Boots on the Ground Crop-Scouting Basics

Thursday, June 18, 2026

Knowing what’s going on in your fields supports better management decisions

By Emily McKinlay

Even with the ever-expanding market for crop-management technology, nothing can replace having boots on the ground and eyes on your crop.

Scouting crops is one of the easiest ways for producers to fine-tune their input timing, while keeping up on weed and pest management. Frequent field checks and good records of crop performance and health support teamwork between farmers and agronomists to maximize crop performance.

Davidson Ugheoke, crops extension specialist for the Government of Saskatchewan, says scouting helps producers maximize production during the short Prairies growing season.

“The growing season in Western Canada is typically a maximum of 120 days,” says Ugheoke.

“It’s important that producers scout for early detection. It helps to protect their money and crop yield. When they find something while scouting, it is easier to resolve a problem when it’s seen early. Scouting can’t control the weather or prices, but scouting can put you ahead of the game and help make the best decisions for the crop.”

Regular observation and thorough records of crop health and performance can help growers catch diseases, pests, and weeds earlier, while also avoiding costly product applications when there isn’t a problem.

“It also builds up valuable historical records for that field,” adds Ugheoke.

“Farmers will understand what management practices have been carried out on the farm, and it can help the next generation or future owners continue from where you stopped. I believe that scouting provides the highest return on investment for crop management. It can’t be overemphasized.”

Decisions on management and protection for current and future crops are strengthened when growers and agronomists are on the same page and can work together.

When to scout & what to look for

Growers should be walking through their crops several times throughout the growing season. The concerns and characteristics growers assess will change as the crop progresses through its growth stages.

“The arable land in Saskatchewan and Western Canada is so vast that it can be overwhelming to scout,” says Ugheoke.

It can be intimidating to think about looking at a crop across a quarter section, but it’s also important to make sure that scouting observations are representative of the farm. Ugheoke recommends assessing the crop at 10 to 15 different sites throughout the field.

“Try to be random with your scouting as much as possible. You can start at the edge of the field and walk a W or M pattern across it. Depending on the size of the field, you should aim for around 10 to 15 stops.

“You can also do zone-based scouting. Go to areas that you know are going to be prone to drought stress, or check the headlands where there is more compaction. There are also tools that can be used to cover more of the field. A drone could help reduce the stress of walking a vast field and observe a larger area. Nothing is a substitute for boots on the ground, but drones can help.”

Growers should be taking time to assess their fields before the seed goes in the ground.

“To start the season, likely sometime in April, growers should start scouting by looking at the soil conditions, moisture content, and weed flush to determine what herbicide program should be used,” says Ugheoke.

“Moisture content can be considered in choice of seed treatment, and growers might be able to pick out some pests that have been overwintering at this point. They are ultimately looking for soil temperature, available moisture, seedbed condition, and can sometimes look at compaction during the pre-planting period.”

After seeding, typically in May, Ugheoke recommends checking fields a little more frequently to ensure that the crop is emerging and that any weed management was successful.

“From May to June is the crop establishment stage. Look at early crop growth, weed competition, and plant population to determine how successful planting was.”

He recommends observing the crop three to four times a week during early growth, even if there isn’t an opportunity for a thorough walk-through of the field. This timing is also important for making decisions on potential herbicide applications, and growers may be able to see the first signs of pest or disease challenges.

As the season progresses, with cereals entering the stem elongation phase and canola beginning to bolt, Ugheoke recommends scouting crops weekly. Growers should be looking for pests like flea beetles (late-season feeding), diamondback moth larvae, bertha armyworms (early stages), weed breakthroughs, and signs of disease, including rust in cereals.

When flowering begins, Ugheoke says producers should be checking their crops every three to five days.

“Have a look for Sclerotinia stem rot in your canola. Keep an eye out for signs of fungus on the flower petals and plant stems. Also, insect pests such as bertha armyworm and cabbage seed pod weevil,” says Ugheoke.

“In cereals, you should also be watching for aphids and signs of rust on leaves. Growers should be looking at stalk integrity and for signs of any nutrient deficiencies. At this stage, we might be able to make some changes with in-season products to correct nutrients.”

When scouting for pests and disease, growers will typically be most successful when walking their crops in the morning. Ugheoke says that before 10 a.m., insects like the bertha armyworm are typically more active during the cooler hours of the morning, making them more visible. This is also a good time to note the moisture under the crop canopy — a major factor in fungal growth. Aphids often become more active after 5 p.m. when the temperatures begin to cool.

Producers should also assess for additional damage after extreme weather or extended wet or dry periods.

“During wet periods, there is a fungal risk, and in dry periods, insects and pest populations typically explode. You have to scout to know what’s going on.

“After frost, if you see frost in your local crop report, you should scout to see how much damage that frost resulted in.”

Pre-harvest, growers can scout their fields to begin yield estimation.

“In the pre-harvest or pre-swathing period — around one to two weeks before combining — growers can estimate the expected yield in their crops and observe how much moisture is remaining in the grain.”

Regular scouting generates data on crop health and performance to support future crop management decisions.

Better decisions

The real payoff of scouting is the ability to make better data-driven decisions. The information collected from the fields throughout the season should be communicated to the agronomist, and, as a team, management can be tailored to address any problems that are identified in the current and future years’ crops.

Ugheoke reminds growers to pay attention to detail when scouting.

“An email or text message to your agronomist can go a long way in presenting the information from scouting.

“It needs to be scientific and precise. It should include the date, time, weather conditions, field name, GPS coordinates if possible, and the characteristics of the position you are in. For example, it could be on a sandy knoll zone. You should also state the crop variety, the growth stage, or the pest or issue observed, along with the count or severity. If you are aware of the economic threshold, you can include that for context.”

Images are also helpful for communicating findings between the grower and the agronomist. The photographs should be clear and high-resolution, and Ugheoke recommends taking multiple photos.

Photos of the problem should be taken before and after it is addressed to assess whether the management approach was effective.

Digital tools can also be used to organize scouting data.

“There are digital tools that can be shared with your agronomist, like Climate FieldView, Agworld and other scouting apps. A simple Excel spreadsheet will also be adequate.

“That helps keep a clear record and organize your notes, to have a better understanding of the crop’s performance when making decisions.”

In conversations with the farm’s agronomist, scouting data can be used to make decisions in the current season and to improve future seasons.

“Depending on what crop you have and the pests present, scouting can help determine what pesticides are needed and the correct timing and targets. It can also help determine in- season micro and macro nutrient application needs,” says Ugheoke.

“It can assist in planting decisions and determining the best time to harvest. It is a record to know what variety works for you. If you are seeing lodging in cereals, scouting helps make those selection decisions.”

If producers have observed disease or weed pressure in certain fields while scouting, such as blackleg in canola or weed escapes, they can use that information to reorganize their crop rotation to avoid susceptible crops or review new herbicide options.

“Scouting goes a long way in making decisions, with information about how well crops are performing and perceiving a better picture of the field. You can use those records to serve you better,” says Ugheoke.

“In the Prairies, persistent field scouting is business management. Those records help make your next crop even better.” BF