Kaleigh Mangrum competed for herself, her family, her school and, as it will probably turn out, a college scholarship.
Most of all, the Cleburne High School senior said she was competing for her vocational ag teacher, Barney McClure.
McClure retires this spring after 37 years in education. Mangrum wanted to send him out in style.
With a score of 246 out of a possible 300 points in a field of 347 contestants, she succeeded beyond her wildest imagination, winning the individual national title in FFA land judging last week in Oklahoma.
The Cleburne team finished sixth overall in a field of 93 teams. Jared Cooper was 30th individually with 210 points. Other members were Abby Zachary and Jacy Ward.
Considering she was second at state on her own team, Mangrum was something of a surprise winner.
“But this is my last year, and I wanted to do my best,” she said. “It’s also the last year for Mr. McClure, and I wanted to do well for him. He’s been there for me, and I wanted to be there for him. I’ve been around him since my brother Trent was in FFA. I’m closer to Mr. McClure than probably any other teacher.”
Land judging can be tricky, regardless how well the contestant is motivated or prepared.
“It’s kind of like a pitcher throwing a no-hitter,” McClure said. “You’re not going to do it every time you go out there. Some days you see it, and some days you don’t. You’ve got to be on your game and see it the same way the judges do.”
Cleburne has typically fared well in judging events.
“We had never had a national champion in land,” McClure said. “We’d had one in range. But just to be in the top five in state in anything is pretty big. A lot of schools go through judging and never have anyone [at state or nationals]. We’ve been pretty good at it, but you’ve got to hit it on the right day.”
Mangrum added, “I’m super excited. I’m still in shock. I didn’t know I was going to do that well. This is my personal best.”
She said she plans to attend Oklahoma State University next year.
“My dad is calling them to see if I might get a scholarship in land judging.”
More than 700 FFA and 4-H members competed in national land and range judging. The Redlands Community College hosted the land judging and homesite evaluation contests on its farms near El Reno.
Land judging was invented by three Oklahoma conservationists in 1943. They decided which soil qualities could be judged and developed score cards to test skills. The idea caught on and Oklahoma has been hosting the national contest since 1952.
The first two days of the three-day event offer contestants opportunities to visit nearby practice sites to get acquainted with Oklahoma soils and plants with information available from soil experts.
The actual contest site remains a secret until contest day, so no one has an unfair advantage. Contestants and coaches gather on contest morning to find out the official contest location. They then travel to the site, with a police escort, in a caravan of more than 100 cars spanning several miles.
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CHS senior wins national land judging contest
Mangrum beats 347 contestants
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