Heartland Takes Top Honors at 2026 South Central Land Evaluation Contest

Heartland High School earned first-place team honors at the 2026 South Central Land Evaluation Contest, held September 30 near Wood River. The winning team included Waylon Tessman, David Hiebner, Luke Janzen and Jagger Regier. Madalyn Janzen, Heartland’s agriculture education instructor and FFA advisor, coached the team and also earned second place in the contest’s adult division.

Students and instructors from 24 high schools participated in the event, hosted by the Central Platte Natural Resources District (CPNRD) and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Despite the threat of heavy rainfall and muddy conditions, students completed the contest at The Nature Conservancy’s Platte River Prairies Preserve. The site provided an ideal range of soil conditions, including soils formed in loess and glacial till, as well as clay loam and silty clay textures.

The Land Evaluation Contest challenges high school students to strengthen their understanding of soil structure, land capability and sound land-management practices. Teams consist of four students from the same FFA chapter, while individual students also compete for individual honors. At four soil pits, participants used evaluation cards to assess soil depth, surface texture, permeability, slope, surface-soil thickness and erosion. Their combined scores determined individual and team placings.

Seven regional land evaluation contests are held across Nebraska each fall. Qualifying teams and individuals advance to the state contest. The CPNRD and NRCS appreciate The Nature Conservancy for providing the contest site, along with the instructors, adult leaders, contest officials and volunteers who helped make the event possible. The top-placing teams and individuals are listed below.

2026 South Central Individual Top Winners   All Individual Rankings
1st Place: WAYLON TESSMAN, Heartland 273 points
2nd Place: DAVID HIEBNER, Heartland 272 points
3rd Place: COLTON SIGLER, Aurora 272 points
4th Place: LANDYN TUMA, Deshler FFA 271 points
5th Place: MAKENNA FREITAG, Deshler FFA points 268

2026 South Central Team Top Winners   All Team Rankings
1st Place: Heartland (Waylan Tessman, David Hiebner, Luke Janzen, Jagger Regier)
2nd Place: Deshler (Landyn Tuma, McKenna Freitag, Marley Webber, Braxton Pederson)
3rd Place: Hampton (Mason Wiens, Bradon Wolinski, Cason Bamesberger, Noah Millier)

2026 South Central Adult Winners   All Adult Rankings
1st Place: Joel Miller, Hampton FFA
2nd Place: Madalyn Janzen, Heartland FFA
3rd Place: Maggie Vyhnalek, Bruning-Davenport FFA

The Lower Big Blue NRD will host the State contest on October 14, 2026. The top five Nebraska teams will advance to the national competition hosted in Oklahoma.
For more information on Nebraska Land Judging, visit https://www.nrdnet.org/nebraska-land-judging-soil-evaluation.