One tool to make your job easier and get the most from your fields is a scouting kit. Having your seasonal tools pulled together can save you time and frustration.
“It’s really important before we go to the field to get a scouting kit pulled together, so when you are out there you don’t say ‘Oh, I wish I would have had…’,” says Farm Journal Associate Field Agronomist Missy Bauer.
Bauer says it’s important to change out some items in your scouting kits as the season progresses. For example, you may need a soil thermometer before planting but don’t need it later.
Here’s your list for a complete field scouting kit:
Scouting Manuals
Field Guides
Soil Thermometer
Hand trowel
Shovel
Camera
Hand Lenses
Safety Glasses
Hat (preferably one that goes over your ears at tasseling time)
Tape Measure
Handheld GPS
Pocket Knife
Hatchet
Film Containers (good for collecting in-field samples of insects)
Sunscreen
Insect Repellent
Pen
Notepad
You can learn more in Episode 1 of Corn College TV:
