Rachel Vann

Rachel Vann serves as Associate Professor and Soybean Extension Specialist at North Carolina State University's Crop & Soil Sciences department, concurrently holding the position of N.C. PSI Platform Director for Extension, Outreach, and Engagement while leading the national Science for Success Initiative.

Her educational background includes a B.S. in Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (2012), followed by M.S. (2015) and Ph.D. (2017) degrees from NC State University, with her doctoral research focusing on cover crop breeding and management. Between graduate degrees, she completed a U.S. Borlaug Fellowship in Costa Rica and served as a Postdoc in NC State's Organic Grains Program.

Vann's research program centers on soybean agronomic management, including intensified rotations, maturity group selection, planting windows, cover crop benefits, seed quality protection, and novel information delivery strategies. Her work demonstrates strong interdisciplinary connections between agronomy, soil science, and sustainable production systems, with particular emphasis on practical field applications for North Carolina growers.

Her recent publications reveal consistent focus on optimizing soybean production through management practices, with recurring themes in planting date effects, cover crop integration, nutrient management, and seed quality preservation across diverse environmental conditions in the Southeast United States.

Vann actively engages in educational outreach through multiple channels including the Beans Gone Wild online tool, annual Extension Agent training activities, undergraduate and Agricultural Institute courses on soybean production, and biennial field-based graduate courses. Her leadership in the Science for Success Initiative demonstrates national impact in delivering research-based best management practices to soybean farmers.