Crops Judging Teams

Kansas State University boasts a unique and well-known legacy in its undergraduate Crops Team, which is based in the Department of Agronomy and was established in 1923. Our teams compete nationally and have history in international competitions as well. Students competing on these judging teams have opportunities to refine and showcase their agronomic skills (including plant and seed identification, problem-solving, grain and seed quality assessments, and general agronomic knowledge), network with students from other universities, and travel to contests in different regions of the country to experience diverse cropping and agricultural systems. Interested students should contact Coach Dr. Rachel Cott (rveenstra@ksu.edu).

Fall Contest

The Collegiate Crops Contest is held in the

fall semester, and consists of three events – plant and seed identification, seed analysis, and grain grading. Plant and seed identification consists of a set of 200 pressed plants and seeds. Seed analysis is completed on 10 grain samples, which contain various crop and weed seeds that must be correctly identified and classified. Grain grading involves checking 8 grain samples for impurities, damage, and other quality factors. Grain is assigned a grade (1-5) based on its

quality. The Fall Team has won 31 championships total, and 20 championships in the last 25 years.

Spring Contest

The NACTA (North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture) Crops Contest is held in the spring semester, and consists of four events – plant and seed identification, lab practical, knowledge exam, and agronomic calculations. Plant and seed identification consists of a set of 75 live or pressed plants and seeds. The lab practical is a set of 75 hands-on, applied agronomy questions – including staging crops, fertilizer and feed identification, and scenario-based problem solving. The knowledge exam is a 75-question multiple choice test covering topics undergraduates in agronomy should know. The agronomic calculations test is a collection of math problems and unit conversions that field agronomists and farmers would use regularly.

The Spring Team has won 15 championships total and began competing in 1996.

For more information or to join one of these teams, please contact Dr. Rachel Veenstra and be sure to follow the teams on Twitter (@KStateCropsTeam).