“The regional competition is a chance for youth to see the larger picture of crop production and pest management by working with faculty and staff from other state institutions,” said Maya Hayslett, Iowa State University youth crop science education specialist and Iowa program organizer. “They can discuss the differences in environmental conditions and how that impacts crop production and pest management in different states, including learning about new crops not grown as much in their home state.”
The competition requires youth to answer questions and complete tasks on pest identification, pest management, crop disorders, crop staging and responsible pesticide use. The goal of this competition is to both test and increase students’ knowledge in the areas of IPM, crop growth and pest identification, as well as demonstrate the many careers available in agriculture.
Since the competition is for the top teams from each state, the questions in each category are more advanced for the regional competition than the state competition. Judges were impressed with the knowledge of teams from all the participating states. Youth appreciated interacting with knowledgeable judges, noting they asked engaging and challenging questions, encouraged deeper thinking, expanded their knowledge of crops and provided valuable feedback.
Feedback from youth and their team leaders on post-contest surveys demonstrates that the Regional Crop Scouting Competition builds on agronomic skills and fosters essential skills that prepare students for future academic success and careers in agriculture.
Source : iastate.edu