Crop judging scholars named

By NCTA NEWS

Four sophomores attending the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture in Curtis have received $500 scholarships as team members of the NCTA Crop Judging Team.

The scholarships are sponsored by Ag Valley Co-op, a cooperative which has supported the NCTA Aggies and the agronomy program of Professor Brad Ramsdale for several years.

The students are Gavin Tremblay, Hoxie, Kansas; Codi LaBorde, Milliken, Colorado; Nolan Buss, Stockton, Kansas; and Garrett Thielen, Dorrance, Kansas. Their coach and agronomy professor is Dr. Ramsdale.

The four participated last year as freshmen and returned this fall to serve as leaders of the team.

“I have these four students and six first-year students on the 2022-23 team,” said Ramsdale. The Crops Contest season includes two regional contests during the spring semester and the NACTA sponsored national competition at Modesto Junior College on April 13.

Crop judging is an academic program for students majoring in Agronomy or Diversified Agriculture. It provides an excellent complement to the required agronomy curriculum, Ramsdale said.

NCTA has been a leader among two-year colleges since Ramsdale founded the program in 2010.

“Ag Valley is proud to support the next generation of agriculturalists in educational endeavors,” said Jeff Krejdl, general manager of Ag Valley Co-op. “We are proud to make a commitment to the Crops Judging Team at NCTA to further their educations.”

The Aggies received a scholarship check and backpack during a presentation September 1 at an Ag Valley Co-op field day at North Platte.

The company currently employs one Aggie student and will attend the NCTA Career Fair on November 3 to visit with potential interns and new recruits.

“Ag Valley Co-op is supportive of NCTA students and our agronomy programs such as this summer’s Agronomy Youth Field Day at NCTA,” said Ramsdale. “We appreciate the scholarships and employment opportunities for Aggie graduates.”

Part of the University of Nebraska system, the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture is a two-year institution with a statewide mission of preparing students for successful careers in agriculture, veterinary technology and related industries. NCTA is known for its affordable tuition, high job-placement rate for its graduates, and for the success of student teams in competitive activities including crops judging, ranch horse events, livestock judging, shotgun sports, stock dog trials, and intercollegiate rodeo. The college is consistently ranked as one of the best two-year schools in the nation.