Sept. 24, 2021
Phillips County soybean grower sets new yield record: 130 bushels per acre
By Tracy Courage
U of A System Division of Agriculture
Fast Facts:
- Phillips County soybean grower sets state record for yield
- Neil Culp is 24th producer to exceed 100 bushels/acre
- Culp to be honored in January
(472 words)
LITTLE ROCK — Phillips County soybean producer Neil Culp has set a record for soybean yield, recording 130.784 bushels per acre in the annual Grow for the Green Soybean Yield Challenge.
When the contest began several years ago, the goal was to achieve 100 bu/ac. Culp is now the 24th producer to claim a spot in the 100 Bushel Club.
“This is an amazing accomplishment, especially with the difficult conditions we experienced here in Arkansas during 2021,” said Jeremy Ross, extension soybean agronomist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. “Most of the fields where growers are breaking 100 are high-production acreage. They are old cotton grounds and probably some of the best soils in the state with good fertility and good drainage.”
Phillips County is one of Arkansas’ top soybean-producing counties, yielding an average 60 bu/ac. That’s slightly higher than the statewide average of 50 bu/ac.
Culp and his brother, Blake, are fourth-generation farmers who run Double A Farm near Marvell. They plant anywhere between 2,000 and 3,000 acres of soybean every year.
Neil Culp said he has competed in the Grow for the Green competition for several years. Last year, he cut 97 bu/ac, just shy of the 100-bushel mark. This year he planted Asgrow 45X8 on April 13 and harvested on Sept. 14. He cut three fields: the first yielded 102 bu/ac; the second field, 92 bu/ac; and the third field yielded the record 130 bu/ac.
Culp said he wasn’t expecting to set any records this year, but when he started cutting the third field, he knew it was substantially more than the first two fields.
“We really didn’t do anything different this year,” he said. “I did the same thing this year as last year. We planted seed and prayed over the seed. God did it all. We were very blessed.”
Phillips County Extension county chair Shawn Payne and Ernest Bradley, a multicounty agent based at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, measured three times to verify the yield.
Robert Goodson, Phillips County agricultural agent, said the Culps’ success adheres to good farming practices.
“They fertilized in spring, they furrow irrigated four times, and they sprayed a fungicide and insecticide at the R3 growth stage," Goodson said. "They’re very diligent in what they do, and they’re excellent producers. They have good fertility, and they take care of their farm.”
The Grow for the Green Soybean Yield Challenge is funded by the Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board using producer checkoff funds and is managed by the Arkansas Soybean Association. The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture provides information to producers and extension agents serve as judges. The contest fields consist of five to seven acres and must have been planted in soybean at least once in the previous three years.
Culp will be recognized at the Arkansas Soybean Association’s annual meeting in January 2022.
To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uark.edu. Follow on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @AgInArk.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on five system campuses.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs to all eligible persons without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
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Media contact:
Tracy Courage
Director, Communications Services
U of A System Division of Agriculture
Cooperative Extension Service
(501) 671-2126
tcourage@uada.edu