2016 Pennsylvania Soybean Yield Contest Winners Announced
HARRISBURG, PA (December 12, 2016) – Krall Farms from Lebanon County was the state’s top producer in the 2016 Pennsylvania Soybean Yield Contest, sponsored by the Pennsylvania Soybean Board. Their winning yield was 91.33 bushels per acre.
Lebanon County farmer Darren Grumbine, of Lebanon, Pa., placed second in the commonwealth with 90.77 bu./acre. In third place state-wide was Lancaster County soybean grower Elvin Reiff of Mt. Joy, Pa., with a 90.68 bu./acre yield.
According to contest coordinator and Penn State Senior Extension Agent Del Voight, three of the participating growers exceeded 90 bushels per acre. The mean yield of the contest entrants in 2016 was 76.82 bu./acre, up from the 2015 average of 73.42 bu./acre.
“Growers throughout the state cited too little rainfall during pod fill as the major issue impacting yields,” says Voight. “Over the 23 years of the contest, the yields reported by the participants are increasing at about one bushel per acre per year. This is about double the state average of .4 bushel per acre increase per year.”
The contest recognized not only the state-wide grand champion, but also the top growers in each of five regions of Pennsylvania, based on maturity maps:
1st Place Overall & South Central Region –Krall Farms (Lebanon Pa., Lebanon County) 91.33 bu./acre
1st Place Central Region – Lesher’s Poultry (Chambersburg, Pa., Franklin County) 80.56 bu./acre
1st Place Southeast Region – Tim Stewart (Yardley, Pa., Bucks County) 71.54 bu./acre
1st Place Northern Region – Matt Ahern (Ulster, Pa., Bradford County) 74.36 bu./acre
1st place Western Region – Telesz Farms (Valent, Pa., Lawrence County) 77.10 bu./acre
In addition to the statewide title, the Kralls were the South Central Region winner, planting Pioneer 36T86 in 15” rows following corn. The crop was planted into a small grain cover crop with a drill using minimum-till techniques on April 21, 2016 at a seeding rate of 150,000 ppa. The final stand of 137,600 ppa was harvested on October 17, 2016 at 13.5 % moisture. The Kralls used Pioneer Premium seed treatment, Grizzly insecticide for pest management, and Touchdown Total for herbicides.
Franklin County’s Lesher’s Poultry won the top yield honors in the Central Region with 80.56 bu./acre. They planted Pioneer 36T86. Tim Stewart, from Bucks County, was the top producer in the Southeast Region. He planted Asgrow 3832 and yielded 71.54 bu./acre. Matt Ahern of Bradford County won top honors in the Northern Region. He planted Pioneer 24T05 for a 74.36 bu./acre yield. Telesz Farms, Lawrence County, was the top entrant in the West Tier with 77.10 bu./acre yield with Hi Soy 30A42.
As the top state winner, Glenn and Linda Krall receive a trip for two to the Commodity Classic, the annual joint convention of the American Soybean Association, National Corn Growers Association, National Association of Wheat Growers, and the National Grain Sorghum Producers, held in March 1-4, 2017 in San Antonio. The Regional winners also receive a trip to the 2017 Commodity Classic.
The contest was launched by the Pennsylvania Soybean Board in 1992. A summary of the crop production practices from the 2016 contest entrants is available at the Pennsylvania Soybean Board booth at the 2017 Keystone Farm Show in York, Pa., and on the Yield Contest page at www.pasoybean.org. You’ll find the page under Forms>Growers.
About the Pennsylvania Soybean Board
The Pennsylvania Soybean Board is a farmer-controlled Board responsible for managing Pennsylvania’s share of funds received from the nationwide Soybean Checkoff program. The funding is available under an assessment program, approved by Congress in 1990, under which soybean farmers contribute 50 cents of every $100 they receive for their beans at the first point of sale. Funds are used to develop markets, educate consumers, and research new ways to utilize and produce soybeans more efficiently.