Posted 04/18/2000
Contact: Andrew Svec, 218-281-8380
UMC to Host National Agriculture Contest April 27-29
The University of Minnesota, Crookston (UMC) will serve as host for the 2000 National Judging Contest of the National Association of Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture (NACTA). The event will be held at various locations across the UMC campus April 27-29.
Nearly 500 students representing 31 colleges and universities from across the U.S. will attend and compete in agriculture-related contests. Colleges attending include Purdue University, Cal Poly State University-Pomona, Michigan State University, Iowa State University, South Dakota State University, University of Wisconsin-River Falls, among others. The competition features a two-year college division and a four-year college division, with a final sweepstakes award going to the overall high point college.
Students from these colleges will compete in twelve different contest areas including agribusiness management, agricultural computing, animal science, crops, dairy judging, farm management, horse judging, horticulture, livestock judging, mechanized agriculture, soils, and wildlife. A double elimination knowledge bowl tournament is also planned with questions involving general agriculture knowledge from all disciplines.
UMC students and faculty will be hosting but not competing in the contests. “As hosts, we want to focus our time and energy on providing the best contests we can. So this means we really don’t have time to take part in the contests,” says Holly Wildman, a junior from Villard, Minnesota. Wildman is majoring in animal industries management and is a student coordinator of the NACTA planning committee.
Barb Heinze, a horticulture major from Belgrade, Minnesota and the other student coordinator, believes UMC is in a good position to offer quality contests. “In the last twelve years,” she says, “UMC has won the overall sweepstakes award seven times. That’s something to be proud of. It shows our students really know their agriculture.”
Richard Nelson, Director of UMC’s Center for Agriculture and Natural Resources adds, “These competitors are the future leaders of agriculture, agribusiness, and natural resource management. UMC is proud of its long affiliation with NACTA and is honored to host these outstanding students and team coaches at the NACTA 2000 Judging Conference."
For more information including a complete schedule visit the event’s website www.umcrookston.edu/ag/NACTA/ or contact the Center for Agriculture and Natural Resources at 218-281-8101.