Press Release

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – For the first time in the history of the South Dakota Soybean Yield Contest, three farmers submitted winning entries breaking the 100-bushel mark. Scott McKee, a farmer from Union County, took home Overall First Place in the South Dakota Soybean Yield Contest with his record-breaking soybean yield of 110.85 bushels per acre, breaking his previous record of 106.61 bushels per acre from last year’s contest. McKee planted Asgrow variety AG2733. Zachary McKee, a farmer from Union County, took home the Overall Second Place award with a soybean yield of 109.26 bushels per acre with Pioneer variety P25T51R. Tim Hofer, a farmer from Hutchinson County won first place in his category with a soybean yield of 104.83 bushels per acre. Hofer planted Legend variety 27R542N.

The South Dakota Soybean Research and Promotion Council and the South Dakota Soybean Association announced the awards at the annual Soybean Recognition Banquet last week.

“We really had an exceptional year,” McKee said. “I’ve never had such tall beans. The weather was great, we got timely rains and missed the storms. We also didn’t have any aphids. Everything just went according to plan.”

Scott McKee (left) accepts his 2016 South Dakota Soybean Yield Contest award from SDSA President Jerry Schmitz at the Soybean Recognition Banquet. McKee is farmer in Union County, and harvested a record-yield of 110.85 bushels per acre for the South Dakota Soybean Yield Contest. (Download high-resolution photo.)

The South Dakota Soybean Yield Contest was created to encourage farmers to try new production practices to push the yield envelope. The contest recognizes top contest performers for their efforts to give other farmers ideas for what may work on their farms.

“This allows us to collect information to see what works,” says Jon Schaeffer, Chairman of the South Dakota Soybean Yield Contest Committee. “The contest helps us to identify the best management practices of top producers that we can share with other famers so they can be as productive as possible.”

Entries for the yield contest were categorized by soybean maturity and sub-divided into three groups: Irrigated, Non-irrigated and No-till. Each first-place winner received a $2,000 cash prize and up to $2,000 for a non-transferable trip for two to the 2017 Commodity Classic in San Antonio, Texas. The second place winner in each category received a $1,500 cash prize, and the third place winner in each category received a $1,000 cash prize.

For a complete list of winners, see the “2016 Yield Contest Results.” First place winners of the annual yield contest were:

• Eugene Johnson –90.8 bushels/acre, Moody County, Group 0 Non-Irrigated Category
• Brian Johnson- 81.33 bushels/acre, Spink County, Group 0 No-Till Category
• Adam Wiese- 85.52 bushels/acre, Moody County, Group 0 or 1 Irrigated Category
• Adam Wiese- 91.7 bushels/acre, Moody County, Group 1 Non-Irrigated Category
• Sam Waldner- 80.8 bushels/acre, Beadle County, Group 1 No-Till Category
• Scott McKee- 110.85 bushels/acre, Union County, Group 2 Non-Irrigated Category
• Tim Hofer- 104.83 bushels/acre, Hutchinson County, Group 2 No-Till Category
• Joey Waldner- 97.91 bushels/acre, Beadle County, Group 2 or 3 Irrigated Category
• Scott McKee- 101.19 bushels/acre, Union County, Group 3 Non-Irrigated Category
• Brent Lieferman- 91.51 bushels/acre, Brule County, Group 3 No-Till

South Dakota Soybean has scheduled a series of Soybean Success Seminars to share big bushel secrets for farmers in early February. The Soybean Success Seminars will feature one of two speakers: Al Kluis, broker, trader and owner of Kluis Commodities or Dr. Elywnn Taylor, agricultural meteorologist. The Soybean Success Seminars will also feature recommendations and discussions with agronomists. For complete agenda information, visit www.sdsoybean.org.

Soybean Success Seminars:

Aberdeen Dakota Events Center January 30 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Watertown Events Center January 31 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Mitchell Highland Conference Center February 1 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Sioux Falls Best Western Ramkota February 2 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The South Dakota Soybean Yield Contest is managed by the South Dakota Soybean Association and funded by the South Dakota Soybean Research & Promotion Council.