Higher than expected Ohio soybean crop yields are expected to close out 2015, according to new data stemming from tests conducted by the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences at The Ohio State University. This news comes despite the heavy rains that plagued the region earlier in the growing season.
“Although this year was very unusual in the amount of rainfall that fell in June, our yields were very high – much higher than expected,” Laura Lindsey, a soybean and small grains specialist with Ohio State University Extension.
In four out of the six test sites for the 2015 Ohio Soybean Performance Test, soybeans had a median of 70 bushels per acre, surpassing expectations.
“This shows that soybeans can overcome stress very well since they were impacted by the historic rainfall earlier in the season. It also shows that beneficial August rainfall helped to fill the seed out,” Lindsey continued.
By the end of the year, Ohio soybean production is predicted to total approximately 239 million bushels. In the Nov. 10 crop production report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service, Ohio soybean yield was forecasted at 50 bushels per acre.
Full details of the Ohio State Soybean Performance test can be found online. The test is conducted to evaluate soybean varieties and give producers insight into the best growing crops. Farmers are generally encouraged to seek out high-yielding varieties that can perform on a wide range of soil types.