Students from a small northern Indiana school have achieved what educators and organizers believe may be an unprecedented sweep at one of the nation’s premier agricultural science competitions, earning both the national championship and reserve national championship at the 75th Annual National Land & Range Judging Contest in Oklahoma.
Students attending North Miami Community Schools in rural Denver, Indiana, emerged as top performers at the event held May 5–7 in El Reno, where more than 1,000 students from over 37 states gathered to compete in land evaluation, soil science and environmental stewardship contests.
Miami County had two 4-H teams compete on the national stage.
The accomplishment — securing both first and second place overall in the national competition — is believed to be the first time a single school has claimed both honors in the same year, according to information released by North Miami Community Schools.
Leading the field was Wyatt Smith, who was named the top individual competitor in the nation. Other North Miami students also finished among the highest-ranked competitors in the 4-H Land Division, including Tyler Tacheny in third place, Bryanne Sturch in fourth, Rivkah Miller in fifth, Kinley Deardorff in sixth, Oliver Wildermuth in ninth, Lane Hunt in 11th and Jayce Burns in 15th.
Several students also earned national recognition in the Homesite 4-H Division, which evaluates land suitability for development and conservation practices. Wildermuth placed fourth, Sturch ninth and Smith 10th nationally.
Coached by Jim Wildermuth and Glen Jones, the students emerged from a longstanding partnership between Miami County 4-H and North Miami FFA, two programs that have increasingly joined forces on competitions and community projects aimed at expanding agricultural education opportunities for rural youth.
The annual contest, now in its 75th year, has long served as a proving ground for students pursuing careers in agriculture, environmental science and natural resource management. Participants are tested on their ability to analyze soil characteristics, evaluate land capability and recommend conservation practices — skills that have become increasingly important as farmers and policymakers grapple with erosion, water quality and long-term sustainability challenges.
This year’s event transformed the El Reno area into a showcase for agricultural education and conservation leadership, drawing students, educators and industry sponsors from across the country.
For North Miami, a school district located near Peru in Miami County, the national recognition represents a major achievement for a program rooted in a community better known for its farmland than for national headlines.
FFA and 4-H programs, once associated primarily with production agriculture, have increasingly expanded to emphasize agriscience, environmental management and leadership development. Competitions such as land judging require students to master technical knowledge typically taught in collegiate soil science and agronomy programs.
North Miami Community Schools praised the students’ preparation and teamwork, calling the performance a historic moment for the school and its “Warriors” chapter members.
The results also underscore Indiana’s continued prominence in agricultural education, where FFA and 4-H programs remain deeply embedded in many rural communities and continue to serve as pipelines into the state’s farming, agribusiness and environmental sectors.
