Rachel Vann
RV
Bio
Rachel Vann is a Cropping Systems Agronomist and Extension Specialist at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign where she is dedicated to advancing cropping systems through innovative research, interdisciplinary collaboration, and impactful outreach. Her work focuses on improving row crop management and integrating specialty grain crops into diverse rotations to enhance agricultural resilience and productivity. Committed to serving farmers, she leads and contributes to national initiatives, like Science for Success, that translate research into practical, science-based solutions.
Prior to this position, she was an Associate Professor and Soybean Extension Specialist at NC State University. She remains involved in training graduate students and leading the BeanPACK project for NC State University.
Rachel grew up in Geneseo, Illinois and completed her Bachelor’s Degree at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign studying Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences with a minor in Crop and Soil Science (B.S. 2012). She completed her graduate degrees at NC State University. Her Master’s degree focused on cover crop management in organic corn production and organic canola production (M.S. 2015). Between her Master’s and Ph.D. she completed a U.S. Borlaug Fellowship in Costa Rica. Her Ph.D. focused on cover crop breeding and management and weed control in cotton (Ph.D. 2017). Prior to beginning her position at NC State as the Soybean Extension Specialist, Rachel was a Postdoc in the Organic Grains Program at NC State.
Publications
- At‐plant application of nitrogen effects on ultra‐late planted soybean behind corn in South Carolina , Crop Forage & Turfgrass Management (2026)
- Soybean growth habit influence on development, yield, and seed quality in North Carolina full‐season soybean production , Agronomy Journal (2026)
- Adjusting seeding rate across soybean planting date and maturity in the Southeast United States , Crop Science (2025)
- Artificial defoliation effects on full season and double crop soybean yields , Crop Protection (2025)
- Commercial biostimulant seed treatments showed minimal impact on soybean seed yield across the United States , Field Crops Research (2025)
- Does defoliation affect late planted soybean yield? , Crop Protection (2025)
- Effect of Hurricane Helene on US soybean production , Crop Forage & Turfgrass Management (2025)
- Fungicide seed treatment impact on soybean stand and yield across planting dates and maturity groups in North Carolina , Agronomy Journal (2025)
- Harvest aid applied at soybean growth stage R7 rarely impacted seed, protein, or oil yield , Agronomy Journal (2025)
- How changes in cover crop termination timing affect soybean yield? A systematic review and meta-analysis , Field Crops Research (2025)