Charts
Light
Medium
Dark

9. Color Clarion A = 10yr 2/1 = Very Dark Nebish A = 10yr 3/1 = Very Dark
Subsoil for both = Bright or no mottles or gray colors present.

10. Texture & Gravel Clarion A = Loam = Medium
Clarion Subsoil = clay loam = fine
Nebish A = sandy loam = moderately coarse
Nebish Subsoil = sandy clay loam = fine
None to few = gravel in all parts of soil.

11. Gravel Determination
2mm sieve
< 15%
15-34%
35-59%
> 59%

12. Terrace
Floodplain

13. 0-2% slope
2-6 %
6-12 %
12-18%
0-2% -flooding or rocks
18-30 %
30-60%
> 60%

14. Interpretations of Soil Features; 6A - E
Residual - Soil formed from Bedrock. In Minnesota mainly only the following:
Sandstone
Limestone
Basalt
Granite

15. Type of Material that limits rooting Depth- 6A

16. Parent Materials -6B

17. Depth of Soil favorable for roots – 6C

18. Air and Water Movement – 6D
Coarse texture
Medium or moderately coarse texture
Fine texture
Very fine texture

19. Available Water Capacity – 6E - (1-3)
AWC = Clarion 0-18 = loam = .2”/in /in soil= 3.6” H2O
Subsoil = 36 = CL = .2”/in/in soil = 7.2” H2O
C horizon = 6 sandy loam = .15”/in/in soil = .9” H20
Total = = 11.7” H2O = High

20. Internal Drainage – 6E-4

21. Well Drained Moderately Well
Somewhat Poorly
Poorly Drained

22. Amount and Kind of Erosion -7
A = original soil depth
Texture = fine or coarse
> 2 inches
> 1” loss of original depth
Orginal Surface soil depth- Clarion = 23” & currenlty=18 or 5 inches lost = erosion present

23. Need for Erosion Control -8 A & B
None
Sod Cover, Conservation Tillage
Contour, Strip Crop & Conservation Tillage
Grass Waterway and Gully Control.

24. Erosion Control - 8

25. Poorly Drained
Somewhat Poorly Drained
Both will need tile drainage.

26. Crop to be planted = small grains- past crop soybeans – use Table 5
P-test = 21 lbs/acre, K – test = 136 lbs/acre, no manure
Subsoil K = low and Subsoil P = low
SMP BUFFER = 5.9-Area 1- Soil Texture = loam
Corn yield goal = 120
Fertilizer = ?
N = 40
P = 20
K = 70
Lime = 7.5 tons/acre- from lime table

27. New Crop = corn – after soybeans.
P-test = 21 lbs/acre, K – test = 136 lbs/acre, no manure
Subsoil K = low and Subsoil P = low Yield Goal = 130
Fertilizer = ?
N = 90 – or choose 100 as the closest answer.
P = 60
K = 80
Lime = 7.5

28. Land Use Limitations -11 Use for Dwellings Use for Septic Tank
absorption fields
Part 11 - Land use Limitations
Use for farm lagoons
and holding basins

29. Features for dwellings
Clarion Soil

30. Septic Tanks – Lester Soil

31. Suitability for Farm Lagoons – Clarion Soil

33. Questions ?