AMES, Iowa — Iowa State University Extension and Outreach will offer a virtual Field Scouting Basics Workshop on Thursday, May 14. Due to restrictions as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the workshop will be offered as a free webinar. Designed for beginner-level crop scouts, as well as those looking to receive a refresher course on crop scouting principles, this workshop will illustrate the importance of crop scouting, pest management and methods for making successful decisions and evaluations in the field. The webinar will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and will be broken down into two sessions: 9-11 a.m. and 1-3 p.m.
“While COVID-19 has shut down many facets of our daily lives and routines, farming in Iowa and the North Central region is a critical component to not only the state’s economy, but the global food supply,” said Warren Pierson, program specialist with ISU Extension and Outreach. “Though we here at FEEL would prefer to continue offering a unique, hands-on learning environment for patrons, we know that farmers, certified crop advisers, crop scouts and other agricultural professionals will need to have the proper training in order to complete their jobs and tasks. Crop scouts are often the first to find issues in fields and their reports help drive important pest management decisions.”
FEEL is the Field Extension Education Laboratory, an interactive agricultural demonstration lab.
ISU Extension and Outreach specialists and field agronomists will provide instruction on crop staging and development, and weed, insect and crop disease identification in Iowa corn and soybean production. Participants will also learn principles of integrated pest management and an overview of basic field scouting skills including sample collection, observation and documentation. During the webinar participants may submit questions online, which will be answered by the team of specialists as time allows.
The Field Scouting Basics Workshop presentation topics and instructors include:
- Crop scouting tips and tricks – Angie Rieck-Hinz, extension field agronomist.
- Corn and soybean growth and development – Mark Licht, extension cropping systems specialist.
- Weed identification – Bob Hartzler, extension weed specialist.
- Crop plant disease identification – Ed Zaworski, diagnostician, Plant and Insect Diagnostic Clinic.
- Insect pest identification – Erin Hodgson, extension entomologist.
This free webinar will be offered through Webex. After registering for the workshop participants will receive an email with instructions and a link for joining the meeting. Participants may join through their web browser, a free downloadable app or via app available for their mobile device. Additional instructions and registration are available at www.aep.iastate.edu/scout. Pre-registration is required and will be available until the webinar begins. Participants should join the webinar at least 15 minutes in advance to ensure connections and software are working correctly.
For additional information or assistance with registration please visit http://www.aep.iastate.edu/scout.
— Warren Pierson and Brent Pringnitz, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach
For more news from Iowa, click here.