ST. JOHNS, Mich. – A Michigan farmer had first place finishes both times he competed with other soybean growers in the state for highest yields. Scott Mingus, of Sturgis, was the top finisher for 2025 in the early maturity category of the contest held by the Michigan Soybean Association.

His irrigated soybeans, taken from a section of a 225-acre field, produced 94.67 bushels per acre. Last year, his first-ever entry in the contest was tops in the late maturity soybeans category with similar production.

Mingus said he never entered the contest until curiosity emerged while attending a Pioneer seed yield banquet with other growers.

“I just kind of got the itch to see if I could hang with those guys,” he said.

Mingus said the success he’s had feels good, obviously, but it’s not something he expects to continue well into the future given the amount of competition.

“It’s not going to last forever. There’s a lot of good guys out there,” he said.

Mingus, owner of JBM Farms, raised about 1,400 acres of soybeans last year along with commercial corn and seed corn.

He said there is no “secret sauce” behind his high soybean yields but he does monitor his crops closely throughout the growing season for any signs of stress the plants might be under from things like fungus, insects or weather.

That allows him to give the plants what he believes they need most to begin a recovery before there’s much, if any, loss in yields. Mingus said he keeps an eye on the condition of his crops by walking into the fields and using camera equipped drones.

“We just got lucky. That’s all. We’re not doing anything special,” he said.

Nick Suwyn from Allegan County was the winner for his 85 acres of irrigated, mid-maturity soybeans at 100.26 bushels per acre.

Suwyn was also recently named the winner for the second year in a row for his 182 bushels per acre of winter wheat in the Great Lakes Enhancement Network contest.

He also racked up a first-place finish with his 140 acres of irrigated corn, which achieved 347 bushels per acre in 2025 in a contest sponsored by the National Corn Growers Association.

Suwyn said he closely monitors his crops for early detection and treatment of any disease or weather-related issues in his crops to maximize yields as much as possible.

He’s also open to trying other things to keep pushing the production limits of his plants.

“You try to mitigate risk as best as you can and try to give the plant what it needs all season long. That’s been our philosophy year end to year out,” he said.

Suwyn also said a high yielding crop requires the help of everyone involved from agronomist`s to seed experts and workers doing things like planting and spraying.

Despite the effort, Suwyn said only so much can be done without divine intervention.

“Ultimately, it’s all about what the Lord gives us for weather. Some years are better than others,” he said.

He raises about 1,700 acres of corn and over 600 acres of soybeans along with 500 acres of wheat.

“I’m by no means the smartest guy in the room. It’s the people around me that help us as a farm,” he said.

The other winners were Matt Sharp, of St. Joseph County, with 91.54 bushels per acre of late maturity, irrigated soybeans; Ryan Zelinko, of St. Charles, for 101.55 bushels per acre of mid-maturity non-irrigated soybeans, and Terry Peters, of Tuscola County, with 80.15 bushels per acre of late maturity, non-irrigated soybeans.

According to MSA, there were 145 entries from across the state. The winners will be recognized at MSA’s 52nd annual meeting of members on Jan. 27.