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N.D. 4-H’er Named National Range Judging Champion

Two North Dakota 4-H teams competed in the national event.

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.

“The youth learned over 100 plants, of which most don’t grow in North Dakota,” he says. “So we spent four days walking the landscape of Oklahoma prior to the contest to learn and identify the species. It sounds difficult, but the 4-H’ers have a great time. It is a very practical contest that tests the youths’ memory while giving them a chance to see another part of the country.”


NDSU Agriculture Communication - May 27, 2016

Source:Kevin Sedivec, 701-231-7647, kevin.sedivec@ndsu.edu
Source:Rick Schmidt, 701-794-8748, rick.schmidt@ndsu.edu
Editor:Ellen Crawford, 701-231-5391, ellen.crawford@ndsu.edu
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