Newsletter
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Society of Range Management National Plant Identification Competition
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Sadie Leyba
Home Town: Ely, NV
Major: Agriculture Science and Industries
Engagement Track: Leadership
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My project was based on attending the national Society of Range Management (SRM) conference and competing in the Plant I.D. competition. A list of 200 plants was handed out at the beginning of the school year. I was responsible for learning the scientific name, family, type of growth and native status of each plant for the national conference this February. The test consisted of 100 plants. Each student started at one station and had one minute to identify the plant in front of them. Everyone would then rotate through the entire contest until they reached the station they started at.
From September until mid February, the SUU Plant ID Team studied for multiple hours per week. Much of the preparation for this contest consisted of researching key features of plants, then looking at plant mounts to associate each feature. A large portion of study sessions were also spent coming up with creative word associations to memorize the complex scientific names of each plant. This was very tedious work. It required lots of patients and repetition.
I chose this project because I truly have a passion for range management. Since I took EDGE 1010 I knew I wanted to incorporate range management into my project. I knew this project would really push my abilities and help me grow. A big reason I chose participate in part of the national SRM conference as my project was the opportunity to interact with people in the industry. I hoped that the combination of knowledge learned from the Plant ID contest, and experience interacting with professionals in the range management industry would benefit my future career.
The main challenge I faced was having to alter my project after the I took EDGE 3040. I originally planned on competing in the Range Cup competition at the national SRM conference. However, as a result of over estimating the amount of time it would take and the time I actually had available I had to make a slight change and switch to the Plant ID competition. This decision upset my advisor and created some tension that had to be worked through. I also considered that experience to be a challenge. All things considered, I feel like my project went well.
The completion of this project promoted Southern Utah University at a national level. I had various opportunities to talk about the range management program and how much I have loved attending SUU. Learning so many different plants now will allow me to collect accurate data in the future as a range specialist. The vegetation data I will soon be collecting will benefit ranchers that graze their livestock on public lands. Ranchers heavily rely on data collected by range specialists, as it determines how long they are able to graze their livestock on public lands.
This experience was a huge benefit to my future career as a Range Specialist. A large portion of my duties will include identifying plants quickly without relying on a book or key. Having developed plant identification skills prior to entering the workforce will make the transition from student to employee much easier. It will also allow me to be an efficient employee and therefore a better public servant.
