U of A Soil Judging Team Takes First Place at Texas A&M

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The team includes, from left, Jonathan Brye, Coach Kris Brye, University Professor of applied soil physics and pedology; Chandler Arel; Katie Jansson; Lauren Gwaltney; Lilly Stults; and Dillon Lake.

The University of Arkansas soil judging team won the Region IV Collegiate Soil Judging Contest earlier this month and has qualified for the national contest in the spring.

The U of A has qualified for the national event 10 times in the last 12 years.

The team, made up of students from the Department of Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences, claimed four of the top five individual finishes.

Lauren Gwaltney won the overall individual title out of 24 competitors. Jonathan Brye finished second, Katie Jansson fourth and Lily Stults fifth. Other team members are Chandler Arel and Dillon Lake. The team is coached by Kris Brye, University Professor of applied soil physics and pedology.

"Learning the soils and landscapes of an area in a different state is immensely challenging," said Brye. "This year's team embraced that challenge, overcame numerous adversities, and demonstrated superior knowledge and skill, despite not one team member ever having gone through an in-person soil judging contest previously."

The Region IV virtual contest was hosted by West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas. 

"The last time West Texas A&M hosted the regional soil judging contest, in 2007, we were shut out of any awards," said Brye. "This time, we had four individuals in the top five, which has never happened for one of my teams, and we won the contest, to make it three first-place finishes in a row when we have been eligible to compete."

About the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences: Bumpers College provides life-changing opportunities to position and prepare graduates who will be leaders in the businesses associated with foods, family, the environment, agriculture, sustainability and human quality of life; and who will be first-choice candidates of employers looking for leaders, innovators, policy makers and entrepreneurs. The college is named for Dale Bumpers, former Arkansas governor and longtime U.S. senator who made the state prominent in national and international agriculture. For more information about Bumpers College, visit our website, and follow us on Twitter at @BumpersCollege and Instagram at BumpersCollege.

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $2.2 billion to Arkansas' economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the top 3% of U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research News.