LINCOLN, Nebraska – High school students from across Nebraska gathered April 29, 2026, in Hastings, Nebraska, for the 34th annual Nebraska State Envirothon. The Nebraska Agriculture Academy earned the championship title and a $1,500 prize, securing their spot to represent Nebraska at the National Conservation Foundation (NCF) Envirothon, which will be held in Starkville, Mississippi.

Nebraska Agriculture Academy is an online agriculture education program that offers in-person FFA contests for home-schooled students. The Nebraska Agriculture Academy team includes Emily Brhel of Fairfield, Ivy Chipperfield of McCook, Charlie Knoetzel of Wauneta, Jarrett Miihlbach of Taylor, and Abigail Schauer of North Loup.

“Envirothon gives students a chance to apply what they’ve learned in the classroom to real-life situations,” said Ryan Reuter, Nebraska Association of Resources Districts (NARD) president. “They’re learning how decisions impact land, water and wildlife, and that kind of experience can shape both their future careers and how they approach problems in everyday life.”

Envirothon is an environmental education program for high school students that combines classroom learning and outdoor activities. The competition rotates around the state, and this year’s competition was hosted at Prairie Loft Center for Agriculture and Outdoor Learning west of Hastings.

During the state competition, five-member teams were tested on their knowledge of aquatics, forestry, range, soils and wildlife, as well as prepared and delivered an oral presentation focusing on a current environmental issue. Some of the immersive test questions require students to identify live animals, measure trees, distinguish range grasses and determine soil texture.

The 2026 oral presentation theme “Non-Point Source Pollution: It Begins at Home” challenged teams to develop a management plan to reduce runoff pollution in a watershed.

“The current issue pushes students to look beyond the test stations and think about how these topics connect in the real world,” Reuter said. “It’s not just about knowing the material, but understanding how to use it.”

The NARD Foundation awarded cash prizes to the top three teams at the state competition:

• First Place ($1,500): Nebraska Agriculture Academy
• Second Place ($1,000): Dawson County Envirothon Club
• Third Place ($500): Concordia Lutheran of Omaha

Additional prizes were awarded to the top teams in each testing category:

• Aquatics: Omaha Central
• Forestry: Dawson County Envirothon Club
• Range: Sidney Team 1
• Soils: Omaha Central
• Wildlife: Nebraska Agriculture Academy
• Oral Presentation: Dawson County Envirothon Club

More than 60 teams competed in the regional contests during February and March, and 14 teams qualified to participate in the state competition.

The Nebraska Agriculture Academy will represent Nebraska at the NCF-Envirothon July 19-25, 2026, to compete for a top prize of $15,000. The international NCF-Envirothon will be hosted at Mississippi State University in Starkville, Mississippi, and include nearly 50 teams from the U.S., Canada, China and Singapore.

In addition to Nebraska’s Natural Resources Districts, 2026 Nebraska Envirothon sponsors and partners included Farm Credit Services of America; HDR, Inc.; Houston Engineering; Izaak Walton League of America; Nebraska Department of Water, Energy and Environment; Nebraska Forest Service; Nebraska Game & Parks Commission; Nebraska FFA Foundation; USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service; and the University of Nebraska School of Natural Resources.

Learn more about the Nebraska Envirothon at www.nrdnet.org/nebraska-envirothon.

The Nebraska Agriculture Academy students are named champions at the Nebraska State Envirothon April 29, 2026. The team also took home an award for the high score in Wildlife. Nebraska Agriculture Academy is an online agriculture education program that offers in-person FFA contests for home-schooled students. From left, Jarrett Miihlbach of Taylor, Emily Brhel of Fairfield, Ivy Chipperfield of McCook, Charlie Knoetzel of Wauneta, Abigail Schauer of North Loup, and Nebraska Association of Resources Districts Information & Education Chairperson Deb Hansen.