By Jonathan Eisenthal
Standing under a 10-foot-tall stand of corn on the University of Minnesota St. Paul Campus, four high school students from the Sebeka FFA Chapter set about determining the growth stage of the plants.
One student broke an ear off a stalk, peeled back the leaves, and popped a kernel off the cob with his thumb. Pulpy liquid from the kernel flew into the eyes of another student, who laughed and wiped her eyes. “Blister stage,” she said. “The kernel is filled, but it’s still liquid inside.”
“Very good,” judge Maciej Kazula said, nodding his head and noting the team’s correct answer on his judging form.
The Sebeka team was one of 16 to participate in the 2024 4-H/FFA Crop Scouting Challenge hosted by University of Minnesota Extension on July 26. In total, 70 students participated in the event, which was in its sixth year.
In addition to identifying crop growth stages, students identified pests, forages, cover crops, plant diseases and soil types and were tested on their ability to interpret pesticide labels. The top three teams in each division received prizes, and the top senior team advanced to a multistate crop scouting event set for September.
The contest is part of Extension’s comprehensive 4-H plant sciences program, which began in 2018 with support through the Minnesota corn check-off. Extension also offers a plant science bowl project, crop/plant science kits, and monthly plant science webinars, thanks in part to Minnesota Corn.
“The Corn Growers were instrumental in getting this event going,” 4-H Extension Educator Brian McNeill said. “The experiences keep growing, and that’s because of the support from Minnesota Corn.”
McNeill said the idea for the crop scouting contest came from Iowa. The first Minnesota contest, held in 2019, included just five teams, and the 2020 and 2021 contests were held virtually because of the pandemic.
4-H Extension Educator Anja Johnson said she can feel excitement for the event growing. “It’s reflected in the participation we’re seeing,” she said.
Kazula, who is Minnesota Corn’s research director, has served as a judge for the event for several years. He said the contest serves as excellent training in agriculture, a field that is constantly changing, adding that it exposes students from urban areas to farming.
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