Scouting Kit Must-Haves: Tools You’ll Want In The Fields
As the end of the year approaches, it’s the perfect time to begin planning for spring. Before the long, hectic days in the field arrive, consider making a list of things you can prepare and set aside now.
Matt Eich of Centrol Crop Consulting has been in the fields as a crop consultant for 15 years and shares what supplies and materials he’s learned scouts won’t want to be without in the fields.
“The first thing I tell my scouts to bring is a willingness to learn,” Eich says. “We go through a lot in a very fast period of time from the start of the season to the end.”
Among the physical items Centrol Crop Consulting provides for scouts in their kits are an iPad, soil sampling materials, a hand trowel and office supplies. Scouts are encouraged to keep several additional items on hand to make days in the field a bit easier.
“I had someone this year who kept forgetting mud boots and just had to trudge through the mud and suffer through it,” Eich says. “It sounds silly, but you don’t want to be uncomfortable. We have a limited amount of time to get across the fields, and sometimes we’re working in not very fun weather.”
Iowa State University Extension and Outreach adds that a knife or razor, bags, personal protective gear such as long sleeves and eyewear and a drop cloth or net for insects are good items to have available in a scouting kit. It also recommends carrying reference material or having access to online resources for identifying pests and weeds.
What You Might Not Think Of
Additionally, Eich encourages scouts to keep their cell phone on hand and download a third-party messaging app, such as WhatsApp, to allow for easily communicating with others working in the field regardless of the brand of phone they use.
An unusual item he and his team started bringing along early in the season has helped them standardize their measurements.
“We use a 25' to 30' retractable dog leash to take stand counts for corn and soybeans,” Eich says. “We attach it to the front of the four-wheeler, stop and pull it to measure.”
The leash has been marked in different places to indicate various row widths and enable team members to make sure they report accurate stand counts.
The items stocked in your scouting kit will need to change as the season progresses. Although you’ll need materials for stand counts and weed identification in the spring, you’ll later want to include a larger shovel for digging roots and a hand lens for identifying insects.
Scouting Kit Necessities
• Bucket
• Cell Phone
• Container to house the kit
• Drop Cloth
• Hand Lens
• iPad or Tablet
• Knife or Razor
• Measurement Tools: (tape measure, dog leash, yard stick, square, etc.)
• Office Supplies (pen, notebook, clipboard, etc.)
• Plastic and Paper Bags
• Rain Gear (mud boots, jacket or a change of clothes)
• Reference Materials (weed guides, insect guides)
• Shovel and/or Hand Trowel
• Soil Sampling Materials (probes, thermometer, bags, etc.)
