Competition highlights regional differences in agriculture industry

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (KNOP) - Agricultural students from around the nation came to North Platte to compete in the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture (NACTA) competition last weekend.

The students participated in 13 different agriculture-related categories including livestock judging, crop judging, ag mechanics and more. Many of the teams recognized regional differences in their agricultural knowledge.

Students from the University of Wisconsin - River Falls shared that some of the tests had questions about irrigation, which is not something they do a lot of in their area. The NACTA competition host site changes each year. This is the first time the competition has been held in Nebraska.

“Kids get to see different places and parts of the United States along with different agriculture,” said Chad Schimmels, Eustin Farnam Ag teacher. “Here, we see fields of corn and soybeans, but in California, they have tomatoes. NACTA is getting kids to expand their knowledge and see what other places have as their normal.”

NACTA provides a way for students to apply their classroom education to practical situations.

“As a kid, I have always been involved in farming and crops,” said UNL Student Corbin Kudera. “I encourage any farm kid to join their crop judging team because you learn a lot of stuff you will be able to use in your career.”