By JORDAN STRICKLER

Kentucky Correspondent

HENDERSON, Ky. — Meredith Farms broke the century mark this year on its way to winning top honors in the state’s soybean yield contest hosted by the University of Kentucky (UK) College of Agriculture, Food and Environment and the Kentucky Soybean Board (KSB).

The Henderson-based farm produced a record-breaking yield of 107.76 bushels per acre in the full-season, irrigated category of the yield contest.

“I feel like it could have been higher, but sudden death syndrome (SDS) got me,” said Phillip Meredith, who farms 2,700 acres. “I was about 127 to 130, but I lost about 20 percent in the field due to SDS. My main goal was to break 100 this year and I did that.”

This is the first time a yield of more than 100 bushels per acre has been documented in the Bluegrass State, smashing the previous record of 98.34 bushels set in 2015 – a record this farm also held.

This is the third consecutive time Meredith Farms has won the contest. It also had two other contest entries top the 100 bushel-per-acre threshold in this year’s contest. In turn, it is the first farm to be inducted into the KSB’s 100-Bushel Club.

“2017 was a record-breaking year for soybean production in Kentucky,” said Davie Stephens, chair of the KSB. “In addition to the three 100-bushel entries, many growers across the state (and our state as a whole) are experiencing record yields.”

Kentucky farmers also broke records in the double-crop, non-irrigated portion of the contest, with two entrants harvesting more than 80 bushels per acre. Bruce and Jeremy Benson in Hopkins County recorded a yield of 91.84 bushels. Scott Kuegel of Daviess County had a yield of 80 bushels and placed second in the category.

The KSB will induct the men into the 80-Bushel Club for double-crop soybeans.

“We thought these record yields might be out there in pockets, but we didn’t expect them to be so high,” said Carrie Knott, yield contest organizer and UK extension grain crops specialist who was responsible for verifying the calculations.

“These record yields were helped by excellent growing conditions that included timely rains throughout the growing season, as well as producers’ management skills.”

To enter the contest, producers must harvest a minimum of three acres out of a field that is at least 10 acres. The county’s UK Cooperative Extension Service agent for agriculture and natural resources must be present to verify the yield.

The KSB will be recognizing all of the yield and quality contest winners at the Kentucky Commodity Conference in Bowling Green on Jan. 18.