U of I team wins national soil judging contest

By John O’Connell

University of Idaho

MOSCOW, Idaho – University of Idaho placed first overall during the 2025 National Collegiate Soil Judging Contest, hosted from April 27-May 2 in Wisconsin.

The contest included 27 teams, and U of I was the sole team with multiple students placing among the top 10 individuals out of 198 participants. Sky Reinhardt, a junior agricultural systems management major from Bonners Ferry, placed fifth, and Jacob Flick, a senior mechanical engineering major from Gooding, placed eighth. Tegan Macy, a junior crop science major from Culver, Oregon, placed 25th.

U of I has participated in soil judging dating back to the 1980s but had never previously placed in the top five of the competition. U of I’s previous best performances came in 2024, when the team finished sixth, and in 2023, when the team finished seventh. U of I is the first team from the Northwest region to win the competition.

U of I had the fewest members on a national championship team since West Virginia University won the competition in 2016. U of I scored 2,819 points in victory. University of Delaware, which scored 2,749 points, and University of Maryland, which scored 2,721 points, rounded out the top three teams.

The competition involves assessing soil pits, both as a team and individually. Competitors must evaluate the soil based on texture, color, structure, wetness indicators and other properties.

They must identify hydrologic, geologic and agronomic properties. They must also assign a taxonomic classification of the soil and interpret practical uses for the soil such as home construction, septic tank drainage and road construction.

Potato growing suitability was a new feature in the recent contest to recognize Wisconsin’s potato industry and was an addition the Vandals found to their advantage.

Participants are given an hour to complete their assessments.

Other U of I team members who participated in the national competition included Tobee Holman, a senior in agricultural systems management from Rigby; Logan Mann, a junior soil science and chemistry double major from Littleton, Colorado; Daniel Middelhoven, a sophomore crop management major from Kuna; and Hannah Poland, a senior agricultural economics major from East Wenatchee, Washington.

The team is coached by Paul Tietz, a soil and land resources doctoral student originally from Waunakee, Wisconsin, and MaryBeth Gavin, a soil and land resources master’s student originally from Jacksonville, North Carolina. Robert Heinse, head of the Department of Soil and Water Systems, is the advisor.

Looking ahead, U of I will return five judges next year, as the team will compete in Grand Junction, Colorado seeking their fourth consecutive regional title. North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina, will host the 2026 National Collegiate Soil Judging Contest.

The winners of the 2026 national contest will advance to the World Congress of Soil Science International Soil Judging Contest, which takes place every four years and will be held in June 2026 in Nanjing, China.