Staff writer
Neal Kaiser of Lehigh and a junior at Kansas State University won high individual honors at the Chicago CME Group Collegiate Crops contest in November. He is part of the Kansas State University crops judging team that recently captured the national title for the fourth consecutive year.
To win the 2012 national title, the team won both the Kansas City Board of Trade and the Chicago contests. Participants identified 200 different plant or seed samples of crops and weeds, graded eight different grain samples according to federal standards, and analyzed 10 seed samples for contaminants.
Kaiser was second high individual overall in the Kansas City competition, first in grain grading, and second in identification and seed analysis. In the Chicago contest where he was high individual, he placed first in grain grading, third in identification, and fifth in seed analysis.
The six team members, coached by Kevin Donnelly, are all agronomy majors at K-State. The team received a team scholarship award from sponsors at the Kansas City contest, while the top five individuals received scholarships at the Chicago contest.