Soy yield winners announced

With the 2018 soybean season setting records in Illinois and other states, it is no surprise that several producers topped 100 bushels per acre (bu/A) in the Illinois Soybean Association (ISA) checkoff program’s annual Yield Challenge competition.

In its eighth year, 66 entries were considered for top honors in four contests—the 100-Bushel Challenge, Crop Region Contest, Double-Crop Challenge and Side-by-Side Contest. “We always are learning new management practices and techniques that allow us to produce soybeans more sustainably than before,” says Lynn Rohrscheib, soybean farmer from Fairmount, Illinois, and ISA chairwoman. “The Yield Challenge encourages producers in that pursuit of continuous improvement for both our local communities and a growing world population.” Proving this year to be an exceptional one for soybeans, 15 producers harvested soybeans surpassing 100 bu/A with another 30 breaking the 90 bu/A mark. Taking the top honor and outyielding last year’s winner by less than a bushel, Paul Klein of Seymour, Illinois, won the 100-Bushel Challenge with 110.94 bu/A on his Champaign County field. In the irrigated category, Greg McClure broke the century mark with 110.19 bu/A. Winners of the irrigated and non-irrigated categories will each receive a grand prize of $4,000. Entrants in the 100-Bushel Challenge must have the grain weighed on a certified commercial scale, submit original scale ticket and have yield verified by two witnesses, one provided by ISA.