Indiana high school teams vie for crop scouting honors

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Eleven high school teams from throughout Indiana converged at the Purdue University Crop Diagnostic Training and Research Center last month to demonstrate their skills in Purdue's annual crop scouting competition.

Crop scouting is the process of inspecting field crops for disease, pests or weeds, as well as monitoring plant growth and the effectiveness of pesticides or fertilizers.

The Southwestern High School FFA team of Shelbyville took top honors in the competition, winning $500 and a commemorative plaque. South Central High School FFA of Union Mills placed second and won $300 and Eastern Hancock High School FFA of Charlottesville took third place and $150.

Southwestern FFA and South Central FFA advanced to take on teams from Iowa and Nebraska at the first regional championship on Aug. 31 at Iowa State University, where South Central FFA placed third. The championship is the only one of its kind in the country.

Morgan Hinz of the FFA team from South Central High School in Union Mills, Indiana examines a sample as part of the annual Purdue University Crop Scouting Competition. A second team from South Central High School placed third in the first Regional Crop Scouting Championship at Iowa State University. (Purdue Botany and Plant Pathology photo/Anna Freije) Download image

The Purdue-hosted event began three years ago and is organized by the departments of botany and plant pathology and agronomy. Sponsors are the Indiana Corn Marketing Council, the Indiana Soybean Alliance, Dow AgroSciences, DuPont Pioneer, Ceres Solutions, Beck's Hybrids, and Weaver Popcorn, which also provided popcorn to the participants.

Primarily representing school agriculture and FFA clubs, some of the teams trained throughout the summer to prepare for the event, said Anna Freije, a Purdue Extension plant pathologist who helps organize the contest.

"We regularly hear from both students and coaches that this is one of their favorite competitions and they're excited to be here," said Freije. "They go home each year eager to prepare for the next one, and that's a great thing for an organizer to hear."

The event consists of nine stations, each of which contains materials for the students to examine and questions for them to answer. Their answers are judged by a Purdue Extension specialist or graduate student. The teams can earn up to 20 points per station. The team with the most points at the end wins.

In addition to testing their skills, the students can talk with the Extension specialists and learn about careers in agriculture, as well as crop scouting, Freije said.

"By working together, talking with the specialists and working with the Purdue corn and soybean field guides just like farmers in the field do, students are using real-life applications to solve problems," Freije said. "And the interaction with the specialists is great because they see that they can specialize in weed science, or plant pathology, or entomology in their careers."

Freije said that, while the organizers hope to make space for more teams in the coming years, they will make it a priority to preserve the personal, interactive approach that allows interaction between the students and station judges. "This is a competition, but it's really meant to be a learning experience, too," she said. 

Writer: Jessica Merzdorf, 765-494-7719, jmerzdor@purdue.edu 

Agricultural Communications: (765) 494-8415;
Darrin Pack, dpack@purdue.edu 
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