CINCINNATI, Ohio — David Hula, a perennial Corn Yield Contest winner from Charles City, Va., set a new world record in 2013 with his “zero-till” entry of 454.98 bushels to the acre. He beat the previous record of 442 bushels set in 2002.

So when Hula appeared to address the 23rd annual National No-Tillage Conference earlier this month, it was a standing room-only affair. If this no-till farmer had secrets to his dynamic success with yield, farmers wanted to hear them.

Hula produced the record on a leased field owned by Curles Neck Farm a dozen miles outside Richmond. Hula farms about 2,000 acres of corn in a 4,000-acre no-till corn, wheat and soybean rotation that usually yields three crops in two years.

He pulls irrigation through several center-pivot sprinklers as needed, but he’s adamant about not disturbing the soil with tillage.

“It’s old ground. Colonial records for the property, also known as Curles Neck Plantation, date back to 1635,” he said. “The farm lays on a flat, mile-wide peninsula north of the James River.”

Hula’s 1,400 rented acres are sandwiched between a pair of sharp curls in the river ringed by low, swampy woodlands. The soils, he says, are of fine, sandy loam at the surface with yellow-red clay underneath. “We just didn’t know what that soil was capable of at Curles Neck,” he said. “It was time to find out.”

In 2011, he began to apply the same practices at Curles Neck he used on his home farm, of matching genetics to the soil and keeping the plants healthy. During the winter of 2012-13, Hula soil-sampled the farm in 2.5-acre grids. The grid work shows more pH variability in the field than with traditional soil sampling.

He also ran a Veris EC cart over the ground to produce soil maps of the rooting zone. Hula overlaid the EC readings with the grid samples and his yield maps to produce a refined map to variably apply potash and lime.

In spring 2013, Hula changed to a John Deere 1770NT planter and dropped 50,000 seeds per acre on April 27. Final stands were 47,000-48,000 plants.

He planted DuPont Pioneer’s 2088YHR treated with Biovante’s Pentilex (which he said accelerates germination), Poncho 1250 + VOTiVO (early-season protection from black cutworm, wireworm and others) and zinc. Hula pointed to Biovante’s products as key applications in his no-till fields, adding they help feed soil microbes and stimulate the soil.

“We got a great seed drop,” he said. “Even spacing and emergence are critical to high yields. The crop was coming up uniform, all of it within about eight hours. When the corn was about 4 inches tall, we normally measure rain in inches, we were measuring rain in feet. It was like a hurricane without the wind.”

Fortunately for Hula, the rain wasn’t as heavy at Curles Neck. It was cloudy. His end-season weather summary showed 60 percent cloud cover during the growing season, 2-3 times normal. The nights were cool; August was sunny and dry.

Hula applies a starter fertilizer (60-30-0) with 6 pounds of sulfur, 0.6 pound of zinc and 0.1 pound of boron, 3 inches to the side of the seed trench and 2 inches below. He applies BioRed from Biovante (free-living soil microbes). He adds an in-furrow pop-up. He applies 3-18-18 through the planter at 2 gallons. The practice boosts yields as much as 11 bushels.

At V3-V4, Hula applied Biovante’s Micro-8+ and its BioMate. “It’s just a critical” application, he said. “That’s when the plant is starting to photosynthesize, but there is not much of a root system.”

Among Micro-8’s micronutrients are copper, iron and manganese. BioMate contains complex sugars to feed soil microorganisms. He applies BioMate with every spraying pass.

Closer to V6, Hula sidedresses 160 pounds of nitrogen and 20 pounds of sulfur, BioMate and Assist 45. Biovante’s Assist 45 aids in soil regeneration. Hula goes after weeds at V6 with Halex GT. At V6 and V12, Hula applies Priaxor for a wide range of fungal infections. He also applies BioMate and Micro-8+.

He is a firm believer in fertigation, the application of nutrients through irrigation. Even with rain, he said the corn needed additional nutrients. He applies 30 pounds of nitrogen on an irrigation turn with BioMate and Micro-8+. Prior to tasseling and about five days apart, he makes two fertigation applications with 30 pounds of potash.

Hula orders a foliar application by helicopter at brown silk. He applies a home brew that includes a “hint” of 3-18-18, amino acids, BioMate, Headline AMP and Tombstone insecticide. He orders a second application at white blister but with less 3-18-18 and a bit of nitrogen with boron.

Many questioned Hula’s growing program for its cost. “You can’t just look at prices,” he said. “One should understand cost per bushel. I’m trying to keep the crop balanced and not allow the plant to want. By spoon-feeding the crop, I show fiscal responsibility.

 “This accomplishment has been long in the making. I became a student of corn, but it was a cooperative effort. I work with a team that includes agronomists and other farmers. Realizing how we are stewards of this land gives me satisfaction.”