16 December 2024 Soil successfully scrutinised: Lincoln wins big in judging competition

Three Lincoln University teams entered the Moana Oceania Soil Judging Competition, a huge event with 35 groups competing. Groups were spilt into categories based on their background and country.

The Lincoln team Basalt-n-Pepper — made up of Tess Brown, Meila Picard, Lauren Roberts and Kate Sheehy — took top prize in the university teams competition, as well as the New Zealand overall team’s and the New Zealand university competitions.

They were awarded the Alan Hewitt trophy, named after the Lincoln alumnus and pedology pioneer.

Another Lincoln team, Fertile Minds, came second in the university teams competition. It was made up of Beaulah Pragg, Maxwell Singers, Kaitlin Watson and Kayley Wiffen.

The competition is a way for students and working professionals to apply their skills and network with the wider industry.

A dedicated team of Lincoln staff spent the past 18 months helping plan the event.

Josie Mazzetto and Josh Nelson tutored students, Roger McLenaghen and Louisa Hall were team coaches at the competition and Associate Professor Carol Smith worked with the Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research Centre to organise the event. PhD students Julie Gillespie and Sherry Xue also helped significantly by organising a large team of volunteers, which allowed the event to run.

Associate Professor Smith said soil science was “fundamental to tackling global challenges such as food security, climate change, and land degradation.”

“Soil judging competitions play an essential role in building a stronger, more connected network of soil experts.”

Lincoln University is the only institution to offer a micro-credential in soil judging.

The competition was followed by Soils Rotorua, a four-day conference bringing together hundreds of soil and land scientists.

The final day of the event coincided with World Soils Day. It was opened with a special address from New Zealand Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Simon Upton.

And then there was cake. A special soil-themed dessert was baked specially, complete with fondant carrots and Kūmara.

The conference was a joint event hosted by The New Zealand Society of Soil Science and Soil Science Australia.

Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research supported the competition as part of a project of industry capability in soil description and classification.