If there was ever a year to highlight the resiliency of soybeans in North Carolina, it was 2022! Despite hot and dry weather in several key periods from June-September, many growers were surprisingly satisfied with their yields last year. Also due to relatively dry conditions during harvest we had another excellent quality year. While yields were erratic across the state, and even within individual operations depending on field and production practices, we still saw some excellent yields this year, many which are showcased in the NC Soybean Yield Contest.
We had 34 entries into the 2022 NC Soybean Yield Contest with an average yield of 82.9 bu/a. There were 8 entries in the irrigated category and 26 entries in the non-irrigated category.
Our regional winners will all receive a $100 cash prize:
Regional Winners:
Tidewater Region Winner: Garrett Boyd of Beaufort County, with a yield of 94.6 bushels per acre, planting Dyna Gro 48XT90. County agent is Rod Gurganus.
Northern Coastal Plain Region Winner: Whitehurst Enteprises in Jones County with a yield of 80.3 bushels per acre, planting Morsoy 5640. County Agent is Jacob Morgan.
Southern Coastal Plain Region Winner: Moore Brothers Ag in Robeson County with a yield of 89.1 bushels per acre, planting Southern Harvest 4622 E2. County agent is Mac Malloy.
Northern Piedmont Region Winner: Friendship Farms in Davidson County with a yield of 74.4 bushels per acre, planting Dyna Gro 48XT90. County agent is Troy Coggins.
Southern Piedmont Region Winner: Tracy and Harrison Jenkins of Iredell County with a yield of 87.7 bushels per acre, planting Dyna Gro S51EN62. County Agent is Laura Elmore.
State Winners
2nd Place in the Dryland Division and winner of a $200 cash prize came from the Tidewater Region with a yield of 97.7 bushels per acre. It was produced by Boerema Farms (not pictured), in Hyde County. They planted Asgrow 35XF1 on March 30. The county agent is Andrea Gibbs.
2nd Place in the Irrigated Division and winner of a $200 cash prize came from the Tidewater Region with a yield of 93.7 bushels per acre. It was produced by Justin Boyd of 3B Farms, in Beaufort County. They planted Dyna Gro 538XF2 on April 15. The county agent is Rod Gurganus.
1st Place in the Dryland Division and winner of a $500 cash prize came from the Tidewater Region with a yield of 98.8 bushels per acre. It was produced by Simmy Williams (not pictured), in Camden County. They planted Asgrow 48XF2 on April 26. The county agent is Austin Brown.
Overall State Winner:
And finally, 1st Place in the Irrigated Division and the Overall State Winner came from the Northern Piedmont Region with a yield of 100.5 bushels per acre. It was produced by Matthews Family Farms of NC, Inc., in Davie County. They planted Pioneer 47A25BX on April, 21. The county agent is Marsha McGraw. They will win a $1000 cash prize.
Thank you to everybody who entered the Soybean Yield Contest this year and congratulations to all of the winners!
