Deubrook Student Among Top Honorees in State Range Evaluation Competitions

Steve Jurrens
Oct 8
2 min read

Northeast Radio SD News - White, SD - A student from the Deubrook area has been named one of the top five recipients of a regional scholarship awarded by the South Dakota FFA Foundation.

Lidia Dpraz of Deubrook received a $100 scholarship after placing first in one of the five South Dakota Regional Range Evaluation Competitions held this fall.

Four other students from across the state also received the scholarship for achieving first place in their respective regional contests. The 2025 scholarship recipients include Tessa Hinman of Sunshine Bible Academy, Jackson Cammack of Sturgis, Hayes Christensen of Wessington Springs, Izzie Smithback of Harrisburg, and Lidia Dpraz of Deubrook.

The scholarships, which are designed to acknowledge and encourage student achievements in the field of range management, were made possible by a contribution to the SD FFA Foundation from LeRoy and Cathie Draine of Rapid City.

Cathie Draine commented on the motivation behind the scholarships, stating, “These scholarships represent a good combination of three important beliefs: first, our respect for the integrity of the land, our soils and water; second, the imperative to provide educational opportunities for understanding and the wise use and care of the land; and third, faith in the process of developing knowledgeable custodians for the future.”

The USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service, SDSU Extension, and the US Forest Service host the annual Range Evaluation Competition. The contest aims to provide students with insight into the foundational tools used in land stewardship. This includes the application of ecological principles and historically significant disturbances such as grazing.

A primary objective of the competition is to teach participants ecological principles, including soil/plant and plant/animal relationships, and the concept of plant succession as they apply to managing land resources. The contest utilizes beef cattle and grouse to explicitly demonstrate the idea of habitat evaluation, as both species are considered ecologically and economically important, and their relationships to various stages of plant succession are well understood.

LeRoy and Cathie Draine expressed their pride in supporting Agricultural Education and the FFA's mission to help students develop their potential for leadership, personal growth, and career success through agricultural education. http://www.sdffafoundation.org/