Curtis, Neb. – It wasn’t the sky being the limit, recently, but the PLANET for horticulture students from a college in southwestern Nebraska.
Eight students studying at the University of Nebraska’s College of Technical Agriculture in Curtis traveled to North Carolina recently to compete in a national contest at the Professional Landcare Network (PLANET) student career days, said Tee Bush, NCTA horticulture professor.
PLANET is a national trade organization representing landscape professionals.
“The students have competed at PLANET for almost a decade,” Bush said. “Each year our students are able to apply the hands-on skills they learn at NCTA in a fun, competitive environment with students from across the U.S.”
The NCTA team placed 43rd overall among the 65 teams representing 2-year and 4-year colleges. Students do not have to be horticulture majors in order to participate. In fact, NCTA’s students represented agriculture education, agriculture business and horticulture, Bush said.
Horticulture major Chase Jaster of Columbus, Neb., led the NCTA team in the individual rankings, placing 38th out of 757 students.
“The competition moves each year so our students have the opportunity to see other colleges, cultures, and geographic regions. The networking these students are exposed to is extremely valuable for their future careers,” Bush added.
The PLANET organization reports great need for trained individuals in the $73 billion industry. Events and workshops featuring hands-on skills included 3-D landscape design, irrigation techniques, hardscape installation, plant identification, small engine repair, and equipment operations with a skid steer and backhoe loader.
The conference has been renamed for future years to the National Collegiate Landscape Competition.
Individual results, listed by NCTA student alphabetically, were:
Andrea Burkhardt, Winnetoon, Neb
Individual Placing: 297 out of 757 students
Annual and Perennial Identification: 64 out of 98 students
Landscape Plant Installation: 7 out of 62 teams
Turf and Weed Identification: 51 out of 74 students
Woody Ornamental Plant Identification: 78 out of 101 students
Evey Choat, St. Edward, Neb
Individual Placing: 128 out of 757 students
Landscape Plant Installation: 7 out of 62 teams
Small Engine Repair: 19 out of 38 students
Truck and Trailer Operation: 10 out of 53 teams
Turf and Weed Identification: 36 out of 74 students
Korey Forster, Smithfield, Neb
Individual Placing: 323 out of 757 students
Business Management: 14 out of 72 students
Maintenance Cost Estimating: 47 out of 74 students
Personnel Management: 39 out of 40 teams
Chase Jaster, Columbus, Neb
Individual Placing: 38 out of 757 students
Hardscape Installation: 20 out of 50 teams
Irrigation Assembly: 45 out of 53 teams
Landscape Maintenance Operations: 20 out of 40 teams
Landscape Plant Installation: 7 out of 62 teams
Logan Lueck, Lexington, Neb
Individual Placing: 259 out of 757 students
Construction Cost Estimating: 54 out of 66 students
Hardscape Installation: 20 out of 50 teams
Irrigation Assembly: 45 out of 53 teams
Landscape Lighting: Trial Event
Alecia Mertz, McCool Junction, Neb
Individual Placing: 424 out of 757 students
Business Management: 29 out of 72 students
Maintenance Cost Estimating: 67 out of 74 students
Personnel Management: 39 out of 40 teams
Kyle Wallman, Lincoln, Neb
Individual Placing: 319 out of 757 students
Construction Cost Estimating: 65 out of 66 students
Interior Plant Identification: 75 out of 84 students
Plant Problem Diagnosis: 37 out of 76 students
Truck and Trailer Operation: 10 out of 53 teams
Emily Whipple, Cambridge, Neb
Individual Placing: 487 out of 757 students
Annual and Perennial Identification: 92 out of 98 students
Interior Plant Identification: 64 out of 84 students
Landscape Maintenance Operations: 20 out of 40 teams
Additional information about the University of Nebraska – Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture can be found at ncta.unl.edu or by calling 1-800-3CURTIS.