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.
Subscribe to RSS FeedIn 2019 Iowa had over 460,000 prevented plant acres. As we prepare for the 2020 growing season, one concern we sometimes hear about with prevented plant acres is fallow syndrome. Fallow syndrome happens when the populations of “good fungi” known as vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizae (VAM) are...
Now is the time to be thinking about improving pasture stands by either the frost seeding method in February and early March or interseeding later in the spring months. Below are guidelines and considerations when it comes to frost seeding or interseeding.
Frost seeding...
Farmers and crop advisors are invited to attend the Southeast Iowa Agricultural Research Association annual meeting, which will be held at the Johnson County Extension Office in Iowa City on Thursday, March 5, 2020 beginning at 10 a.m.
Registration and refreshments will begin at 9:30 a.m...
Manufacturers of the dicamba products labeled for over-the-top use in soybean (FeXapan, Xtendimax, Tavium, Engenia) are again offering live and online training sessions for pesticide applicators planning to use those products during the 2020 growing season. Live sessions are offered during...
This winter we will be hosting several soil fertility workshops around the state to help farmers better understand how to interpret soil test results and make soil fertility recommendations.
Join us for one of these workshops to:
- Learn how soil tests are done and what they...
With a growing number of cover crop acres across the state of Iowa, some producers are looking to cover crops to help extend their grazing season. While cover crops have the potential to be an extra forage source and reduce feed costs, there are challenges with using cover crops as a forage...
Did insects bug you and your crops this year? As the 2019 growing season winds down, ISU Extension field agronomists are seeking information from producers and retailers across the state regarding what the most problematic insect pests were this growing season.
Give us...
Temperatures fell into the low 30’s and upper 20’s in most of Iowa over the weekend of October 11-13. Because of the very late planting season, some crops were immature enough to be injured by the freezing temperatures. This ICM Blog will address frost damage concerns to soybeans.
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The weather forecast is calling for temperatures to dip below or close to freezing this weekend across the state of Iowa. What does this mean for forage crops, particularly forage crops such as sudangrass, sorghum, and sorghum sudangrass hybrids?
A frost event, even a light frost, with...
Harvest is off to a slow start across the state. High moisture grain, crop maturity, and ear rots and stalk rots are some of the topics ISU Extension and Outreach field agronomists have been focusing on. Read on for more about what’s happening in specific regions of the state.
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Proper planning and preparation are needed to successfully improve pastures with either late winter frost seeding or no-till renovation with interseeding next spring. This ICM Blog post will discuss what you should be doing now to prepare for pasture renovations in 2020.
Fall is a great time to take soil samples. Soil testing is the only way to determine soil nutrient levels, and the results of these tests can help make critical management decisions for the next growing season. This article will discuss when to soil sample, different soil sampling methods, how...
Harvest season will soon be here, and that will mean more equipment and slow-moving vehicles both on the farm and the road. This flurry of activity can result in an increased chance for farm and equipment-related accidents.
This week (September 15 – 21) is National Farm Safety and Health...
Check out what ISU Extension and Outreach field agronomists in EC, SE, and SC Iowa are seeing and hearing in their areas regarding crop progress and issues showing up in crop fields.
Join us for the fall field day at the Southeast Research and Demonstration Farm on September 5, 2019
Mark your calendar for the September 5thFall Field Day at the Southeast Research and Demonstration Farm near Crawfordsville! The event will begin at 5:30 p.m. with a complimentary meal and registration. The tour starts at 6 p.m. and will feature the following topics:
Now is the time to be doing late summer seeding of forages. This ICM article Steve Barnhart, retired Extension forage specialist, wrote does a nice job providing basic information to successfully...
Limited rain fell across the state this past week, and approximately 36% of the state is considered to be abnormally dry according to the U.S. Drought Monitor as of last Tuesday, August 6. In addition to the dry...
The growing season started off too wet, but now we are going to the other extreme of being too dry in places. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, just shy of 25% of the state was considered abnormally dry as...
Growth regulator damage in soybeans, potato leaf hoppers, gray leaf spot, and thistle caterpillars have been some of the issues or pests ISU Extension and Outreach field agronomists have seen in fields this past week. Read on to see what is happening in specific areas across the state.
...This past week brought some much needed rainfall to areas across the state, which helped the crops through the hot temperatures. The pest of the week across the state seems to be thistle caterpillars causing defoliation in soybeans...
Check out what ISU Extension and Outreach field agronomists have been seeing and hearing about in fields across the state this past week. Some of the common issues observed in fields include insect defoliation in soybeans by pests like thistle caterpillars and Japanese beetles, weed management...
Soybean gall midge larvae, Japanese beetles, foliar diseases in corn, and weed management issues were some of the more common issues ISU Extension and Outreach field agronomists came across in fields this past week. Read on for more information about what’s happening in specific regions across...
The past week finally brought some heat but it also brought some storms across the state leaving areas seeing wind damage and/or hail damage. In addition to some of the storm damage, thistle caterpillars, Japanese beetles, and weed management issues seemed to be some of the main concerns across...
Last week the USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) changed the rules for when farmers who planted cover crops on prevented plant acres will be permitted to hay, graze, or chop those fields....
The wet weather, weed management challenges in corn and soybeans, and thistle caterpillars in soybeans continue to be common issues that Iowa State University Extension and Outreach field agronomists are hearing about and seeing in fields across the state. Read on for more information about what...