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 FeedI’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...
Proper spray nozzle selection plays a key role in effective pesticide applications. There are a lot of useful sprayer nozzle selection guides and even online resources or apps to assist with nozzle selection.
One additional new resource applicators may find useful is a new Purdue...
On May 16th, we will be hosting a Field Crop Scout School at the...
Over the last 10 days, precipitation totals across the state have varied with less precipitation falling in the western and northern part of the state and heavier amounts falling in the east-central and southeast part of the state.
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Harvest has already started for many across the state. With the extra flurry of activity including more equipment and...
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...
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....
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...