The University of Illinois Extension is excited to present the third annual Crop Scouting Competition for Illinois Youth. This competition is for high school students (those completing grades 9-12 in the spring of 2024) to exhibit their crop scouting abilities in corn and soybeans. The Crop Scouting Competition is a half-day event planned for July 30, 2024, that provides hands-on learning and a chance to interact with professionals in the field of agriculture in Illinois. Sponsors for this event TBD. Information for sponsors can be found at - https://go.illinois.edu/CropScoutingSponsorship2024
Date: July 30, 2024
Location:Crop Sciences Research & Education Center
4202 South 1st Street
Champaign, IL 61822
Time: Check-in/Registration starts at 8 a.m., competition starts at 8:30 a.m. and will end by 1:30 p.m.
Meals: Lunch, beverages, snacks provided
Purpose: The Crop Scouting Competition provides Illinois high school youth with the opportunity to learn the basics of crop scouting and integrated pest management (IPM) principles for corn and soybeans. Students can obtain this knowledge and skill set that can be helpful in future education and/or careers related to agricultural sciences.
Prizes: $500 for 1st, $300 for 2nd, $200 for 3rd, and $100 for 4th
Coaches: Each team of 2-5 students must be led and accompanied by an adult coach. Teams should work with their coach to study and train on a regular basis prior to the competition. In past competitions in other states, coaches have been FFA advisers, agriculture teachers, seed dealers, coop employees, and others. No more than two teams per sponsoring organization (e.g. company, school, club).
Preparation: There is a fourteen-part series of integrated pest management (IPM) presentations, the IPM curriculum, that is available from this webpage here-
https://www.ipm.iastate.edu/curriculum. Additionally, there is a series of online videos called the Virtual Crop Scout School hosted by the Crop Protection Network that is available for free (registration required to access). Click here to visit. Potential topics include but are not limited to- identification and information about crop diseases, insects, weeds, abiotic disorders, herbicide injury, growth stages, parts of the plant, degree day computation, sprayer calibration, and sprayer issues. There will also be a comprehensive test on crop scouting. Remember, this is all for learning and fun, so have fun with this and fun with your team!
Please complete this form for each team. Parent/Guardian permission forms for youth participants will be sent after the registration is received. Registration must be completed by June 30, 2024.