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 FeedAs the 2024 growing season winds down and as we gear up for harvest, check out what the ISU Extension and Outreach field agronomists are seeing in their regions across the state.
Join either the ISU Northern Research and Demonstration Farm or the Southeast Research and Demonstration Farm for their fall field days coming up on September 5th!
Northern...
Soybean aphids, fall armyworms (mainly in southern Iowa), tar spot, and sudden death syndrome have been more of the hot topics or issues and concerns ISU Extension and Outreach field agronomists have been either hearing or seeing. Read on...
Reports of fall armyworms have started to roll in, particularly in southern Iowa. Many of us may recall the severe fall armyworm pressure we had in 2021. We have no evidence at this point that issues will be as widespread as what we saw in 2021, but it is a good idea to keep an eye out for this...
As has been common this season, severe weather over the last several days has brought wind and hail to parts of Iowa. This article will address some of the concerns associated with late-season hail on crops.
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Most corn fields across the state are getting into the R2 to R3 stage and soybeans are in the R2 to R4 stage. Some of the more common issues or observations ISU Extension field agronomists made or received about fields across the state...
Variable rainfall, low foliar disease pressure in corn (common rust, southern rust, gray leaf spot, bacterial leaf streak, tar spot), SDS in soybeans, yellow soybeans, soybean aphids, corn rootworm pressure, and weed escapes were some of the more common observations or question topics received...
The ISU Crops Team is looking for a field agronomist to serve the south-central part of Iowa. Below is a...
Hail and wind damage, corn rootworm, Japanese beetles weed escapes, insect, 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...
Hail and wind damage to crops, corn rootworm, nutrient deficiencies, herbicide injury/drift, and waterhemp surviving post herbicide applications were common issues or questions reported by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach field...
Flooding or flood damage in parts of Iowa, corn starting to tassel, corn rootworm, potato leafhoppers, waterhemp suriving post herbicide applications, and herbicide injury due to carryover or drift were "highlights" Iowa State University Extension and Outreach...
Heavy rain across northern Iowa resulted in major flooding in areas. For those dealing with flooding, additional resources can be found here ranging from farm and home to cleaning up after flooding. Read on for more...
Summer annuals are valuable to forage production systems due to their heat and drought tolerance. These high-yielding crops are typically ready for grazing within 40-45 days under optimal conditions, making them ideal for double cropping systems. They provide excellent options for silage,...
Areas in Iowa remained on the drier side last week while other areas received some heavier rain and even some isolated large hail in areas. Herbicide injury, Asian copperleaf, tar spot, nitrogen management, and weeds surviving herbicide applications were some of the hot topics or issues...
The weather the last week was again drier than previous weeks, but also plenty windy some days. The drier conditions provided opportunities for lots of field activities including replating, spraying, making hay, and sidedressing. Prevent or delayed planting, herbicide injury, true armyworms,...
The last week brought some drier weather across the state for farmers to get back in the fields to plant as well as for other field activities to be completed including spraying, putting up first cutting hay, and sidedressing. Delayed planting, replant decisions, yellow corn, white grubs, true...
Over the last week, we've seen a lot of active weather across the state. In addition to tornadoes, wind, and heavy rains, areas across the state also got hit with hail.
Waiting 7-10 days after a hail event helps give the crops a chance to recover and makes it easier to assess the damage...
The weather provided a window for farmers to get back in fields and continue to make planting progress. Other field activities in the last week included tillage, herbicide applications, harvesting first cutting of alfalfa, and rotary hoe operations in areas dealing with soil crusting. From the...
Last week at our Field Crop Scout School one resource that we shared was a list of crop scouting related apps and web-based resources. There are a lot of apps and web-based resources out there that can be helpful when it comes to crop scouting.
Check out the list we complied below or...
Last week was another wet week with rainfall totals ranging from just over 0.5 inch to 2.5+ inches of rain across the state. Folks were finally able to get back in fields late last week and over the weekend to do tillage, plant, spray, and even get hay cut and baled or cover crops harvested for...
Planting progress started off strong, but recent rain events across the state have brought it to a screeching halt. It seems like fields get just about fit to get back in them to plant and it rains again. According to the May 6th USDA Crop Progress Report, corn planting was at 47%...
With all the alfalfa weevils, we’ve had quite a few questions on how do you know if a field is a threshold to take action? Or I’ve used my sweep net, what’s the threshold per sweep for alfalfa weevil?
First off, a sweep net can be a helpful tool to determine if alfalfa weevils are present...
Recent rain events have put a delay on much planting progress and other field activities across the state of Iowa. Planting considerations, alfalfa weevil, cover crop termination, and weed management have been some of the common questions or topics reported by ISU Extension and Outreach...
I’ve been scouting several alfalfa fields in East-Central Iowa this spring, and it’s always interesting to see what you get in your sweep net. While I’ve been able to find quite a few alfalfa weevil adults and larvae in fields this spring, that’s not all I’ve found!
Alfalfa weevil...
Recent rains, cooler temperatures, and the windier conditions have slowed field activities. According to the May 22 NASS Crop Progress Report, 13% of the...