Registration open for 2025 Crop Scout School

CRAWFORDSVILLE — People new to crop scouting as well as those wanting to refresh their knowledge and skills are invited to the Crop Scout School on May 22 at the Southeast Research and Demonstration Farm, 3115 Louisa-Washington Road, Crawfordsville. Iowa State University Extension and Outreach is offering this educational program.

The Crop Scout School serves as a foundational course for beginners or a refresher course for experienced crop scouts, providing essential information for effective and efficient crop scouting, according to Rebecca Vittetoe, field agronomist with ISU Extension and Outreach.

“The educational sessions, hands-on practice out in the field, and field guide publications make this an exceptional value for those wanting to increase their knowledge and toolbox of resources to be better growers or crop scouts,” said Vittetoe.

Check-in begins at 8:30 a.m., with the program running from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Visit the website for more information and to register. Advance registration is required. The cost of $150 includes printed and digital publications, lunch and refreshments. Registration for the course closes May 16 and the course is limited to 60 students.

Topics to be covered are:

Crop scouting tips and tricks — Virgil Schmitt, extension field agronomist

Corn and soybean staging — Logan McCrea and Rebecca Vittetoe, extension field agronomists

Crops disease identification — Alison Robertson, extension plant pathologist

Weed identification — Wesley Everman, extension weed scientist

Insect pest identification — Erin Hodgson, extension entomologist

Other crop issues and challenges (nutrient deficiencies, herbicide injury, etc.) — Logan McCrea and Rebecca Vittetoe, extension field agronomists

Hands-on practice field session covering stand assessments in corn and soybeans, herbicide injury plots, and other in-field diagnostics — Logan McCrea, Virgil Schmitt and Rebecca Vittetoe, extension field agronomists, and Wesley Everman, extension weed scientist

The following publications and resources are included with registration to Crop Scout School.

Soybean Diseases and Corn Diseases booklets are a combined 88-page compendium of soybean and corn diseases in Iowa and the greater north central region, in full color. Each guide is complete with disease life cycles and diagrams, as well as foliar disease estimation charts.

Field Crop Insects contains descriptions and color images of more than 55 pest and beneficial insects, as well as information on insect life cycle, damage, scouting and management options. There is also information on basic entomology and integrated pest management tactics.

Corn and Soybean Field Guide includes updated text and images, illustrations, diagrams and tables to assist with identifying corn and soybean diseases, insects and disorders found throughout the Midwest. This 236-page guide focuses on development stages, pesticide decisions and production-related topics to help you when scouting fields this summer.

A digital Weed Identification Field Guide 2nd Edition contains 35 illustrations and more than 250 high-quality photographs of weeds found in Iowa. Palmer amaranth information has been added to this 108-page field guide, and information on herbicide resistance and management has been updated from the first edition.

For more information, contact Rebecca Vittetoe (rka8@iastate.edu or 319-653-4811), Logan McCrea (ldmccrea@iastate.edu or 641-226-7102), or Virgil Schmitt (vschmitt@iastate.edu or 563-263-5701).