Tasmania's best soil judges for 2025 have been selected and are preparing to put their skills to the test at the Australian Soil Judging Competition in Armidale, New South Wales, next month.
Agricultural science students and early career soil professionals got their hands dirty at the Tasmanian Soil Judging Competition, held at the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture's (TIA) University Farm at Cambridge on 5 October 2025.
The event followed two hands-on training sessions, delivered by TIA to build participants' soil assessment knowledge before competing in the state championship.
The top performing soil judges were selected to represent Tasmania as part of the University of Tasmania's Lutruwita Loam Rangers team. This year's team includes agricultural science students Emmaline Kinred, Nitu Tazbeen, Finley Walton, Harrison Neld and Hayden Tracey-Shaw.
Organiser of the event and TIA soil scientist, Dr Bianca Das, said entrants faced some challenging conditions on competition day.
"Competitors endured incredibly windy conditions during the competition which added an extra element to the soil judging competition," Dr Das said.
"Soil judging involves a close assessment of the texture, colour and structure of the soil and where it's positioned in order to determine what the soil is suitable for."
Dr Das said soil judging is an important field assessment skill that is highly regarded by employers in agricultural and environmental industries.
"Soil judging is such a valuable practical training opportunity. Getting into the soil pits and seeing and touching a range of soils is the best way for students to develop their skills and knowledge in practical soil description," she said.
"Learning about soil judging is vital for sustainable land management and is applicable for a wide range of professional jobs."
The soil judging competition aims to improve participants understanding of soil and raise awareness of the importance of soil health. With soil health deteriorating around the world, it is vital to equip the next generation of soil scientists.
In November 2025, the Lutruwita Loam Rangers team will join teams from across Australia for three days of fieldwork and competition at the national competition in Armidale. They'll spend two days in the field learning how to describe and classify soils and interpret their appropriate land uses, before competing on the third day.
"The national competition brings together students, early career researchers and experienced soil scientists for a professional development event where they put the skills they've learnt into practice," Dr Das said.
The team is aiming for another high placing after finishing second and third in the Australian university team section for the past two years at competitions at Darwin and New Zealand.
The team is supported by the TAS Farm Innovation Hub , TIA and Soil Science Australia .
"We're grateful for the ongoing support in building the next generation of soil scientists and skills," Dr Das said.
