AMES, Iowa – The newest commercial fruit crop specialist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach will use his extensive background in the industry to help Iowa fruit growers overcome challenges.
Randall Vos previously served as a professor and chair in the horticulture department at the Ankeny campus of the Des Moines Area Community College. In addition to his knowledge of fruit crops, he worked for a time at Ajinomoto and was a production manager for a wholesale greenhouse in Pella.
“I enjoy working with the growers and helping them problem solve,” said Vos. “We have a lot of people interested in fruit crops in Iowa and some are scaling up their operations. In a seasonal state like Iowa, there can be opportunities and challenges.”
Vos earned his undergraduate degree from Dordt University, master's in horticulture from Michigan State, and his Ph.D. in horticulture from Iowa State in 2014.
“Horticulture is extremely important to the economy of Iowa and we are pleased to welcome Randall Vos to the ISU Extension and Outreach commercial horticulture team,” said Jeff Isles, professor and chair of the Department of Horticulture at Iowa State University. “A graduate of Iowa State’s Department of Horticulture, Randall brings a wide range of relevant experiences to his duties as commercial fruit crop specialist.”
Vos said the challenges for Iowa fruit growers include production efficiency, labor, pest control and marketing. He looks forward to helping Iowa growers improve their growing practices in ways that maximize the potential of the cultivars they are growing and improve their profitability.
Vos works at the ISU Extension and Outreach Marion County office, in Knoxville.
He can be reached at rjvos@iastate.edu. For more information, visit the ISU Extension and Outreach horticulture website.
Shareable photo: Headshot of Randall Vos.
