(KLZA)  One hundred twenty-eight students from seven schools enjoyed beautiful fall weather on Tuesday,  as they competed at the annual Southeast Area Land Judging Contest.

Schools sending contestants included Diller-Odell, Falls City, Lewiston, Palmyra, Pawnee City, Syracuse, and Tri County. Students competed both individually and as teams by answering questions about physical features of the soil at the judging site near Table Rock.
The top overall individual winner with a score of 335 out of a possible 400 points was Elizabeth Eickhoff from Falls City High School. Other purple ribbon winners, listed in the order they finished, were Kourtney Kempkes, Elizabeth Robinett, Brandon Brown, and James Bremer, all from Palmyra; Hayden Meyer, Pawnee City; and Zach Roath and Victoria Talcott, also from Palmyra.
 In team competition, first place went to the Pawnee City team of Hayden Meyer, Collin Moser, Blake Kalin, and Clayton Branek with their total combined score of 911. Close behind with 907 points was Palmyra’s team of Michael Roath, Brandon Brown, Victoria Talcott, and Hannah Lionberger. Falls City earned third place with a team score of 901 from Cord Huettner, Amie Wiltse, Elizabeth Eickhoff, and Cody Schawang.
The top three teams also earned berths to the State Land Judging Contest which is scheduled October 31st  at Beatrice.
The Southeast Area Land Judging Contest was sponsored by the Nemaha Natural Resources District in cooperation with the Natural Resources Conservation Service. Special thanks to Emmett Gyhra for allowing the contest to be held on his land.