The Iowa State University Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Program and Iowa 4-H are pleased to announce the 2024 Iowa Youth Crop Scouting Competition. Middle school and high school students (those completing grades 7-12) from Iowa are invited to compete and showcase crop scouting abilities in corn and soybean. At this anual event, teams work with with Iowa State University faculty and staff and industry professionals to identify corn and soybean problems in the field. Top teams win prizes and advance to the regional competition. All participants will have a fun field experience at the Field Extension Education Laboratory and get a free t-shirt.
Sponsors this year include Corteva Agriscience, Iowa 4-H Foundation, Bayer, United Soybean Board, Syngenta, Iowa Independent Crop Consultants Association, Iowa Certified Crop Advisors, ISU Integrated Pest Management Program, Iowa Soybean Research Center, and Environmental Tillage Systems.
Registration: You can register your teams using this competition registration form.
Date of Event: July 25, 2024
Registration Deadline: July 1, 2024 (or until we are full)
Location: Field Extension Education Laboratory, Boone, IA
Time: Registration begins at 8am. Competition starts at 8:30 a.m and will end by 4:00 p.m.
Purpose: To provide students an opportunity to learn crop scouting and principles of IPM for corn and soybean and to obtain knowledge and skills helpful in future careers related to agricultural and environmental sciences.
Prizes: $550 for 1st, $350 for 2nd, $200 for 3rd, $100 for 4th. The top two teams from Iowa will be invited to attend the Regional Crop Scouting Competition, September 14 at the University of Minnesota in St. Paul.
Coaches: Each 2-5 person team is to be led and accompanied by an adult coach. Teams should work with their coach to train on a regular basis before the competition. Past coaches have been FFA or agriculture teachers, 4-H leaders, seed dealers, coop employees, and others. No more than 3 teams per sponsoring organization (company, school, club). NEW THIS YEAR: A "Guide for Coaches" is available and provides detailed information about the competition and tips for preparing for the competition for new teams. guide_for_coaches.docx
Content Topics Teams are Tested on: Teams will be expected to know the basics of IPM and scouting corn and soybean fields. Topics include identification and management of diseases, insects, weeds, and disorders; corn and soybean plant growth stages and plant parts; degree day computation; cover crops and other crops grown in Iowa, and responsible pesticide use including pesticide resistance, sprayer calibration, and reading pesticide labels. A list of station topics and specific station learning goals will be sent to registered teams and is listed in the Guide for Coaches.
Competition Format and Scoring: During the competition, teams will particpate in actvities at multiple field stations. Youth work as a team to answer questions and demonstrate field skills as asked by station judges. Participation and teamwork of all team members will be part of the scoring process, to ensure each individual is contributing. Points will be awarded for professionalism. Youth should be prepared to interact with judges in a professional manner including introducing themselves and speaking clearly. This year there will NOT be a written exam (this is a change from previous years).
Participation/Permission/Medical Release form: All participants must have a permission form completed and turned in prior to attending the event. These will be sent to teams once they have registered.
Free set of field guides: Please indicate in your registration if your team would like to receive a free set of field guides. We will mail each team an ISU Pocket Corn and Soybean Field Guide. This is helpful for learning to identify common diseases, insect pests, and disorder. Unfortunately, the ISU Weed ID guides are currently out of print. Instead, we can send each team either 1) an 8.5X11 version printed on standard paper or 2) an electronic PDF version of the Weed ID Guide.
NEW THIS YEAR: SCHEDULE CHANGE: In an effort to include more teams, the station judging this year will be divided into two parts. Half the teams will compete before lunch and half after lunch. There will also be an opportunity to visit ISU campus and Agronomy Department while not competing. This will make the competition just slightly longer but will accomodate more teams, shorten the time teams are engaged in the competition, and provide an additional educational opportunity. More details will be provided to registered teams, please contact Maya Hayslett, hayslett@iastate.edu, with any questions.
Online study materials: There are number of resources that can be used to help prepare students for the competition.
IPM Curriculum
One of these resources, a 14-part IPM curriculum covering a variety of topics, can be downloaded from the shared folder: https://iastate.box.com/s/yeeupudn4cwgh8g4pvh7fgpci5zr4t4m. Each presentation is available in both PDF and PowerPoint formats and includes notes. These educational materials are for use in school or post-secondary agricultural classrooms, or anywhere there is a need for such materials including at home or on the farm. Please do not remove copyright marks.We would like to thank our generous sponsors who make this project possible: Corteva, Iowa Soybean Association, Iowa Independent Crop Consultants Association, ScoutPro, Iowa Certified Crop Advisors, and Environmental Tillage Systems.
Agronomist Presentations
Iowa State University State Agronomists have created presentations on scouting and pest management topics for our youth participants. See links belows.
General Scouting Tips – Warren Pierson - Crop Scouting Tips Presentation
Disorders – Angie Rieck-Hinz - Disorders Presentation
Weeds – Meaghan Anderson - Weed presentation (you might also want to check out the new "Weekly Weed Watch" videos)
Insects – Terry Basol - Insect Pest Presentation
Diseases – Rebecca Vittetoe - favorable_disease_conditions.pptx and corn_and_soybean_disease_table_by_growth_stage.pdf
Pesticide Sprayer Information
Teejet catalogue, pages 184-194 https://www.teejet.com/-/media/dam/agricultural/usa/sales-material/catalog/cat52-us.pdf
Cover Crops Study Materials
Cover crops basics: Cover Crops in Iowa Quick Guide — Iowa Learning Farms and https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/sites/default/files/2022-09/Cover_Crop_340_CPS.pdf.
The Midwest Cover Crops website has descriptions and some photos of cover crop species: https://www.midwestcovercrops.org/ with links to more information in the SARE “Managing Cover Crops Profitably” guide https://www.sare.org/wp-content/uploads/Managing-Cover-Crops-Profitably.pdf.
Study Guide
Example questions for each station to practice: study_guide.docx
Crops Feed the World Online Lessons
For learning some basic knowledge on crop production and pest management you can use the online interactive lessons available for free from Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Moodle. For more information on lesson topics and how to access them, visit the Crops Feed the World Website.
Crop Scouting Educational Resources Page
Check out the Crop Scouting Educational Resources page from ISU IPM for more great resources on crop scouting.
ISU IPM Youtube Channel
Check out the ISU IPM Youtube Channel for videos related to pest management and scouting. In particular, you might want to try the playlists for "Weekly Weed Watch," "Soybean Diseases," "Corn Diseases," and "Entomology."
Flyer: 2024_crop_scouting_competition_flyer.pdf
Social Media Post: https://iastate.box.com/s/7rkdfdwag87vrtl6b1zo6r11r74tawsx
For questions, email Maya Hayslett, hayslett@iastate.edu