Shown are members of the Wawasee High School Soils Teams. In front, from left are Chris Evans, Gabe Ihnen, Trevor Roberts and Cavan Tom.
In the second row: Maisie Schafer, Helen Ihnen with Anna Bowling, on her back, Haley Maynus and Jenna Beer.
In the third row: Natalie Oviedo, AJ Evans, John Wilkinson, John Reiff, and Preston Miller
In the fourth row: Audrey Miller, Wyatt Schafer and Jace Beer.

Text and Photos
By Mariah Roberts
Wawasee FFA Advisor

SYRACUSE — Every day we count on the work of soil scientists. Knowing the soil that’s underneath our feet helps builders and engineers make adjustments so that we all have smooth roads, dry basements and working septic systems. More importantly, farmers and gardeners use knowledge of their soil texture and natural soil drainage to implement conservation practices that prevent erosion and runoff.

Eighteen members of the Wawasee FFA Chapter participated in the Soils Career Development Event where they are trained to determine the slope of the land texture of the surface and subsoil, and other features such as previous erosion, natural soil drainage, patent material and limiting layers. Students then make recommendations based on those physical characteristics.

If the location is a potential home site, students will make recommendations for a basement, type of septic/soil absorption field and more. If the location is to be used for agricultural practices, students determine the potential for erosion and make recommendations for cover crops, no-till farming practices, drainage tile and more.

To prepare and learn the skills necessary, these students have attended over 12 hours of practice in classroom and have participated in invitational contests to demonstrate their knowledge. Their season culminates with the area contest where teams from eight counties in northern Indiana compete for a qualifying spot (top six) to the state contest.

Shown are Haley Maynus, left, and Jenna Beer, right. Maynus placed fifth and Beer placed fourth out of 51 individuals in the Rookie Division at the North Miami Invitational on Sept. 30.

This year, 27 senior teams (high school) and eight junior teams (grades 3-8) participated in the area contest, held Sept. 29 in Kosciusko County.

Wawasee’s teams placed first, fourth, and 16th in the senior FFA Division and first in the Junior Division. Placing individually out of 97 individuals in the FFA Division were: Wyatt Schafer, first; Jace Beer, third; and John Reiff, seventh.

In the Junior Division, Jenna Beer placed first and Trevor Roberts, fifth. The junior team of Jenna Beer, Anna Bowling, Trevor Roberts and Maisie Schafer will compete against 20 other teams for the state championship Saturday, Oct. 23.

Senior teams will compete for a chance to qualify for the national contest. Wawasee FFA members who qualified for state are Jace Beer, Gabe Ihnen, Haley Maynus, Audrey Miller, Preston Miller, John Reiff, Wyatt Schafer, Cavan Tom and John Wilkinson. Good luck to these competitors as they compete this weekend.

Shown are John Reiff, left, Haley Maynus, middle and Wyatt Schaffer, right, at the Eastbrook Invitational on Sept. 23. Reiff placed fourth and Maynus placed ninth out of 64 individuals in the Rookie Division. Schafer placed 10th out of 100 in the Senior Division.