One thing is for sure. The weather and pest situation in Wisconsin and the Midwest are never predictable. Each year brings its own set of crop production challenges. How well did you monitor your crops and keep track of changes or problems during the growing season last year? Were you confident in your field identification of pests and beneficial organisms? Are those abnormal-looking plants caused by diseases, nutrient deficiency or environmental problems? Did you know the weed you were noticing?

Field monitoring, or scouting, is the backbone of an Integrated Crop and Pest Management program. Scouting provides information on potential pest outbreaks, progress of crop development, and overall crop health to make environmentally sound management decisions. An assessment of the crop is needed before appropriate crop management decisions are made. Farmers should be able to informatively respond to emerging crop production situations through crop and field scouting.