Interviews with Charlotte Brockman, Sam Kortbein, and Judy Turk
Most long-lasting friendships start in college. But for members of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Soil Judging team, they are rooted in a six-by-eight hole.
For the past several years, the university has sent agronomy and environmental science students to regional and national contests to evaluate soils and showcase their knowledge of land management.
Soil judging contests are distributed throughout a one-week period, consisting of practice days, individual judging days, and team judging days. Participants are then given a set amount of time to assess the soil for soil morphology, hydrologic properties, landscape characteristics, soil taxonomy, and land use limitations. These properties help define the health and usefulness of the soil.
“Describing a soil pit is a little bit like listening to the soil tell us its life story,” said Judy Turk, pedologist and assistant professor in the School of Natural Resources. "But we have to know how to listen, what to look for, and how to interpret it – that is what the students learn in soil judging.”
Turk has coached the UNL Soil Judging Team for the past seven years.
Since 2017, the university’s soil judging teams have placed first five times at regional contests, qualifying them for nationals. Turk is proud of her student’s successes so far, and one day hopes to bring home a national championship.
Developing Technical Skills
Beyond the soft skills of leadership and time management, soil judging prepares students for various careers in soil science and agronomy.
Sam Kortbein is a UNL Soil Judging Team alumnus who utilizes her experience on the team to help her now as an agronomist for Golden Harvest in Tomah, Wisconsin.
“Understanding landscapes and basics of soil can help you better understand where different products are going to do better,” Kortbein said.
Kortbein credits her time on the two-time regional champion soil judging team from 2015 to 2019 for a base knowledge of soils. That knowledge transfers to her career as she assists producers by recommending certain hybrids and products.
“I was just glad somebody tapped me on the shoulder and said, ‘you should do this’,” Kortbein said.
Charlotte Brockman, an agronomy major in the Department of Agronomy and Horticulture and member of the 2024 UNL Soil Judging team, hopes to one day use her soil judging experience and educational background to find a career in soil science.
“The skills of being able to identify different characteristics of the soil, know what properties are going to be a problem, and how they might influence land use are all essential for building new soil classification systems, and then recommending to people how to best use the soil,” Brockman said.
While working with teams, Turk has noticed the student’s ability to interpret soils and pose interesting questions in the field. In Turk’s experience, soil judging has also given many students the confidence to take on leadership roles.
Brockman often gets the opportunity to take on a leadership role as the scribe at many contests. This position mirrors a team captain, as she manages many different opinions and attitudes.
“That has been a valuable leadership development opportunity to develop my skills interpersonally and then also figuring out conflict resolution in the moment,” Brockman said.
Fostering Friendships
Soil judging exposes students to new people from other majors and programs, creating potentially unlikely friendships.
Turk’s coaching style is greatly influenced by a people-first value, which generates a culture of camaraderie on her teams.
“It is important to keep everyone’s spirits up and motivated to do our best as a team,” Turk said.
This is also reflected in the experiences of both Brockman and Kortbein.
“It is just so much fun to be out with a group of 10 people for a week straight twice a year, which does not sound like a lot, but you spend that much time with a group of people, some of whom you hardly knew, and then before the end of the week, they are your best friends,” Kortbein said.
In Kortbein’s professional career she works alongside past teammates and competitors from other schools. In Brockman’s experience, these competitors often become friends.
“The soil judging team has acted as a really unique opportunity for me to interact with people I probably would not have otherwise,” Brockman said.
Key Takeaways
- Conversations with the UNL Soil Judging team, including coach Judy Turk, alumnus Sam Kortbein, and current participant Charlotte Brockman showcase how lifelong friendships are gained from time spent on the soil judging team.
- Technical skills gained from the UNL soil judging team assist students in their professional careers because of the land management and leadership opportunities the team provides.
- For more information, visit https://unlsoiljudging.wixsite.com/unlsoiljudging