Yield Contest Rules

Participants are encouraged to enter the Yield Contest online. You may also print and mail your entry and harvest forms.


A.) Eligibility:

  • MAIN CLASS: Any South Dakota soybean producer (owner-operator, tenant or tenant landlord) who produces 10 acres or more of soybeans in South Dakota is eligible to enter. A producer may make more than one entry per category, as long as the entries are from different fields. A producer with more than one entry will be eligible for only one award per category entered. Each producer is limited to two entries. All Yield Contest entries are also eligible for the Quality Contest. (See Quality Contest Rules for more information.) There are no restrictions on management practices. SDSA reviews and determines eligibility of all entries. * You are ineligible for the Main Class if you qualify for the Master Class.
  • MASTER CLASS: You are only eligible for the Master Class if you have broken the 100 bu/a threshold (achieved a yield of 100 bu/a or greater). You will be automatically placed in the Master Class in all subsequent years.
  • YOUTH CLASS: The Youth Class is open to participants age 13-21, with entrants age 18-21 having the option of participating in the Main Class or Youth Class.

B.) Field Requirements:

A contest field must be at least 10 continuous acres. A minimum of three acres must be harvested from this area. The harvest area may be more than three acres. The field measurement and yield determination must be made under the supervision of a county committee representative. (See Field Measurement and Yield Determination rules and remarks.)

C.) Field Measurements:

The field or portion of a field entered (a minimum of three acres or 130,680 square feet) must be one continuous area preferably with four straight sides. Plot width will be measured from the first harvested row on the left to the first unharvested row on the right (to assure the inclusion of the equivalent of one-half the average row width beyond the outside harvested row on each side).
The measurements can be made by a third-party witness, such as an FFA advisor, crop insurance agent, lender, university personnel or other impartial witness (approved by the committee). All measurements must be with a steel or fiberglass tape or measuring wheel and recorded in feet.
Each measurement should be recorded on the Harvest Report Form. Contestants can
complete the Harvest Report Form online at www.sdsoybean.org/yieldcontest.
If a whole field is harvested and entered in the contest (and due to the irregular shapes and dimensions of whole fields), the acreage determination for the whole field will be accepted from the County FSA Office as determined from official USDA aerial photographs.
Additional information and forms are available at www.sdsoybean.org.

D.) Yield Determination:

  1. A third-party witness, such as an FFA advisor, university personnel, crop insurance agent, lender or other impartial witness (approved by the committee) must be present to supervise measuring, harvesting and weighing of the yield for each entry. NEW: If a producer suspects he or she will harvest 90 bu/a soybeans or better, a second witness who is employed by a different seed company than the variety entered is required. If a second witness meeting this requirement is not present, the yield will be capped at 90 bu/a for the yield contest. The Yield Contest Committee reserves the right to refuse an entry for any reason.
  2. Before the soybean contest area is harvested, the person supervising the harvest must ensure the entrant has emptied the combine so no soybeans have been left in it and that the wagons and/or trucks in which the contest yield will be weighed are empty.
  3. Harvested soybeans may be weighed in a grain weigh wagon or on a certified public scale. A third party witness must be present during the harvesting of the 3-acre section for the contest. The witness must verify with a signature that all harvest data is correct on the Harvest Form. A representative sample must be taken immediately for determining moisture content.
  4. Yields will be calculated on the basis of No. 1 soybeans and will consist of the weight of harvested soybeans, corrected to 13% moisture, and converted to bushels per acre. Percent moisture should be determined by a local elevator operator or take an average of three moisture samples. Foreign matter does not need to be determined this year.

E.) Yield Contest Deadline:

Contestants must submit their completed Entry Forms with a $25 entry fee to the South Dakota Soybean Association on or before August 31, 2017. Yield Harvest Report Forms are due to the South Dakota Soybean Association on or before November 1, 2017.
Entry Forms, Harvest Forms and payment can be found and submitted online at www.sdsoybean.org/yieldcontest.

The South Dakota Soybean Research & Promotion Council (SDSRPC) sponsors the yield contest awards.

Special recognition is given to the top two overall yield winners in the state.

*Commodity Classic is February 27 through March 1, 2018 in Anaheim, California. 

Prizes are awarded in each category only if there are three or more entries per category.

A.) Eligibility

The Soybean Quality Contest is optional to enter. However, a producer must enter the Soybean Yield Contest in order to enter the Soybean Quality Contest. To enter the Soybean Quality Contest, entrants must select the Quality Option on the Soybean Yield Contest Harvest Form, as well as mail the quality sample to South Dakota Soybean Processors. South Dakota Soybean Processors are testing and analyzing the quality data for the Soybean Quality Contest.

B.) Collecting Procedure:

  1. The sample for soybean quality must be taken from the soybeans that were harvested for the Soybean Yield Contest in 2016.
  2. Sample bags and mailing envelopes, which are postage paid, are mailed to each contestant who enters the Soybean Yield Contest.

C.) Soybean Quality Sample Identification:

1. Soybean quality samples (1 quart minimum sample size) must be properly identified with:
  • Variety of soybeans (include brand name, number and maturity level)
  • Producer name
  • Date of collection
  • County collected in
  • Witness of collection signature
2. Roll completed information form and enclose with bean samples in the provided envelope. Seal envelope tightly so it does not leak when mailed.

D.) Soybean Quality Contest Deadline:

Soybean quality samples (including data sheet) must be submitted to South Dakota
Soybean Processors no later than November 1, 2016. Samples received after November 1, 2016 will not be accepted for contest.

E.) Soybean Quality Test Results:

South Dakota Soybean Processors in Volga determines the Estimated Processed Value (EPV) from the oil AND protein content of your soybeans, and is expressed as a value of converting the protein and oil in your soybean into soybean meal, oil and hulls. South Dakota Soybean Processors pay cash premiums to the top 25% EPV loads every quarter.
(Optimum soybean quality for crushing is 19% oil and 35% protein, which will give you an EPV of 148.9.)

F.) Soybean Quality Contest Awards:

  • Top two highest EPV in each maturity group (Groups 0, 1, 2 and 3) receive $500 cash for first place and $300 cash for second place.
  • The two winners for each maturity group receive two awards banquet tickets and one night lodging in Sioux Falls. (Winners will be notified prior to the awards banquet.)
Thanks to the South Dakota Soybean Processors for providing the quality testing for this contest.
Direct questions about the quality portion of this contest to Kari Vander Wal at: kari.vanderwal@sdsbp.com or contact her at 1-888-737-7888.
Mail Soybean QualitySample in postage paid and pre-addressed envelope to:
SD Soybean Processors
PO Box 500
Volga, SD 57071