WATERTOWN, S.D. — With a history of giving students hands-on experiences on rangeland and soils education, the 40th annual rangelands and 19th annual soils days for youth was held June 12-13 in Watertown, South Dakota.

SDSU Extension, Codington Conservation District and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service of South Dakota cohosted the event, which provided youth ages 8 to 18 with hands-on education in rangeland and soils. To participate, youth were given the options to create educational displays on range-related topics, give speeches and compete in rangeland and soil judging.

Krista Ehlert, assistant professor and range specialist for SDSU Extension, believes that providing these kinds of educational experiences is an investment for the future.

“I actually had one of the producers that I work with tell me, ‘If you want to invest in the future, invest in a youth; invest in a child,’ and I think that’s really true,” she said. “That’s something that we achieve through rangeland and soils days, is investing in our future.”

There were around 110 students participating this year, up from around 75 the previous year. Ehlert said that the event changes locations every two years to accommodate for travel between both East River and West River students.

“We increased our student numbers this year, so we’re really happy about that and we’ll see what we get next year,” Ehlert said. “We hope that we put it on in such a way that people don’t mind traveling, and feel like it’s worth it, no matter where it is.”

Students spend time in the field learning about rangelands and soils to prepare for the contest on the first day and then student displays and speeches are presented in the evening. The rangeland and soil judging contests start the morning of the second day.

Rangeland has four age divisions including new rangers for ages 8 to 10, wranglers for ages 8 to 11, scouts for ages 14 to18 and go-getters which are also for ages 14 to18. Each division judges habitat suitability for beef cattle and prairie grouse, in addition to learning plant identification and morphology.

Youth ages 14 to 18 are also given the option to compete in the land and homesite contest which provides an opportunity to learn more in-depth about soil texture and type, factors that limit soil health, and how to determine land capability with management recommendations. The homesite evaluation contest teaches how to determine the suitability of sites for building foundations, lawns and landscaping, septic systems and sewage lagoons.

Lance Howe, soil scientist for the Natural Resource Conservation Service based out of Redfield, South Dakota, coordinates the land and homesite contest and has a long history of helping with the rangeland and soils days, having assisted with the event since 1999.

Howe feels rangelands and soils days help students learn about different career paths and the environment.

“This is all about giving students an opportunity to see career opportunities and what’s involved with them,” he said. “It’s really about teaching the students why the environment is important and resources of the soils and range of plants, but it’s also about them learning the different career opportunities out there to help our positions down the road.”

Landon Wolter, a rangeland management specialist with the Natural Resource Conservation Service Soil and Plant Division based out of the South Dakota Soil Survey Office in Redfield, South Dakota, got a taste for his future career by attending the rangeland and soils days each year while he was a student.

Growing up in Wessington Springs, South Dakota, Wolter was heavily involved in 4-H and FFA. After attending his first rangeland and soils days as a freshman in high school, Wolter earned spots on the state teams and saw success competing at the national level. He then went on to attend South Dakota State University, earning a degree in ecology and environmental science with a specialization in rangeland management.

Wolter is now continuing his involvement with the rangeland and soils days by setting up sites for both contests and practices this year and credits opportunities like this for providing with him practical skills needed for his future.

“You’re getting kids to think about managing those natural resources, thinking about what impacts we have on the system, how we can alter the system both negatively and positively and the impact of our management decisions,” he said. “I think that’s something that’s extremely relevant for students to see even if they’re not from an agricultural background, it has implications for them.”

Kennedy is a reporter for Agweek based out of South Dakota. She grew up on an organic crop farm where her family also raises cattle in eastern South Dakota. She graduated from South Dakota State University in 2023 with a major in agricultural communication and minor in agricultural business. She enjoys connecting with producers and agribusinesses across the region while reporting on all things agriculture.