2024 Crop Scout School

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2024 Crop Scout School

May 16, 2024 - 9:00 AM
to May 16, 2024 - 3:30 PM

Southeast Research and Demonstration Farm, 3115 Louisa-Washington Rd, Crawfordsville, IA

Check-in begins at 8:30 AM.


The Iowa State University Extension Crop Scout School prepares individuals with little or no previous crop scouting experience, providing a foundation of basic skills for crop scouting in the Midwest. Correctly identifying pests in the field is critical for selecting the correct tools to economically manage the issue.

Students will rotate through sessions and have the opportunity to have one-on-one interactions with specialists. Live corn and soybean plants and weed samples will be provided to give students the opportunity to look at living plants, rather than pictures, and practice with their field guides and other resources before they go to the field.

Program:

TimeSession
8:30 AMCheck-in and morning refreshments
9:00 AMWelcome, announcements, introductions - Rebecca Vittetoe, Extension field agronomist
9:05 AMGeneral scouting tips and tricks - Virgil Schmitt, Extension field agronomist
9:45 AM

Topic rotations begin
Students divide into groups, rotating through topics:

  • Insects - Ashley Dean, Extension crop entomologist
  • Weed Identification - Terry Basol, Extension field agronomist
  • Crop Diseases - Alison Robertson, Extension crop plant pathologist
  • Crop Physiology and staging - Mark Licht, Extension cropping systems specialist
12:20   PMLunch (provided)
1:10 PMOther potential crop issues and challenges - Clarabell Probasco and Rebecca Vittetoe, 
Extension field agronomists
2:00 PMField session - stand counts, growth staging, and in-field diagnostics - Clarabell Probasco, Virgil Schmit, and Rebecca Vittetoe, Extension field agronomists
3:30  PM     Program concludes

There will be 1.5 PM and 2.0 CM Certified Crop Advisor CEU's offered as part of the Crop Scout School. 

Contact:

For assistance with registration, receipts, cancellation or questions on the status of your registration please contact Registration Services at (515) 294-6222 or registrations@iastate.edu.

For all other questions, please contact Rebecca Vittetoe, extension field agronomist, at  712-540-3319, or rka8@iastate.edu.

Registration:

Cost is $150, and includes lunch, refreshments, and course materials including hard copies of the ISU Corn and Soybean Field Guide, Field Crop Insects Guide, Corn Disease Guide, and Soybean Disease Guide as well as a digital version of the ISU Weed ID Guide and additional course materials.

The registration deadline is 11:59 pm, May 10, 2024. Pre-registration is required to attend, and walk-in registrations will not be accepted. Class size is limited to 60 participants. Registration will close when capacity is reached. Cancellations requesting a refund must be submitted in writing to Registration Services at registrations@iastate.edu​ by May 16, 2024.

Note: Confirmation of registration and receipts are sent via email. Please provide a valid email address when registering.