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| Image 1. Geographic Divisions |
2012 was the third
year of the WSA sponsored soybean yield contest.
The format was changed in 2012 to allow more
growers to compete against their peers from areas of Wisconsin that had equal yield potential.
Four geographic divisions
were created based on county historic yield data (Image 1.).
As expected, the winning yields in each
division were proportional to, and reflected the productivity of the regional
yield potentials.
- The mean planting date was May 12th
- The mean seeding rate was 156,000 seeds/acre.
- 67% used seed applied inoculant
- 89% used fungicide and insecticide seed
treatments.
- 56% used a foliar insecticide and a fungicide.
- 100% rotated following corn
- 67% were in a row spacing less than 30”
The most important variable that was key to high yields was variety
selection.
Among this year’s first place
winners, three of the four varieties planted were starred (not significantly
different than the highest yielding variety) in the
Wisconsin Soybean Variety Test Results. Other than variety selection, there was no single management factor
that separated the winners from the other contestants. Yields achieved were the
result of a combination of good management and favorable environmental factors.
