On July 22,2021, 8 high school teams participated in the annual University of Kentucky High School Crop Scouting Competition, held at the Grain and Forage Center of Excellence at the University of Kentucky Research and Education Center in Princeton, KY.  The contest is modeled after similar competitions held in four Midwestern states. Team leaders were recruited from Kentucky FFA chapters and Kentucky high school agriculture teachers, County Agents, and agribusiness leaders.  Participating teams were provided with educational modules and University of Kentucky resources to aid in training students for the competition. Established plots from Kentucky Agriculture Training School (KATS) field days were repurposed for the crop scouting competition. Student teams rotated through nine hands-on field scouting exercises focused on basic corn and soybean agronomics, pest ID (weeds, insects, diseases), field scouting and sprayer calibration. All stations focused on improving students’ awareness of real-world decision making in agriculture. Judges, primarily university Extension specialists and graduate students, scored teams at each station based on the students answers to various questions, and provided students with real-time feedback to make the station an educational opportunity. Each scouting exercise was scored, and prizes were awarded to the top three teams with the highest scores ($500 for 1^st place, $350 for 2^nd place, $150 for 3^rd place). Prizes and support for the competition were provided by the Kentucky Corn Grower’s Association, and the Kentucky Soybean Board. The first and second place teams went on to represent Kentucky and compete in the national crop scouting competition.