Milbank FFA Range Team Places Second at State

Dylan Sonon-Bohn, Grace Weston, Kynlee Speidel and Luis Berrones — all members of the Milbank Ag Ed-FFA Chapter range team — placed second in the Northeast Range Career Development event on September 29 in Webster. Braedin Stricherz and Isaac Perez Montes also placed in the range event.

In the range management event, the students must be able to determine the type of range site, ecological status, beef cattle carrying capacity, beef cattle habitat, beef cattle management goals, prairie grouse habitat and prairie grouse management goals and necessary management practices. 
For the final part of the range event, students identify twenty key range plants, their life span, season of growth,and if the plant is suitable for beef cattle food, prairie grouse food and cover.

In the Land Management Career Development event, the Milbank range team of Mason Meister, Merik Junker, Isaac Graham and Jasmine Smith placed fifth. In the Land Management Event, the students must determine the surface and subsurface textural class, soil depth, past erosion, slope, stoniness, permeability (movement of air and water in the soil), surface runoff, limiting factors and land capability class. 

The students then must determine the vegetative treatment, mechanical erosion treatment and fertility treatment for the site. After determining the land factors, the students use the information to evaluate the site for Homesite, taking in factors of lawn development, foundation, flooding and septic systems.

The Northeast Land and Range Career Development Event is a State FFA event sponsored by the Soil Conservation Service and Extension Range Specialists to instruct agriculture education students about the proper range and land management and career opportunities associated with soil and range management conservation studies.  Jerry Janisch is the MHS adviser for the range team. 

Photos: top- Dylan Sonon-Bohn, Kynlee Speidel, Grace Weston, Luis Berrones

middle: Mason Meister, Isaac Graham, Jasmine Smith and Merik Junker

bottom : Braedin Stricherz, Luis Berrones