The University of Wisconsin-Platteville Collegiate Crops Team took fourth place overall in the 88th annual National American Royal Kansas City Collegiate Crops Contest and third place overall in the 93rd annual National Chicago Collegiate Crops Contest last month. UW-Platteville team members also placed individually at each contest.
UW-Platteville students participating in the events were Hannah Lemeke, Kylee Sanderson and Mandi Schick. Ben Acheson, April Molitor, Bre Broers, Jack Lichte and Jay Long were team alternates. The team was coached by Dawn Lee, Pioneer Greenhouse supervisor and lecturer in the School of Agriculture, and Dr. Roger Higgs, professor emeritus.
The National Collegiate Crops Judging Contest consists of three parts: plant and seed identification, commercial grain grading and seed analysis. In preparation for the crops contest, students put in two four-hour practices a week, starting the first week of the semester, in order to learn how to evaluate crops for quality relative to certification, viability and marketing. Lee noted that some practices were long and grueling, but in addition to learning how to evaluate crops, students also learned many things of value, regardless of their chosen profession in agronomy.
“As their names were announced at both awards banquets for individual placings, it was exciting, but when the team placings were announced, I couldn’t have been more proud of their accomplishments,” said Lee. “I could not have gotten the team to this success without the help of Dr. Higgs. I look forward to continuing to work with the students as they prepare for the 69th annual North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture Judging Conference, held in Modesto, California, in April 2023.”
The American Royal Kansas City Collegiate Crops Contest, held at the National Grain Center in Kansas City, Missouri, had 24 students participating from six universities: University of Wisconsin-Platteville, Kansas State University, Iowa State University, South Dakota State University, University of Minnesota-Crookston and Oklahoma State University.
The National Chicago Collegiate Crops Contest, held at Loyola University Water Tower Campus in Chicago, Illinois, also had 24 students participating from six universities: University of Wisconsin-Platteville, Kansas State University, Iowa State University, South Dakota State University, University of Minnesota-Crookston and Virginia Tech.
The UW-Platteville team has competed in both of these contests since 1970, placing third 17 times, second 28 times and first 10 times, achieving All-American status by being in the 95 percentile.
Funding for team travel was provided by the Doug and Jean Buhler Undergraduate Travel Impact Grant and by generous donations made by alumni and friends to the UW-Platteville Foundation – Soils and Crops Teams Endowment Fund.
For more information about the UW-Platteville Collegiate Crops Team, contact Dawn Lee, leedaw@uwplatt.edu.