Sheridan College students earn high marks at range management conference

Sheridan College Range Club students took first place in all of the undergraduate competitions at the Wyoming Society for Range Management Conference held this month.

The conference took place virtually on Dec. 3 and 4 and featured educational sessions and student competitions modified for a virtual format.

Sheridan College students competed against students from around the state on topics that focused on the Thunder Basin National Grassland, drought, grazing and invasive species. Competitions were judged by range professionals.

According to Mae Smith, who’s Sheridan College’s director of agriculture, conferences like this are crucial to students’ professional development.

Sheridan College winners included Kenneth Raymond of Rawlins, who earned first place in extemporaneous speaking for his speech about how sagebrush differs across Wyoming.

Colby Tadra of Belle Fourche, South Dakota, took first place in plant identification competition and was paired randomly with Thad Berrett, U.S. Forest Service range specialist at the Buffalo field office, to win the pro-amateur contest.

In group competition, Raymond, James Argeris of Sheridan and Creed Carlson earned first place in the undergraduate range management exam with a 200-word response to questions about drought.