The Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board and the Arkansas Soybean Association recently named the winners of the 2018 Grow for the Green Soybean Yield Contest, and one of those producers topped 100 bushels per acre in a trying year.
The contest divided state soybean producers into eight groups, seven geographic regions and one all-state conventional (non-GMO) category.
During the Arkansas Soybean Association’s recent annual meeting in Stuttgart, cash prizes were awarded to the top three in each division who achieved at least 60 bushels per acre.
Altogether, 144 soybean producers entered the contest, and one exceeded the 100 bushels-per-acre milestone in 2018, according to a news release.
The “Race for 100” yield contest began in 2007, and in 2013, three producers reached the goal.
In 2018, William Palsa from Tillar joined the elite club using Local Seed LS4565 and a yield of 107.394 bushels per acre. Palsa is the 18th producer to achieve the 100-bushel mark since 2013.
Here is a list of the winners, their respective production regions and varieties.
| 1-Northeast Delta | |||||
| Marty White | Poinsett | Asgrow 46X6 | RR2X | 95.194 | |
| Annette Wray | Poinsett | Progeny 4816 RX | RR2X | 90.670 | |
| Mike Hook | Craighead | Pioneer P48A60X | RR2X | 90.214 | |
| 2-Northeast | |||||
| Brad French | Randolph | Credenz 4222 | LL | 94.416 | |
| Judd Cunningham | Poinsett | Asgrow 46X7 | RR2X | 89.957 | |
| Brian Mack | Poinsett | Asgrow 46X6 | RR2X | 88.579 | |
| 3-White River Basin | |||||
| Terry Fuller | Monroe | Pioneer P47T36 | RR | 83.513 | |
| David Petter | Prairie | Pioneer P46A16R | RR2X | 85.762 | |
| Justin Earls | Jackson | Progeny 4851 RX | RR2X | 79.575 | |
| 4-Central & Grand Prairie | |||||
| Taylor Burdett | Arkansas | Asgrow Ag47X6 | RR2X | 93.088 | |
| Drew Counce | Arkansas | Pioneer P46A16 | RR | 90.321 | |
| David Strohl | Prairie | Asgrow AG 46X6 | RR2X | 90.234 | |
| 5-East Central Delta | |||||
| Michael Taylor Jr | Phillips | Asgrow AG 47X6 | RR2X | 87.809 | |
| Neil Culp | Phillips | Asgrow AG 46X6 | RR2X | 87.394 | |
| Blake Culp | Phillips | Asgrow AG 46X6 | RR2X | 86.624 | |
| 6-Southeast Delta | |||||
| William Palsa | Desha | Local Seed LS4565 | RR2X | 107.394 | |
| Caper Robertson | Desha | Asgrow AG 4632 | RR2Y | 87.403 | |
| Kenneth Robertson | Desha | Asgrow AG 46X6 | RR2X | 83.402 | |
| 7 – Western | |||||
| Greg Hart | Conway | Rev 48A76 | RR | 77.067 | |
| James Gregory | Conway | Pioneer P47T36 | RR | 72.269 | |
| Lewis Moore | Conway | Beck 494 | LL | 65.510 | |
| Conventional | |||||
| Jon Carroll | Monroe | Ellis | Conv | 70.764 | |
| Laura Stephens | Cross | Progeny 4910 | Conv | 70.309 | |
| Brandon Stephens | Cross | Progeny 4910 | Conv | 67.701 | |
The Grow for the Green Yield Soybean Yield Challenge is funded by the Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board using producer checkoff funds. The contests are administered by the Arkansas Soybean Association in cooperation with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.
Complete contest information, including data extending back to 1999, is available at www.arkansassoybean.com.