Rebecca Vittetoe

Rebecca Vittetoe is an extension field agronomist in east central Iowa. Educational programs are available for farmers, agribusiness, pesticide applicators, and certified crop advisors.

Areas of expertise include agronomy, field crop production and management of corn, soybeans, and IPM/crop scouting. Vittetoe joined Iowa State University Extension and Outreach in April of 2015. 

Subscribe to the Southeast/South-central Iowa Crop Connection newsletter for current topics and agriculture events in the area.

Rebecca Vittetoe
February 28, 2024 5:25 PM

High February temperatures have prompted many alfalfa fields across the state to initiate greening up over the past couple of weeks (Figure 1). However, temperatures then plummeted (9°F) earlier this week, likely resulting in the demise of the new growth. But the more pressing question is...

Crop Production
February 26, 2024 9:28 PM

You are invited to the Southeast Iowa Agricultural Research Association's annual meeting, on Thursday, March 7, at the Southeast Research and Demonstration Farm, located at 3115 Louisa-Washington Rd, Crawfordsville.

The association, in partnership with Iowa State University, oversees the...

Crop Production
October 30, 2023 9:54 AM

Researchers recommend that soil temperatures at the 4-inch depth are 50° F and cooling before applying fall anhydrous ammonia or manure with a high ammonium nitrogen (N) content, such as with liquid swine manure.

Looking at the current 4-inch soil temperatures across the state, we did...

Soils
October 11, 2023 9:40 AM

Harvest is rolling right along across the state. Check out what ISU Extension and Outreach field agronomists are seeing and hearing on how harvest is progressing in their respective areas of the state.

Northwest Iowa...

Crop Production
October 4, 2023 8:00 AM

After the last several years of dry conditions, some pastures may benefit from a renovation in 2024. Proper planning and preparation are needed to successfully improve pastures with either a late winter frost seeding or no-till renovation with interseeding next spring. Below are some good...

Crop Production
October 2, 2023 11:17 AM

Fall is a great time to take soil samples for testing. Soil testing is the only way to determine soil nutrient levels and test results can help make critical management decisions for the next growing season. Soil testing starts with the soil sample. It is critical to take a collection of...

Soil Fertility
September 18, 2023 9:31 AM

Harvest has already started for many across the state. With the extra flurry of activity including more equipment and...

Equipment and Machinery
September 12, 2023 2:27 PM

After about a month of minimal rainfall across the state, some much welcomed rain fell over the weekend and on Monday, September 11. The couple of hot weeks and dry conditions in August really pushed crops along across the state, even causing some to reach maturity prematurely. Silage harvest is...

Crop Production
September 12, 2023 11:40 AM

Harvest is approaching too quickly this fall. Between the dry summer and the spurts of hot weather in August and early September, crop standability is degrading quickly. This blog will go over some potential reasons for standability issues and ways to assess and prioritize fields for harvest....

Crop Production, Plant Diseases
August 23, 2023 8:27 AM

The rains earlier in August across much of the state and more moderate temperatures have been replaced by hotter and drier conditions. While some fields across the state look pretty good, others are showing more signs of stress here this week. Other common observations made in fields across the...

Crop Production
August 8, 2023 4:31 PM

While some much welcomed rain fell across most of the state over the last week, parts of NE Iowa missed out on the rain and other parts saw 6+ inches of rainfall. From the field, aphids (in corn and soybeans), spider mites, soybean gall midge, concerns about tar spot, and downy mildew in...

Crop Production
August 1, 2023 9:55 PM

Soybean aphids, two-spotted spider mites, fungicide decisions despite little disease pressure, and the hot and dry conditions were some of the more common issues or questions Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Field Agronomists have seen or heard about in fields across the state over...

Crop Production
July 25, 2023 10:50 PM

Limited rainfall, the hot weather this week, corn rootworm, weed escapes, insect defoliators, and questions on foliar fungicides have been the more common issues or questions Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Field Agronomists have seen or heard about over the last week. Read on for...

Crop Production
July 18, 2023 10:27 PM

Over the last week much needed rain was received, but it also unfortunately brought along wind and hail to some parts of the state. Other hot topics coming in from fields across the state this past week included corn rootworm, soybean gall midge, phytophthora in soybeans, tar spot, gray leaf...

Crop Production
July 11, 2023 4:19 PM

Corn rootworm, soybean gall midge, tar spot, drought stress, and weed control issues are some of the common issues or questions Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Field Agronomists have seen or heard about the past couple of weeks. Read on for more specifics about what’s happening...

Crop Production
June 27, 2023 12:36 PM

While some much needed and welcomed rain fell across most of the state this past week, some areas received minimal to no rain. The dry conditions, herbicide injury, potato leafhoppers, nutrient deficiencies (mainly potassium), weed control failures, and tar spot are some of the highlights on the...

Crop Production
June 20, 2023 3:16 PM

Dry conditions causing crop stress, herbicide carryover and drift, nutrient deficiencies induced by the dry conditions, armyworms in forages, and a frost event in NE Iowa were some of the common or big issues or questions ISU Extension and Outreach Field Agronomists heard about or received this...

Crop Production
June 13, 2023 12:17 PM

The dry conditions across the state can be attributed to a lot of the issues or questions ISU Extension and Outreach Field Agronomists heard about or received this past week including issues like herbicide carryover, nutrient deficiencies, and showcasing compaction issues in fields not just from...

Crop Production
June 6, 2023 10:38 PM

Spotty rainfall and dry conditions, replanting/filling in soybean stands, weed management/herbicide application considerations, and fertilizer burn on corn roots were some of the more common concerns or questions ISU Extension Field...

Crop Production
June 6, 2023 5:34 PM

Plan to attend the upcoming field days that will be hosted at the outlying Iowa State University Research and Demonstration Farms this summer. These field days will feature the latest information on crop production and crop management practices. Below is a list of the upcoming field days that...

Crop Production
May 31, 2023 4:16 PM

With turning the calendar to June, now is the time to be seeding warm-season annual forages like sorghum, sorghum-sudangrass, sudangrass, millets, and teff. These forages can help to fill in the gap with the summer slump or provide some extra forage when your perennial forage supply may be short...

Crop Production
May 23, 2023 12:57 PM

Planting is starting to wind down across the state as 95% of the expected corn crop and 84% of the expected soybean crop has been planted according to the ...

Crop Production
May 9, 2023 2:15 PM

Farmers were able to get back in the fields last week across the state and made great strides in planting. Across the state...

Crop Production
April 25, 2023 12:41 PM

While there was quite a bit of field activity two weeks ago across the state, this last week’s cooler temperatures and rainfall across the state have resulted in minimal field activity. ISU Extension and Outreach Field Agronomists share...

Crop Production

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