Soybean Producer Breaks World Record
Kip Cullers sets record with 160-bushel/acre soybean yield.
News from Missouri Soybean Association
STARK CITY, Mo., – The 100 Bushel Club today announced Kip Cullers, Purdy, Mo., has established a new world soybean production record of 160.6 bushels per acre. The new world record is 6 bushels higher than the record Cullers set in 2007.
Missouri Governor Jay Nixon visited the soybean fields of Cullers, located in Newton County near Stark City, to recognize the grower’s 2010 record yield. Cullers has set multiple world records for soybean yields, including most recently in 2007. That year, Cullers’ yield was 154.57 bushels per acre. By contrast, a typical Missouri soybean acre yields about 40 bushels.
“Agriculture is the backbone of Missouri’s economy, and growers like Kip Cullers are the reason why,” said Governor Nixon. “Missouri farmers feed, fuel and clothe the world, and they also create jobs, support local businesses and help our communities thrive. When it comes to soybeans, Kip Cullers continues to take the science to a whole new level, and his work is blazing new trails that will keep Missouri agriculture moving forward.”
Cullers set the new world record by planting Pioneer® soybean variety 94Y71 on an irrigated and conventionally tilled field. He utilized BASF Headline® fungicide and DuPont™ Asana® XL and Steward® EC insecticides on his soybeans during the growing season as instructed on the product labels. His seed treatment included EMD Crop Biosciences® Optimize 400 and StollerUSA® Bio-Forge.
The record-setting yield was planted April 14 and harvested Sept. 28, 2010. Cullers’ weigh check was witnessed and verified by a third-party, MSA-approved official.
“Weather conditions also are a significant factor, and we experienced times when conditions were not all that favorable this season,” Kip Cullers says. “However, with irrigation and managing for stresses along the way, yields came through.”
In 2006, Cullers set a world record soybean yield record by producing 139 bushels per acre. He surpassed that mark the following year by nearly 16 bushels. When another grower achieved a yield over 100 bushels per acre in 2008, the 100 Bushel Club was formed, and Kip was inducted.
“Reaching this unprecedented level shows the yield capacity soybeans can obtain and the potential for higher-yielding soybeans,” said Dale R. Ludwig, executive director/CEO, Missouri Soybean Association. “Kip’s new record shows we have yet to maximize the yield potential of soybeans and is a great example of how intensive crop management can push soybeans to higher yields.”
Breaking the 100-bushel-per-acre mark has become more achievable as new technologies allow researchers to develop products with a complete package of characteristics that protect soybeans against stresses during the growing season and allow for full yield potential.
Cullers’ attention to detail and proactive management style also have continued to help him achieve higher yields and set a new record. He scouts his fields closely and on a daily basis to check for production challenges, such as disease and insects. He says selecting the right seed and a good crop protection program are critical elements to growing higher-yielding crops.
“I’ve learned over the course of more than two decades of farming, that setting the stage for higher yield potential all starts with good genetics,” Cullers says. “From there, it’s hitting the right planting date, crop management throughout the growing season and a willingness to try new things.”
Cullers co-owns and operates a diversified farm, K&K Farms, located southeast of Joplin, Mo. Cullers has been involved in farming for more than 20 years, owning or managing farms in Newton and Barry counties in Missouri. The farming operation is located in Missouri’s fertile Newtonia red soil. K&K Farms also includes beef, hay and poultry.
MSA is a membership organization comprised of more than 1,700 farmers from across the state. The purpose of MSA is to communicate challenges facing farmers and rural Missouri to legislators at both the state and national level to increase profitability for Missouri soybean farmers. MSA is directed by a volunteer board of 16 farmer leaders.