The South Dakota Soil Health Coalition has announced student soil health photo and essay contests in conjunction with its annual conference. The contests are open to all students from middle school through post-secondary. The winners of the contests will be announced during the Soil Health Conference, Jan. 18-19, 2022, at the Best Western Ramkota Hotel in Aberdeen, SD.

“One of our goals is to help make soil health a priority for the next generation of farmers and ranchers,” SDSHC Coordinator Cindy Zenk said. “These contests are designed to help students engage with soil health concepts and hopefully spark a desire to learn more.”

In the post-secondary category, the first-place winner will receive $400 and a hoodie, and the second-place winner will receive $200 and a hoodie. In the high school and middle school categories, the first-place winners will each receive $200 and a hoodie, and the second-place winners will each receive $100 and a hoodie.

Contest entries must be submitted by December 31, 2021. Full details of the conference are available at www.sdsoilhealthcoalition.org/soil-health-conference/students/.