K-State Crops Team places second at two national contests

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Monday, December 4, 2006

K-STATE CROPS TEAM PLACES SECOND AT TWO NATIONAL CONTESTS

MANHATTAN -- The Kansas State University Collegiate Crops Team placed second at the Chicago Collegiate Crops Contest and at the Kansas City Board of Trade Collegiate Crops Contest and Nov. 18 and 21, respectively.

K-State placed second in grain grading and plant and seed identification, and third in seed analysis at Kansas City. The team placed first in plant and seed identification, second in seed analysis and third in grain grading at Chicago.

The national competitions required participants to identify more than 200 different plants or seed samples of crops and weeds; grain grading, which involves the examination of eight different samples of grain, as well as determining the grade of grain according to Federal Grain Inspection Service standards; and seed analysis, which requires competitors to determine whether seed samples contain impurities and if so, what contaminants exist.

Students competing at the national contests included Nick Guetterman, junior in agronomy, Bucyrus; Matt Pachta, junior in agronomy, Linn; and Zane Unrau, senior in agricultural technology management, Newton.

Guetterman was fourth individual overall at Kansas City and seventh overall at Chicago. He placed third in grain grading, fourth in seed analysis and seventh in plant and seed identification at Kansas City. He also was fourth in seed analysis and eighth in grain grading and in plant and seed identification at Chicago.

Pachta was fourth individual overall in Chicago and sixth overall in Kansas City. He placed second in seed analysis, third in plant and seed identification, and fifth in grain grading at Chicago. At Kansas City, he placed fifth in plant and seed identification, and seventh in grain grading and seed analysis.

Unrau placed fifth overall at both contests. He was first in plant and seed identification, fourth in grain grading and ninth in seed analysis at Chicago. He also placed third in plant and seed identification, fifth in grain grading and eighth in seed analysis at Kansas City.

The K-State Collegiate Crops Team is coached by Gerry Posler, professor of agronomy. Sponsors for the team include the Kansas Seed Industry Association, Kansas Crop Improvement Association, K-State department of agronomy and the K-State Student Governing Association. Major sponsors for the two national contests are the Kansas City Board of Trade, Chicago Board of Trade, American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, Growmark Cooperative and the Society of Commercial Seed Technologists.