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The soybean yield ceiling to break has always been 100 bushels. It was long thought that soybeans’ maximum yield potential was 100 bushels per acre and corn’s was 500 bushels per acre. We know the 100-bushel ceiling has been officially broken by farmers a number of times in other states and that a few companies also have broken the record unofficially. In fact, Stoller USA reported a 214.7-bushel yield from research plots in Texas this summer. And someone will inevitably break the 500-bushel corn ceiling.

In Illinois we are waiting for someone to officially break the 100-bushel soybean ceiling. It may have been done already and we hear stories, but if it wasn’t officially verified and witnessed we can’t be sure. However, this might just be the year that we get there. The weather has cooperated with cool weather and frequent rains, and soybeans are beginning to turn and will mature before the first hard frost—and that is a good sign.

The Illinois Soybean Association (ISA) has been sponsoring the Yield Challenge since 2010. The premise of this program is to encourage growers to try some new yield-increasing ideas, to  compare the results to their standard practices, and to measure and report the yield gain. Over the years we have seen yield gains as much as 20 to 30 bushels per acre, but on average more like 3 to 5 bushels.

In 2013 ISA added the 100 Bushel Challenge as part of the Yield Challenge program to encourage growers to go for 100 bushels. The award provides a $5,000 reward to the person who had the highest yield over 100 bushels. There were no winners in 2013; however, the prospects are very high that we will see a winner in 2014. And with such good weather this season and an above-average soybean crop, more than 30 farmers registered for the 100 Bushel Challenge from the tip of southern Illinois up to near the Wisconsin border.

The fact that so many farmers across the state registered their sites in the 100 Bushel Challenge is exciting, and indicates there are growers in Illinois who are trying new and innovative ideas to improve soybean production.

Breaking 100 bushels and validating the actual yield is very important. The measurements and calculations need to be precise, accurate and witnessed. ISA has put into place a harvest protocol that will provide accurate data, two harvest verifiers who will witness the actual harvest and weighing, and an independent third party to check the calculations.

Breaking 100 bushels is exciting and we may see a number of growers who achieve this record this fall. However what is even more exciting is learning the practices they implemented and the tactics they used to get there. We can all learn from that.

Stay tuned to ILSoyAdvisor.com and ISA to learn more who broke the 100-bushel threshold.

Agronomist Dr. Daniel Davidson posts blogs on agronomy-related topics. Feel free to contact him at djdavidson@agrwrite.com.