AMES, Iowa — Iowa State University Extension and Outreach is hosting a field crop scouting school on Saturday, March 30 at the Field Extension Education Laboratory in Boone. The day-long program is designed for beginning crop scouts to ensure they are ready for success when they get out in the field.
“The main goal of crop scouting is to identify problems in the field so they can be treated before causing major yield loss,” said Warren Pierson, program specialist for the Field Extension Education Laboratory at Iowa State University. “To do this well, crop scouts need to know how to look, where to look, and what to look for. We’ll cover all of this and more in our field crop scout school.:
The course features sessions on corn and soybean growth and development, weed, disease and insect identification, along with scouting methods and techniques. Attendees will rotate through classes and have the opportunity for one-on-one interactions with ISU Extension and Outreach specialists and agronomists throughout the sessions. Five field guides are included in course registration:
- Corn and Soybean Field Guide
- Weed Identification Field Guide
- Field Crop Insects
- Corn Diseases
- Soybean Diseases
With field guides in hand, course participants will have the opportunity to apply new knowledge and skills to living crops.
Registration is limited to 75 people to ensure small, interactive groups and more hands-on experience. The course begins at 9 a.m. and ends at 3:15 p.m., with check-in starting at 8:30 a.m. Pre-registration must be made before midnight March 26. The registration fee of $100 covers the cost of the course, field guides, course materials, lunch and refreshments. FEEL is located at 1928 240th Street, Boone, Iowa. Additional information, directions and online registration are available at www.aep.iastate.edu/scout.
— Warren Pierson and Brent Pringnitz, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach
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