North Dakota Ag Connection - N.D. 4-H'er Named National Range Judging Champion

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N.D. 4-H'er Named National Range Judging Champion
North Dakota Ag Connection - 05/31/2016

Cass County 4-H'er Jarrett Lardy was the national range judging individual champion at the recent National Land and Range Judging Contest in Oklahoma City, Okla.

The Traill-Cass County team, of which Lardy is a member, was the 4-H reserve national champion range judging team. The other team members are Shelby Sedivec, Kyra Sedivec and Amy Anderson.

The Kidder-Oliver County team, with members Monica Fitterer, Michelle Fitterer and Rebecca Schmidt, was the other North Dakota team that competed in the range judging contest.

Both teams brought back other team and individual awards. They were:

-- Kidder-Oliver County team - fourth in 4-H team competition

-- Monica Fitterer - fourth place individual

-- Shelby Sedivec - seventh place individual

The youth were required to identify 20 plants, then answer whether the plants are annual, biannual or perennial; whether they are native to the area, were introduced or are invasive plants; and if they provide food or cover for bobwhite quail and are desirable food for beef cattle.

The contest also required the youth to evaluate three ecological sites and determine the health or condition of the plant community and the value, or rating, for beef cattle and habitat for bobwhite quail.

Preparing for this competition was rigorous but fun, according to Rick Schmidt, one of the coaches for the Kidder-Oliver team and a North Dakota State University Extension Service agent for Oliver County.

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