1. Land Judging
FFA CDE

2. Contest Review An entry consists of four participants
Four fields to be judged
Additional information provided at each pit

3. 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.

4. 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

5. Surface Texture
CDE Textures USDA Textures

6. Surface Texture

7. 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

8. Depth of Soil
Determined by the total thickness of soil layers readily penetrated by plant roots
Deep Soils: > 40 inches deep
Moderately Deep Soils: inches deep
Shallow Soils: inches deep
Very Shallow Soils: < 10 inches deep

9. Slope The number of feet fall per 100 feet Nearly Level Gently Sloping
Moderately Sloping
Strongly Sloping
Steep
Very Steep

10. Erosion The removal of soil by water and wind None to Slight Moderate
Severe
Very Severe

11. 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

12. Capability Classes Eight land capability classes are recognized
Classes I-III have the fewest restrictions on use
Classes IV-VIII are most heavily restricted

13. Combination of Factors
Occasionally, individual factors may combine to warrant a higher capability class

14. 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”

15. 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

16. Additional Information