Seeking Kentucky Members for 100 Bushels Club  

The Missouri Soybean Association ( MSA ) is announcing a new club, a club any soybean farmer would want to be a member of – the 100 Bushels Club.  Farmers across the nation are encouraged to keep an eye on their yield monitors this fall, especially in fields where production may be pushing triple digits.

Inductees of the club will be honored at the Commodity Classic in Anaheim , California in 2010.  There they will receive an elite 100 Bushels Club blazer.

The guidelines are simple:

• The yield check area must be over 4 acres total.  A minimum of 2 acres must be harvested in a continuous block for each yield check (there will be two checks).
• A qualified judge must be present to directly supervise the measurement, harvest and weighing process.  A qualified judge can be a county extension agent, agricultural education instructor, senior staff person of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, Farm Credit Services Representative, Farmers Home Administration Representative, bank ag loan officer, private crop consultant, state or private college agricultural staff, farm manager accredited by the American Society of Farm Managers, office manager of Consolidated Farm Service Agency or a retired person from one of these occupations.
• After the first yield check has been recorded, the producer or qualified judge must contact the 100 Bushels Club by calling 573-821-6240.  A certified judge (soybean specialist or agronomist) will then be contacted to confirm the 100-bushel yield with a recheck.  The results of the recheck will constitute the final qualifying yield.
• State-certified scales and/or weigh wagons must be used for all measuring and weighing processes.  On-farm scales may be used if they are state certified and the qualified judge weighs the harvested soybeans.
• Verification of yields is the responsibility of and falls to the discretion of the 100 Bushel Club Certified Judges.
• All applications become the property of the 100 Bushel Club and can be used at the discretion of the 100 Bushels Club.

Phillip Baird of Union County has the highest yield on record with the Kentucky Soybean Yield and Quality Contest.  In 2007 he submitted 94.01 bushels per acre.  We would like to strongly encourage Kentucky farmers to push for 100 bushels to set a new record and put Kentucky on the map nationally through this new program.

Farmers who believe their fields may be capable of bearing yields of 100 bushels per acre should call the Kentucky Soybean office at 1-800-232-6769 or the 100 Bushels Club at 573-821-6240 to arrange for proper judging and verification.