If you plan to work as a crop scout for the 2005 crop season, you will want to attend the upcoming Field Crop Scout School offered by Iowa State University Extension. Hands-on sessions will cover identification and scouting methods for weeds, insects, and diseases. Workshops on plant growth and development of corn, soybean, and alfalfa will be included along with discussion of common field crop problems.

Field Crop Scout School will be held Saturday, March 5, in Agronomy Hall on the Iowa State University campus in Ames. Registration opens at 7:30 a.m. with sessions beginning at 8:15 a.m. and ending at 5:00 p.m. The scout school is limited to 100 participants and preregistration is required. The program brochure and registration form are posted on the Agribusiness Education Program website.

The cost is $70 for scouts and $40 for their managers. Registration and fees must be received by March 1, 2005. Registrations will not be accepted at the door for this program. The fees cover a scouting notebook for registered scouts and lunch for both managers and scouts.

New this year will be a follow-up session at the Field Extension Education Laboratory (FEEL) in Ames on June 2, 2005. This afternoon session, included in the registration fee, will test your problem-solving skills in actual field conditions and is only open to those attending the 2005 IPM Field Crop Scout School.

Register online with a credit card (MasterCard or VISA only) at the Agribusiness Education Program website. Registrations may also be faxed with a credit card to (515) 294-1311 or mailed along with a check or credit card information to ISU Agribusiness

Education Program, 2104B Agronomy Hall, Ames, IA 50011-1010. For more information, contact the Agribusiness Education Program at (515) 294-6429 or e-mail aep@iastate.edu.

This program is sponsored by the Iowa State University Integrated Pest Management Program and the Departments of Agronomy, Entomology and Plant Pathology.

Trainees try out their identification skills on grass and broadleaf weed samples. (Photo by Barbara McBreen)

Crop scout trainees learn to identify different species of insects using microscopes, photos, and insect samples. Hands-on exercises like this help crop scouts spot problems in the field. (Photo by Barbara McBreen)

Early weed identification is essential in treating problems quickly. (Photo by Barbara McBreen)