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Farmer credits “the little things” for 108-bushel soybean yield

A southwestern Wisconsin farmer says there is no secret to growing 108-bushels of soybeans per acre.  Kevin Bahr from the Belmont area tells Brownfield doubling the state yield average is a combination of Mother Nature and management. “There are just a lot of little things that get us there. A lot of it I’m going to say is just timing. We’ve got to have them planted in April.”

Bahr says he’s planting 120 to 130 thousand plants per acre and getting a stand of around 110 thousand plants per acre.  His farm is mostly silt loam soil with a two to six percent slope.

Bahr says he can plant at ten miles per hour with a John Deere high speed planter, and he’s adding a gallon per acre of starter fertilizer in furrow at planting time with the same tubular system he uses for corn.

Bahr says farmers should compare notes with their neighbors and other agronomists to see what might help them increase yields.  He also says getting in to harvest at around 15% moisture reduces head losses by around a bushel per acre.

Most of Bahr’s beans are planted no-till into standing corn stalks. This year, Bahr is working with a neighbor to plant around 10 acres of strip-tilled soybeans for a side-by-side comparison. He says he’s been planting Asgrow soybeans for about ten years. Bahr used Asgrow AG26X0 in 2020.