University of Minnesota Soil Judging Team

Tuesday, October 13, 2026

2026 Region V Soil Judging Contest: Results - Gophers Take 1st Place Overall!

The University of Minnesota Soil Judging Team had an excellent showing at this year's regional contest - taking 1st place overall, 2nd place in group judging and three individuals in the top 10 out of a field of 80 participants: Riley Christopherson (9th place), Dustin Brooks (5th place), and Caden Gagnon (4th place). This dominant showing is a testament to the hard work and long hours this group put in, not only during contest week but well before. Many weekend field days, cold and rainy nights in tents during Field Study of Soils classes in the spring of 2025 and 2026, and previous travel to the spring 2026 NACTA and National soil judging contests made this an extremely experienced and motivated team. Congratulations to the students and thank you SO much to all of our donors for your support - you make these high impact experiences possible!

University of Minnesota 2026 Region V Soil Judging Team (1st Place Overall, 2nd Place Group Judging): (Back Row; L-R) Carmen McLaren, Gabrielle Holler (co-captain), Freya Personius, Shea Stein, Kylie Hughes. (Front Row; L-R) Riley Christopherson (9th place individual), Dustin Brooks (5th place individual), Caden Gagnon (co-captain, 4th place individual).

2026 Region V Soil Judging Contest: Game Day!

Thursday October 1st was Contest Day. Let's Go Gophers! 8 schools (South Dakota State, Minnesota, Iowa State, Kansas State, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, University of Nebraska-Omaha, University of Missouri, Missouri State University) and over 80 students participated in the contest. The team completed 2 pits in the morning as individuals, ate lunch and transitioned to 3 group judging pits in the afternoon. It was a warm day, and we were judging soils from dawn to dusk - thanks to our contest hosts for choosing some amazing soils for contest day. Minnesota definitely felt at home in the forests of the Ozarks.

The UMN team ready to rock on contest day!

Dr. Kerry Clark (University of Missouri) getting all of the teams and participants organized

Individual judging pit 1

2026 Region V Soil Judging Contest: Practice Day 3

Our third practice day combined most of the concepts we had previously seen - a rocky fragipan on a summit, several soils formed in colluvium, and a new concept - a shallow soil over paralithic and lithic material on a structural bench. The team ended strong and in excellent spirits!

A Paleudult on a summit developed in colluvium, pedisediment, and residuum. The fragipan in this soil was detectable, but very rocky and challenging to identify due to the extremely dry conditions.

Gabrielle Holler and Dustin Brooks inspect a soil profile

Riley Christopherson and Freya Personius contemplate the challenges of Ozark soil descriptions

A shallow Hapludalf over weathered sandstone

The team in excellent spirits after the final practice pit. Let's Go!

Monday, October 12, 2026

2026 Region V Soil Judging Contest: Practice Day 2

Our second day of practice was at the fairgrounds just outside of Houston, Missouri. The team described three soils along a catenary sequence from the shoulder to a footslope on a gentle hillslope. The upper two soils both had well developed fragipans, while the footslope soil did not. We snuck in a team texture tournament during lunch!

Houston practice site landscape

A beautiful Paleudult formed in loess over dolomite residuum with a fragipan

Well developed seam in a fragipan

Red residuum underlying loess and pedisediment

Shea Stein and Freya Personius square off in a head-to-head texture contest while the rest of the team cheers them on!

2026 Region V Soil Judging Contest: Practice Day 1

Our first day of practice and orientation to Ozarks soils began with a beautiful sinkhole and karst valley landscape south of Eminence. We saw evidence of multiple colluvial layers/events, got used to the Missouri heat, and practiced gathering samples and texturing in very dry, hard and rocky soils. The team began to work on their group judging strategy as well, talking through roles and flow.

Large sinkhole depression in the Ozark karstic landscape

Paleudult formed in colluvium on a footslope adjacent to a sinkhole

The team headed out to afternoon pits in the Missouri heat

Working together on a group judging pit

2026 Region V Soil Judging Contest: Day 0

The team arrived safely in Eminence, Missouri around noon on Sunday, September 27th. Coaches went to a practice pit preview session hosted by Kerry Clark and Lindsey Andersen, while students went shopping for food for the week, and explored the Jack's Fork River, Ozark landscape, and surroundings. The team was chomping at the bit to start practice and see some Ozark fragipans!

The Jack's Fork River at our home for the week - huge shout out to Michelle and Macie Turner who run the Jack's Fork River Resort!

Kerry Clark and Lindsey Andersen lead a pre-contest coaches discussion at one of the practice sites.

2026 Region V Soil Judging Contest: Pre-Contest Travel

The 2026 Region V Soil Judging Contest was hosted by Dr. Kerry Clark (University of Missouri) and Lindsey Andersen (USDA-NRCS) with cooperation and support from NRCS program participants in and around Eminence, Missouri in the Ozarks!

Because our drive to Eminence was long, we started with a Pre-Contest Day 0 at 5am to drive south to Lansing, Iowa, on Saturday, September 26th, where we spent the day with Linda and Dennis Haugen who run the Iowisota Retreat and Education Center exploring the soils and landscapes of the Iowa Paleozic Plateau.

We started with an overview of the area from Linda, who grew up on the property. We then described two soils - one Inceptisol on a backslope in colluvium, and then a Hapludalf on a summit in loess over residuum. We finished the day with a beautiful hike out to an overlook of the Mississippi River Valley before driving to Fort Madison, Iowa to sleep!