Last year, Alex Harrell shattered the world record yield for soybeans. This harvest, he beat his best, pulling a 218.2856-bushel average Aug. 13 from his south Georgia field.

He did things differently this year and some stayed the same to push that record-breaking average higher. The variety was Pioneer’s New Z Series P49Z02E. He planted the variety on single, 30-inch rows and planted it thicker than last year’s record, putting 110,000 seed per acre in the furrow with a final stand of 105,000 plants per acre.

“Last year, we had problems with plants that limbed out so much that the branches broke off. So, we planted them thicker this year to kind of reduce that branching some. We didn't have any branches break off this year, but we had whole plants blow over. I think with these high-yield beans, you're just going to have some lodging of some sort when you put that much weight on a plant,” said Harrell, 34.

The field’s soil type was different than last year’s record-breaking location. “Instead of sandy-loamy, we planted in what is almost straight red-Georgia clay,” he told Southeast Farm Press Aug. 13, on his way back from Tifton, Ga., where he got the official certification for the yield, submitting it to the University of Georgia Extension Soybean Yield Contest.

Related:Record soybean yield broken with 206 bushels

Harrell said he had two new observers witness the accomplishment firsthand this year to document the massive harvest, which took place on 2.58 acres of a 65-acre pivot outside Smithville, Ga.

He said the strip-till planter was setup like last year, putting out four things: the seed, an in-furrow mix, a three-by-three fertility mix and pre-emergence herbicide broadcast.

At the V1 stage, he started pulling tissue samples weekly to set a trendline for fertility needs, “and whatever we were short on or needing, we spiked through injections in the irrigation and running a Y-drop over the row,” he said.

He scouted intensively and ran a preventive program, staying ahead of insect and fungicide pressure throughout the year. He applied a fungicide at planting and three more during the growing season, one application at vegetative stage, one at R1 and one at R3.

The growing season so far in south Georgia has been tough in some ways. May was one of the wettest in recent memory for the region. Then June hit with little to no rain with triple-digit daytime temperatures, which turned out to help the record-breaking beans.

“By June, the soybeans were past that heavy bloom stage and were in middle of grain fill. So those hot long days helped make larger beans, which it takes to make those high yields,” he said.

Satisfied he beat his old record, Harrell said this year still worries him, even scares him some.

“It’s going to be tough to keep farming and make it work with our current economic situation. Our corn yields are off this year bad because of weather. The soybeans are better than we thought they were going to be across the farm, which helps. But I mean, it's all about ROI, you have to get a return. This year, it’s going to be tough because we’re trying to make that return but also just trying not to lose as much money,” he said.

Last year, Harrell set the world-record with a 206-bushel average using Asgrow’s AG48X9 variety.