While 2018 brought its share of rough weather, including summer drought across much of the state and wet harvest conditions, Missouri soybean farmers brought big yields for the Missouri Soybean Association’s annual competition. Results from Missouri’s soybean yield contest are now finalized with the highest yields topping 90 bushels per acre.
Top honors go to Wes Willbrand, of St. Charles, who roughly doubled Missouri’s statewide soybean average. Willbrand’s 95.61 bushel per acre yield came through conventional tillage practices and without irrigation using Asgrow AG36X6 soybean seeds. For irrigated soybeans, Kaley Wilkerson led with 93.88 bushels per acre using Stine 36LE32 seed.
“Raising 70, 80 and 90 bushel soybeans shows an outstanding combination of management, conditions and innovation, and it’s great to see Missouri farmers consistently doing so well in the Association’s annual soybean yield contest,” said Brooks Hurst, a soybean farmer from Tarkio and president of the Missouri Soybean Association. “Stewardship is key to success on the farm, and our winners demonstrate their commitment to reaching these high yields year after year. Congratulations to all our participants in the 2018 soybean yield contest on these great results.”
This year’s contest saw 16 entries with soybean yields topping 80 bushels per acre, and seven topping 90 bushels per acre.
Winners will be recognized at district soybean meetings in early 2019, with the statewide winners also honored during the Missouri Soybean Association annual meeting in Jefferson City at the end of January. Winners are listed below, along with the seed variety used to reach their top-tier yields.
Statewide Winners – Irrigated Soybeans
| Entry | Community | County | Variety | Yield (bu/ac) | |
| 1st | Kaley Wilkerson | Montgomery City | Montgomery | Stine 36LE32 | 93.88 |
| 2nd | Charles Hinkebein | Chaffee | Cape Girardeau | Pioneer P47T36R | 90.03 |
Statewide Winners – Non-Irrigated Soybeans
| Entry | Community | County | Variety | Yield (bu/ac) | |
| 1st | Wes Willbrand | St. Charles | St. Charles | Asgrow AG36X6 | 95.61 |
| 2nd | John Brenner | Morrison | Gasconade | Asgrow AG39X7 | 91.29 |
| 3rd | Joseph Landewee | Chaffee | Cape Girardeau | FS HiSoy HS 47L50 | 90.82 |
The Missouri Soybean Association’s yield contest is made possible by generous contributions from the Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council and soybean checkoff, AgriGold, Asgrow, Baker Implement Company, BASF, Beck’s Hybrids, Corteva Agriscience, Missouri Crop Improvement Association, DeltAg, Nutrien Ag Solutions, MFA Oil, ProHarvest, Lewis Hybrids, Merschman Seeds, URSA Farmers Co-Op, Pioneer, FMC, Legacy Equipment, Stratton Seed Company, and Sydenstricker John Deere.
District Winners
| Entry | Community | County | District | Yield (bu/ac) | Entry | Community |
| Josh Oswald | Fairfax | Atchison | 1 | No-Till (Dryland) | Pioneer P33T19X | 88.56 |
| Josh Oswald | Fairfax | Atchison | 1 | Conventional Till | Pioneer P38T20X | 88.33 |
| Nathan White | Norborne | Carroll | 2 | No-Till | Pioneer P40A47X | 79.97 |
| Christy Nelson | Vandalia | Audrain | 3 | No-Till | MorSoy MS 4197 LL | 74.33 |
| Christy Nelson | Vandalia | Audrain | 3 | Conventional Till | MorSoy MS 4197 LL | 71.22 |
| Tom Ferguson | Adrian | Bates | 4 | No-Till | Pioneer P48A60X | 80.43 |
| John Brenner | Morrison | Osage | 5 | Conventional Till | Asgrow AG39X7 | 90.74 |
| Brian D. Martin | Centralia | Boone | 5 | No-Till | Pioneer P40A47X | 74.52 |
| Wes Willbrand | St. Charles | St. Charles | 6 | Conventional Till | Asgrow AG36X6 | 95.61 |
| Joseph Landewee | Chaffee | Cape Girardeau | 7 | No-Till | FS HiSoy HS 47L50 | 90.82 |
| Jennifer Landewee | Chaffee | Cape Girardeau | 7 | Conventional Till | FS HiSoy HS 47L50 | 90.62 |
Missouri’s soybean harvest averages between 40 and 50 bushels per acre each year.
Participants in the Missouri Soybean Yield Contest were required to enter their fields into the competition prior to harvest. The 2018 entry deadline was September 1. At harvest, participants were required to have a designated judge verify their yield results for the competition and to submit their verified results no later than the extended deadline of December 1.
Contest rules are posted online at mosoy.org. Details for the Missouri Soybean Association’s 2019 Yield Contest will be posted online at mosoy.org and announced in Missouri Soybean Farmer magazine during the spring of 2019.
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Note: There is not a no-till winner for district 6, nor a conventional tillage winner in district 2, as no entries met all requirements for those categories.