If you plan to work as a crop scout for the 2007 crop season, you will want to attend the upcoming 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.

Crop Scout School will be held Saturday, March 3, 2007, on the Iowa State University campus in Ames. Registration opens at 7:30 a.m. in Farm Bureau Pavilion with sessions beginning at 8:00 a.m. and ending at 5:00 p.m. Scout School is limited to 120 participants and preregistration is required. The program brochure and registration form are posted on the Web.

The cost is $70. Registration and fees must be received by February 27, 2007. Registrations will not be accepted at the door for this program. Registration includes a scouting notebook, crop management clipboard, and hand lens.

Scouts attending the March session also can participate in a follow-up session at the Field Extension Education Laboratory (FEEL) in Ames on June 7, 2007. This afternoon session will test your problem-solving skills in actual field conditions and is only open to those attending the 2007 IPM Crop Scout School. This session is included in registration fee.

Registration can be completed online with a credit card (MasterCard or VISA only) at www.aep.iastate.edu. Registrations also may be faxed with a credit card to (515) 294-1311 or be mailed along with a check or credit card information to Iowa State University Agribusiness Education Program, 2104B Agronomy Hall, Ames, Iowa 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.

Brent Pringnitz is coordinator of the Agribusiness Education Program.