1. Land Career Development Event
Elba High School FFA Chapter

2. Fill Out Card
Your Name
Elba High
Coffee

3. Part 1 – Land Class Factors
Surface Texture
Course = gritty, individual grains
can be felt (SAND) .
Sand
Silt
Clay 1 1 1

4. Surface Texture (cont…)
Medium = slightly gritty feel or a
soft smooth feel like powder (Silt) . . 1 1 1

5. Surface Texture (cont…)
Fine = fine texture forms very hard
clots when dry and is plastic when
moist, forms 1” ribbon (Clay). . 1 1 1

6. . B. Permeability Very Slow – fine subsoil very
plastic and sticky (Clay) has few
small pores which water and air
move. . 4 2 1 3

7. B. Permeability (cont…)
Slow – medium or fine subsoil that
is slightly sticky and firm when
wet and crack into hard fragments
when dry, has moderate small
pores which water and air move. . 4 2 1 3

8. B. Permeability (cont…)
Moderate – medium textured
subsoil, slightly sticky when wet
and is crushed with moderate
pressure, has large number of
fine and medium pores which
water and air move. . 1

9. B. Permeability (cont…)
Rapid – has coarse texture, sandy
gravelly, or stony, very friable
moist, and single grained when
dry. . 3

10. C. Depth of Soil Deep = 40” or more Moderately Deep = 20 – 40”
Shallow = – 20”
Very Shallow = less than 10” 1
40”<
20-40” 1 3
10-20” 6
<10”

11. D. Slope The slope will be taken at either 50’1
0-2%
2-5%
5-8%
8-12%
12-17%
>17% 2 3 4 6 7
The slope will be taken at either 50’
or 100’ they will tell you which one.

12. E. Erosion Very Severe = gullies are less than 100’ apart2 3 7
6” < topsoil
2-6” topsoil
0-2”topsoil
No topsoil
Very Severe = gullies are less than
100’ apart
Severe = gullies are more than

13. F. Soil Drainage Poor = soils have dominant gray color
(over 50%) in the upper 10”.
Fair = has gray between 10 and 30”
Good = free from gray to 30”
Excessive = coarse, free from gray to
40 or more inches. 3 2 1

14. G. Major Limiting Factors
Depends on the factors which limit the land
class, (the numbers to the side that you
wrote in). Only count the highest number(s)
as limiting factors. 1 3 .

15. H. Land Capability Class
Land Capability Class is the highest
number used on the Major Limiting
Factors section of the score card.
Important: Classes V and VIII will never
be used on land CDE. o

16. I. Recommended Practices
Circle numbers
on the front that
correlate to the
practices on the
back. Make sure
to mark which
site you are
judging.

17. J. Cropland Class I land Class II land Class III land Class IV land
Slope >2%
Erosion, standing H2O
If already exist
Usually don’t mark
Holds water, flat
Washes 12” deep
If grown up
pH < 6.0
N-P-K (H,H)(M,M)(L,L)
(H,M)(H,L)(M,L)
(M,H)(L,H)(L,M)

18. K. Pastureland If 50% of pasture has no plants or grass.
If 50 – 70% is grass.
Grass lower than 3”
Weeds, not clover
If no clover
If trees/brush growing
Don’t mark
12” deep wash
pH<6.0
N-P-K (same as
cropland).

19. L. Forestland Ground litter fails the nuckle test.
When not already there.
If already present.
If not many trees present (Must also mark 9).
6”diameter & 6’ or less apart.
Cut all trees if its an old growth forest. (20”dia.).
Weed trees (not
wanted).
8. Overcrowded (4” dia.)
9. If marked #4.
10. If 12” gullies are
present.