OUR STORY
OUR STORY
A New Team..
The soil judging team at the University of Wisconsin-Madison as it exists today was founded in 2024 after a 10-year hiatus. Two graduate students, Hannah Anderson and Clare Tallamy, brought together our inaugural team in an effort to expand opportunities for undergraduate engagement and community in the soil sciences at our university. Since then, we have recruited undergraduate students and graduate student coaches, competed in 4 contests, and seen over 50 soil pits.
...Steeped in Legacy.
We are not the first team to exist at UW-Madison. Our mission, values and practice are inspired by the enduring legacy of previous soil judging coaches and pedologists at UW-Madison. We attempt to follow in the footsteps of scientists such as Dr. Fred Madison, ("Dr. Dirt"), late emeritus professor of the Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences and Dr. Francis Hole, one of history's greatest teachers of soil science. The pedagogical philosophies and emphasis on connecting soils, landscapes and people built by those who came before us has reached far beyond the boundaries of Wisconsin, leaving a lasting impact on students today.
NACTA 2024: The new team debuts in Idaho
Ryan Kangas, Julian Mayfield, Mac Munson and Zach Raymond represented our new team in Twin Falls, Idaho. Aridosols, Duripans, and Calcic horizons dominated this competition in the terrace landscape of the Snake River and surrounding lava flow plains. Courtney Weston also joined the team, taking on the role of social media coordinator.
Regionals 2024: New friends and team spirit in Illinois
Ethan Krull, Eden Milan and Camory Repenshek joined the team in Carbondale, Illinois for our first regional contest. The group acclimated themselves to deep loess, getting to see and feel fragic properties for the first time. An excursion to a former strip coal mine taught the team about human-altered soils, getting to see firsthand the beginnings of soil development within a recovering ecosystem.
NACTA 2025: New soils and a send-off in Texas
The team road-tripped to the Texas panhandle! We saw the Vertisols of Texas' playa lakes and eolian material sourced from Triassic-aged sandstone formations that extend westward to New Mexico. This semester the team said goodbye to our graduating class Ryan, Camory, Ethan, Mac, Julian and coach Clare and said hello to Keith Krause and Charlie Moore.
Regionals 2025: The team stays strong.
In fall 2025, we said hello to new teammates Adrian Sieck, Sophia Krupka, Coach Alexa Kloske and Coach Jacob Flick. The semester took its toll, but we buckled down and showed up in Bad Axe, MI for Regionals this year. Keith and Eden represented the team with positivity, grit and a tremendous amount of learning.
We're more than just a contest.
Our soil judging team does more than compete. All students from across the university of any experience level can join our team and choose if they want to compete. Outside of practice and contests, we are active members of our campus community, collaborating with other student organizations and learning about the soil, environment and history of Madison. We engage in reciprocal transfers of knowledge with local land owners and managers, reminding ourselves that soils and people remain connected in all ways.