Imagine you just bought five acres of undeveloped land. You envision building your dream home and creating a garden, but do you know what type of soil is lurking beneath the surface?

Some West Virginia high school students could tell you. Representing 4-H and Future Farmers of America (FFA) organizations, the students have been trained by experienced teachers and West Virginia University Extension agents to not just judge a soil by its color alone.

With only a knife, students can determine the lands capability class based on these soil factorssurface texture, depth of soil, erosion, permeability, internal drainage, surface water runoff, flood hazards and slope.

They can then make recommendations for crop planting, mechanical practices and fertilizer applications. These same practices can also be used to evaluate a site for a home or building.

Jeff Skousen, professor of soil science in West Virginia Universitys Davis College of Agriculture, Forestry and Consumer Sciences and WVU Extension Specialist, has been coordinating the states land judging and homesite evaluation program for 21 years.

Land judging is one of the basic units taught in vocational agriculture programs in West Virginia,Skousen said.Students learn proper land use practices and soil conservation principles.

Each year approximately 4,500 students, ages 14-18, are taught these practical and easily remembered techniques. Of those students, West Virginia can send up to 28 to national competitions. But, Skousen believes the knowledge students gain through this program is invaluable for its own sake.

Most importantly, they learn the scientific principles of soil science,he said.However, the contests are structured to build teamwork and unity. The camaraderie they form, especially during the week preceding the national contest, is amazing.

Throughout the year, with the help of their coaches, the students get their hands dirty preparing for the state competitions.

The coaches arent just there to teach,Skousen said.They also motivate the students and get them involved, and thats beneficial to any studentespecially at the high school level when they are beginning to really think about college and career options.

Since the inception of West Virginias program in 1955, 4-H teams have captured 14 national championships while FFA teams have captured eight. This year, two 4-H and three FFA teams competed for top honors at the national contest in Oklahoma City.

Skousen spends the week prior to the competition helping the coaches train their students in Oklahoma soils.

I like being involved with the coaches and kids and seeing the enthusiasm this program generates,he said.There is a sense of pride for all of them when teams do well.

And this years teams did do well.

Carrying on the winning tradition, Ravenswood High Schools FFA team captured first place in both land judging and homesite evaluation. Individually, Derrick Dillon placed first in both contests as well.

In the 4-H contests, Barbour County placed second in both land judging and homesite evaluation, while Roane County placed fifth in both. Individually, Heather Hart of Barbour County placed first in homesite evaluation and sixth in land judging.

For more information on the teams and where they placed in the 2007 national contest, please see the WVU Extension Web site athttp://www.wvu.edu/~agexten/landrec/land.htm#JUDGING