FFA Land JudgingUsing the 2005

Scorecard and Guidebook

Terence H. CooperDept. of Soil, Water, &

ClimateUniversity of Minnesota, St.

Paul

Soil - the essence of life

Darkle, darkle, little grain, I wonder how you entertain a thousand creatures microscopic.

Grains like you from pole to tropic support land life upon this planet. I marvel at you, crumb of granite! (Hole, 1989)

Part 1 & 2 Surface Soil & Subsoil

• Describing the Soil Profile

• Horizon Depth• Soil Color• Soil Texture • Gravel and Rocks

Part 1 - Surface Soil - A. Thickness in Inches (2 pts)0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36

B. Color (4 pts) D. Gravel and Rock (2 pts)

Dark None to Few

Medium Gravelly

Light Very Gravelly

C. Texture (5 pts) Extremely Gravelly

Coarse

Moderately coarse

Medium

Fine

Very Fine

37+

Part 2 Subsoil - A. Thickness in inches ( 2 pts)

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36

B. Color (4 pts) D. Gravel and Rock (2 pts)

--- Bright --- None to Few

--- Mottled --- Gravelly

--- Dull --- Very Gravelly

C. Texture (5 pts) --- Extremely Gravelly

--- Coarse

--- Moderately coarse

--- Medium

--- Fine

--- Very Fine

37+

Part 3 Parent Material - A. Thickness in inches (2 pts)

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36

C. Texture (5 pts)

--- Coarse

--- Moderately coarse --- Medium

--- Fine

--- Very Fine

37+

Thickness

• Clarion • A = 18 in.• Subsoil = 54-18= 36

in

• Nebish• A = 3 in• Subsoil = 48-3=45

Surface Soil Color – Munsell Color Charts

Dark

Medium

Light

Color

• Clarion A = 10yr 2/1 = Very Dark

• Nebish A = 10yr 3/1 = Very Dark

• Subsoil for both = Bright or no mottles or gray colors present.

Texture & Gravel

• Clarion A = Loam = Medium

• Clarion Subsoil = clay loam = fine

• Nebish A = sandy loam = moderately coarse

• Nebish Subsoil = sandy clay loam = fine

• None to few = gravel in all parts of soil.

Gravel Determination

D. Gravel and Rock (2 pts)

None to Few

Gravelly

Very Gravelly

Extremely Gravelly

< 15%

15-34%35-59%

> 59%

2mm sieve

Floodplain

Terrace

Part 4 - Topogrraphy

A. Steepness of Slope (3 pts)

--- Nearly Level - < 2%

--- Gently Sloping - 2-6%

--- Moderatley Sloping - 6-12%--- Strongly Sloping - 12-18%

--- Steep - > 18%

B. Landscape Position(3 pts)

--- Upland

--- Terrace, Footslope

--- Bottomland - Flood Plains

--- Depressional Areas - No outlet

Part 5 - Land Capability Classification (6 pts)

Land Suitable for Cultivated Crops

--- Class I

--- Class II

--- Class III

--- ClassIV

Land Suitable for Permanent Vegetation

--- ClassV

--- ClassVI

--- ClassVII

--- ClassVIII

0-2% slope2-6 %6-12 %

12-18%

0-2% -flooding or rocks

18-30 %30-60%

> 60%

Interpretations of Soil Features; 6A - E

• Residual - Soil formed from Bedrock. In Minnesota mainly only the following:

• Sandstone• Limestone• Basalt• Granite

Type of Material that limits rooting Depth- 6A

A. Type of Material that Limits Depth (2 pts)None - No limitintg materials

Bedrock - Soft or hard

Hardpan - Cemented

Very Gravelly Sand or High Water Table

Parent Materials -6BB. Parent Material (2 pts)

Bedrock - Hard or soft

Alluvium/Outwash/Lacustrine

Till/Loess/Aeolian Sand

Organic Materials Peat or muck

Depth of Soil favorable for roots – 6C

C. Depth Favorable (2 pts)

Very Deep -60 inches or more

Deep - 40 through 59 inchs

Modertely Deep - 20 through39 inches

Shallow - Less than 20 inches

Air and Water Movement – 6DD. Air and Water Movement (2 pts)(Subsoil Permiability

Very Rapid

Rapid

Moderate

Slow

Coarse texture

Medium or moderately coarse texture

Fine texture

Very fine texture

AWC = Clarion 0-18 = loam = .2”/in /in soil= 3.6” H2OSubsoil = 36 = CL = .2”/in/in soil = 7.2” H2O

C horizon 60-54 = 6 sandy loam = .15”/in/in soil = .9” H20Total = 3.6 + 7.2 + .9 = 11.7” H2O = High

Very Low 0-3 "

Low - over 3 to 6 "

Moderate - over 6 to 9 "

High - Over 9 "

3. Total available water capacity in five feet of soil (4 pts)

Available Water Capacity – 6E - (1-3)

Internal Drainage – 6E-4

Well drained

Moderately well drained

Somewhat poorly drained

Poorly or very poorly drained

4. Internal Drainage (6 pts)

6 E -4Well Drained Moderately Well

Somewhat Poorly

Poorly Drained

• Orginal Surface soil depth- Clarion = 23” & currenlty=18 or 5 inches lost = erosion present

Texture = fine or coarseNo erosion evident None

Deposition Active Gully

Erosion present Wind ErosionSheet or rill

A. Amount of erosion B. Kind of erosionAmount and Kind of Erosion -7

> 2 inchesA = original soil depth

> 1” loss of original depth

Need for Erosion Control -8 A & B

• None • Sod Cover, Conservation

Tillage• Contour, Strip Crop &

Conservation Tillage• Grass Waterway and

Gully Control.

Erosion Control - 8 Non Cropland

Woodland or Permanent Pasture

Wildlife or Recreation

B. Wind Erosion (3 pts) Check 1 answer in part B

None to Slight

Mulch tillage, Field Windbreak, and/or Strip Cropping Fall Cover Crops

• Poorly Drained • Somewhat Poorly Drained • Both will need tile drainage.

Part 9 Drainage Required (5 pts)

Surface and/or Tile

Not Necessary

• Crop to be planted = small grains- past crop soybeans – use Table 5

• P-test = 21 lbs/acre, K – test = 136 lbs/acre, no manure • Subsoil K = low and Subsoil P = low • SMP BUFFER = 5.9-Area 1- Soil Texture = loam• Corn yield goal = 120• Fertilizer = ?• N = 40• P = 20• K = 70• Lime = 7.5 tons/acre- from lime table

Part 10 Fertilizer and Lime Recommendations

P205 K20 Lime

#/acre #/acre tons/acre

0 0

35 2.0

40 2.5

50 3.0

60 3.5

70 4.0

80 4.5

90 5.0

95 5.5

100 6.0

110 6.5

120 7.0

140 7.5

165 8.0

180 8.5

200 9.0

230 9.5

240 10.0

300 10.5

11.0

Record recommended fertilizer application rates (2 points each answer)

100

0

30

Nitrogen

0

15

#/acre

40

5060

70

85

100

130

150

160

90170

200

30

35

40

50

60

70

80

• New Crop = corn – after soybeans.• P-test = 21 lbs/acre, K – test = 136 lbs/acre, no manure • Subsoil K = low and Subsoil P = low Yield Goal = 130Fertilizer = ?• N = 90 – or choose 100 as the closest answer.• P = 60• K = 80• Lime = 7.5

Part 10 Fertilizer and Lime Recommendations

P205 K20 Lime

#/acre #/acre tons/acre

0 0

35 2.0

40 2.5

50 3.0

60 3.5

70 4.0

80 4.5

90 5.0

95 5.5

100 6.0

110 6.5

120 7.0

140 7.5

165 8.0

180 8.5

200 9.0

230 9.5

240 10.0

300 10.5

11.0

Record recommended fertilizer application rates (2 points each answer)

100

0

30

Nitrogen

0

15

#/acre

40

5060

70

85

100

130

150

160

90170

200

30

35

40

50

60

70

80

Land Use Limitations -11

Part 11 - Land use Limitations

Use for Dwellings Use for Septic Tank absorption fields

Use for farm lagoons and holding basins

Features for dwellings

• Clarion Soil

Septic Tanks – Lester Soil

Suitability for Farm Lagoons – Clarion Soil

Questions ?