The Brokaw FFA Soil Judging team from Clarina recently competed in both district and state events. This year, the team consisted of Levi Sunderman, Kody Sump, Shadoe Steeve, and Ethan Woldruff. The Southwest District Soil Judging competition was at Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs on October 4. The Brokaw team finished third out of 13 teams, qualifying them for state competition. Kody Sump finished second individually, Ethan Woldruff finished ninth, Shadoe Steeve finished 11th, and Levi Sunderman finished 12th. At the State Soil Judging competition at Iowa State University on October 13, the Brokaw team finished second out of 30 total teams and received a gold rating. The second place finish qualified the team to compete in the 2008 National Land and Range Judging Contest in Oklahoma City in May of 2008.  Individually, Ethan Woldruff finished fifth overall, Shadoe Steeve placed seventh overall, Levi Sunderman placed 15th overall, and Kody Sump finished 23rd overall, out of a total of 117 participants. The event included the judging of four soil pits, plus a written test on soils in Iowa.  The score card used to judge the soil pits is divided into five parts: Surface Features, Soil Features - The Profile, Land Capability Classification and Productivity Potential, Evaluation of Management Practices, and Suitability of Soils for Non-Agricultural Uses. Photo courtesy Clarinda Herald-Journal