Rangeland/Soil Days

Teaching, Learning, Judging and Fun!! That is what went on last week during the Rangeland Days and Soil Days in Wall. Over 120 individuals ranging in age from eight through adult participated in the two day educational event. Students, parents and instructors came from all over the state to take part in the event. Tuesday was a day of learning in the field at the Lynn Denke and Bob Helms ranches to gain more knowledge about the natural resources of South Dakota; the Rangelands and the Soils. They studied plant identification and characteristics, soils, and rangeland management for wildlife and livestock. The participants took their newly acquired knowledge and competed with their judging skills for awards of buckles, plaques and medals on Wednesday. The learning activities were designed for a variety of age groups and expertise. The competition was within the appropriate age and skill category. Talks and displays were also judged based on age groups. The Top Hand buckle was awarded to the individual in each division with the top overall score for the judging, talk and display. Rangeland Days/Soil Days will be held in Wall again in June of 2017. The generous donations and support from local businesses and individuals helps to keep the cost of registration low. This includes instructional materials, four meals and a t-shirt. For more information contact the East Pennington Conservation District at 279-2451 Ext.3.