MJ Hanna hosts plant contest
The first MJ Hanna Foundation Range and Pasture Plant Identification and Range Evaluation contests drew 57 contestants from all over Texas.
The contest was held onsite recently at the MJ Hanna Ranch where teams and individuals competed in contests and toured some of the ranch’s conservation efforts. Scholarships were awarded to the high point individuals in each age division of the two contests.
Dr. Barron Rector, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Range Specialist, served as contest superintendent along with NRI's Andy James and Becky Coward as co-assistant superintendents.
The Plant Identification contest consisted of 60 specimens of both live and mounted plants, where the Range Evaluation contest had 40 plants to identify and contestants made management decisions based upon the ranch situation and condition of the rangeland. Complete results for both contests are as follows:
Range Evaluation
Senior Division
Teams
1st place Team winning $500 - Burnet FFA
2nd place Team- Coryell County 4-H (Ty Goodwin, Kyle Coward, Jenna Coward, Samantha Aguilar)
3rd place Team- Bosque County 4-H
Individuals
1st place winning a $5,000 Scholarship- Ty Goodwin, Coryell County 4-H
2nd place winning a $1,000 Scholarship- Kaden Sanders, Burnet FFA
3rd place winning a $500 Scholarship- Davis Matthews, Comal County 4-H
Junior Division
Teams
1st place Team winning $500 - Coryell County 4-H (Ty Warren, Sean Aguilar, Caleb Mannix, Mia Conley)
Individuals
1st place winning a $1,000 Scholarship – Ty Warren, Coryell County 4- H
2nd place winning a $500 Scholarship- Sean Aguilar, Coryell County 4-H
Plant Identification
Senior Division
Teams
1st place Team winning $500 - Milam County 4-H
2nd place Team- Falls City FFA
3rd place Team- Eagle Pass FFA
Individuals
1st place winning a $5,000 Scholarship - Mason Lindig, Milam County 4-H
2nd place winning a $1,000 Scholarship – Heath Hollis, Milam County 4-H
3rd place winning a$500 Scholarship – Kaylee Jackson, Milam County 4-H
Junior Division
Teams
1st place Team winning $500- Milam County 4-H
2nd place Team – Stephens County 4-H
3rd place Team – Johnson County 4-H
Individuals
1st place winning a $1,000 Scholarship – Hannah Morena, Stephens County 4-H
2nd place winning a $500 Scholarship - JW Hollis, Milam County 4-H
Also competing were Anna Laskowski, Colton Mannix, and Maxynne Nayre from Coryell County 4-H. With students from 12 different counties participating from all over the state, the first annual contest was a huge success. Representatives from the MJ Hanna Foundation were on hand to observe the contest and were pleased with the participation. Coryell County 4-H has project opportunities where students can learn about plant identification and rangeland conservation. For more information, contact Becky Coward, Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Agent for 4-H Youth Development in Coryell County.