Practice follows the Oklahoma card used at the national contest. Your state's card may differ, and in a contest the judges' key decides.
How practice fields are made
Each field is a row from the manual's Tables 1 to 5, given real numbers: a texture name for each sample, the depth of the pit, the drop between the slope stakes, the original and present topsoil, anything you would see in the field, other factors and a soil test. Values never sit exactly on a class edge, so every field has one right answer.
Points follow the manual's scoring example: 45 for Part I and 30 for the treatments, split evenly over the right practices. Only your first marks count in Part II, as many as the field needs, so marking everything does not pay. Coaches can send a field to the whole class with Share this field, print four with keys, or print student sheets (the same four fields and a blank card, no answers) to copy for a class. To work out your own fields, use the key builder.
Questions
How do I practice land judging at home?
Learn the five texture groups by name, then work fields here: read the facts, mark the card and check it. Every miss shows the reason and the manual page. Feeling real soil samples still needs a coach and a soil box.
How do I find slope from the stakes?
The stakes are 100 feet apart, so the difference in height in feet is the slope in percent. A 4.6 foot drop is a 4.6% slope, which is moderately sloping (3 to 5%).
How do I work out erosion?
Compare the topsoil left in the pit with the original thickness on the site card. Less than 25% gone is none to slight, 25 to 75% gone is moderate, more than 75% is severe, and very severe also has frequent gullies too deep to cross.
Why did marking more practices lower my score?
If a field needs three vegetative practices, only your first three marks are read, in card order. An extra mark before a right one pushes the right one out. Mark only what the field needs.
Is my practice saved?
Yes, on this device, after every tap. Your recent fields and scores are listed under the card. Nothing is sent anywhere.