Kansas State tops 2024 national crops contests

Kansas State University (KSU) took first place in both the Kansas City American Royal Collegiate Crops Contest and the Chicago CME Collegiate Crops Contest in November 2024. Iowa State University (ISU) finished second at both contests, and the University of Wisconsin–Platteville (UWP) placed third.

The top individuals overall in Kansas City were

1. Lakin Giager, KSU
2  Molly Kane, KSU
3. Emma Davidson, ISU 

4. Carissa Sohm, KSU

5. Keira Simmons, ISU

6. December McGrew, ISU

7. Anna Hagemann, UWP

8. Cade Halbrook, Oklahoma State University

9. Katherine Hansen, University of Minnesota–Crookston

10. Allie Bizosky, UWP

At Chicago, the top individuals were

1. Carissa Sohm, KSU

2. Lakin Giager, KSU
3  Molly Kane, KSU
4. Emma Davidson, ISU 

5. December McGrew, ISU 

6. Cade Halbrook, Oklahoma State University

7. Anna Hagemann, UWP
8. Keira Simmons, ISU

9. Allie Bizosky, UWP 

10. Jack Lichte, UWP

In the three contest components, Lakin Giager took first place in both Plant and Seed Identification and Seed Analysis at both contests. At Kansas City, Molly Kane took first place with a perfect score in Grain Grading while Carissa Sohm took first in Chicago, also with a perfect score. 

A separate new team event was held as part of the Kansas City contest on the day before the regular contest. It consisted of several activity stations related to seed and grain quality and a group presentation. The top three teams in the team event were KSU first, ISU second, and Oklahoma State University third. 

Sponsors and tours

American Royal coordinated the Kansas City contest with Corteva Agriscience as the primary sponsor. Additional sponsors were the Association of Official Seed Analysts and the South Dakota Crop Improvement Association. Team scholarships were provided for the top five teams in Kansas City.

The pre-contest tour visited the National Grain Center and Bayer Crop Science. The contest was held at the National Grain Center while the tour lunch, team event, and awards banquet were all held at the American Royal facilities. 

CME Group was the major sponsor in Chicago, and the Society of Commercial Seed Technologists provided support for the awards. The top five individuals in Chicago received scholarships from CME Group. 

The Chicago contest was hosted at CME’s global headquarters for the first time, and students toured the Global Command Center before the competition. Contestants stayed at Loyola University Water Tower campus, and the awards ceremony was held at Giordano’s Pizza.

Support for both contests was also provided by ASA and CSSA. The Federal Grain Inspection Service and the South Dakota State University Seed Testing Lab prepared the contest materials for both events.