“You can be a doctor in agriculture or an engineer; there are so many things you can do in agriculture,” says Doug Gucker, local food systems and small farms educator with University of Illinois Extension.
The Illinois Extension Youth Crop Scouting Competition provides youth the opportunity to learn what’s going on in crops today to strengthen tomorrow’s agricultural leaders. Having the skills to scout farm fields allows people to better understand what is happening with crop growth or yield stealers, including diseases, insects, and weeds. Preventive knowledge helps growers strategically make the best management decisions to maximize yields and profitability.
Both Illinois 4-H and Illinois Association FFA youth teams competing in the youth crop scouting competition on Aug. 4 at the University of Illinois Crop Sciences Research & Education Center in Champaign learned more about what’s going on in today’s farm fields than they arrived that morning.
During the competition, teams of students rotate through stations set up to test their knowledge on topics including weeds, insects, disease identification, corn and soybean growth stages, abiotic injury, pesticide application, and integrated pest management.
“Seeing teams travel station to station, converse with University of Illinois College of ACES researchers and Extension staff, ask questions, challenge answers, and build upon their crop knowledge, strengthens their confidence for the journey into an agriculture career,” says Meagan Diss, competition coordinator and commercial agriculture specialist with University of Illinois Extension. “It’s important.”
Many station leaders share how enlightening it was to hear the youth work together, get the correct answers, and then build upon the thoughts in explanation. These teams take their at-home practice sessions, classroom learning, and competition day seriously, but leave room for some fun.
The contest was a close finish in points, with Richland County taking first and Pontiac FFA Chapter in second. Both teams advance to represent Illinois at the 2025 Regional Youth Crop Scouting Competition in Iowa on Sept. 13. The two Illinois youth teams will compete with teams from Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, and Kentucky.
The Illinois crop scouting competition and regional participation are made possible by the support from partners, including the University of Illinois College of ACES Department of Crop Sciences, Illinois Extension, Illinois 4-H, Illinois Soybean Association, FS Growmark, Illinois IPM, TeeJet, and Illinois Certified Crop Adviser.
For more information on youth crop scouting or if you are interested in becoming a partner in future competitions, contact Meagan Diss at mcdiss@illinois.edu, 217-300-5386.
SOURCE: Meagan Diss, commercial agriculture specialist, Illinois Extension
WRITER: Jenna Braasch, Media Communications Coordinator, Illinois Extension
***Courtesy of the University of Illinois Extension***
