State Land Judging took place in Norfolk, NE, on October 16. Left to Right: Thane Wetjen, Brian Bearinger, David Hiebner, Madalyn Janzen
Heartland FFA press release
On October 16, 2024, the qualifiers for State Land Judging ventured to Norfolk, Nebraska. The State Land Judging team included Thane Wetjen, Madalyn Janzen, David Hiebner, and Brian Bearinger. Each member of the team had four plots of land to judge based on what they had studied, including depth of soil, topsoil and subsoil texture, slope, thickness of surface soil, and erosion.
Based on that information, land falls into certain classifications: row crop, rangeland, or land used primarily for wildlife. Competitors then mark various land treatments that they would use based on the information that was found.
Overall, Heartland placed 9th out of 47 teams with a score of 988. As individuals, Madalyn Janzen placed 31st with a score of 272, Brian Bearinger placed 40th with a score of 260, Thane Wetjen placed 80th with a score of 234, and David Hiebner placed 94th with a score of 222.
