Hershey Farms from Elizabethtown, Pa., was the state’s top soybean producer in the 2018 Pennsylvania Soybean Yield Contest, sponsored by the Pennsylvania Soybean Board.

The farm grew 97.19 bushels per acre. The mean yield of the contest entrants in 2018 was 79.15 bushels per acre, down from the 2017 average of 80.85 bushels per acre.

“Growers faced a number of challenges this year,” says Del Voight, Penn State Extension educator and coordinator the yield contest. “Rainfall was much higher than normal. Spring rains affected planting dates, and we saw the impact of the rain at the end of the season with issues including delayed harvest, white mold and sprouting.”

Jim Hershey, owner of Hershey Farms, will 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 Feb. 27 to March 2 in Orlando, Fla.

The regional winners also receive a trip to the 2019 Commodity Classic.

The contest recognized not only the statewide grand champion, but also the top growers in each of five regions of Pennsylvania, based on maturity maps:

• 1st place, south-central: Jim Hershey, Hershey Farms, Lancaster County, 97.19 bushels per acre
• 1st place, central: Leslie Bowman, Leshers Poultry, Franklin County, 88.75 bushels per acre
• 1st place, southeast: Tim Stewart, Bucks County, 86.21 bushels per acre
• 1st place, northern: Vernon Martin, Tioga County, 72.57 bushels per acre
• 1st place, western: Thomas Hoovler, Mercer County, 71.06 bushels per acre

Hershey planted Pioneer P27T03 in 15-inch rows following corn. The crop was planted using no-till on May 2, 2018, at a seeding rate of 170,000. The field was harvested Oct. 3 at 14.05% moisture. Hershey used Acceleron seed treatment; Roundup Ultra, Canopy, Sharpen as a preherbicide; and Roundup Ultra, Classic, Dakota as a postherbicide.

Bowman planted Pioneer P39T28X. Stewart planted Asgrow AG36X6 and yielded 86.21 bushels per acre. Martin planted Pioneer P31T77R for a 72.57-bushel-per-acre yield. Hoovler got 71.06 bushels per acre yield with Asgrow AG30X6.

The contest was launched by the Pennsylvania Soybean Board in 1992. A summary of the crop production practices is available at pasoybean.org.

Source: Pennsylvania Soybean Board, which is solely responsible for the information provided and is wholly owned by the source. Informa Business Media and all its subsidiaries are not responsible for any of the content contained in this information asset.