Illinois Extension Youth Crop Scouting Competition Grows Interest in Agricultural Careers

By Jenna Braasch

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.