Georgia Farmer Breaks World Record for Soybean Yields

Alex Harrel may have been the happiest farmer in the world last week. The southwest Georgia farmer just broke the world record for the highest soybean yields in history, a whopping 206.7997 bushels per acre. The bin-busting field demolished the previous record of 190 bushels. How did he do it?

Harrel says the success really boils down to late-season management. He chose a 10-acre spot to buckle down on yield potential as hard as possible. He applied variable rate lime, gypsum, and chicken litter before planting. He then strip-tilled the soybean seeds into a cover crop and planted a population of 85,000. Harrel took tissue samples every Monday, all throughout the summer, and immediately responded to nutrient dips by applying foliar products and biologicals.

The attention to detail was well worth it. The world-record yields shocked the young farmer, who also enjoyed 100-bushel yields in the remainder of the field.

Read more on the record-setting soybean harvest here.