Johnny Houser of Lee County.

DATE: 3/2/2006

CONTACT: David Gunter, (843) 393-0484; dgunter@clemson.edu

WRITER: Tom Lollis, (803) 284-3343, ext. 241; tlollis@clemson.edu

Soybean contest yield winners recognized

CLEMSON -- Soybean growers from Orangeburg and Lee counties took top honors in the 2005 South Carolina Soybean Yield Contest sponsored by the S.C. Soybean Board.

Johnny Houser of Lee County had the state’s top yield average, 69.21 bushels an acre with the variety Garst 4512, even though he entered in the non-irrigated category. Winning the state’s irrigated soybean category was C. W. Backman of Orangeburg County. He produced 68.84 bushels of soybeans an acre with the variety Dyna-Gro 34J71.

Finishing first in the Savannah Valley District with irrigated soybeans was Orangeburg County’s Ray Jameson, harvesting an average of 66.92 bushels an acre of Dyna-Gro 34J71. Russ Jameson, also of Orangeburg County, finished second in the district in the irrigated category with 61.77 bushels an acre of Pioneer 95B9.

Two other Orangeburg County farmers finished one and two in the non-irrigated category for the Savannah Valley District. Tate Jameson harvested an average of 40.19 bushels an acre of Dyna-Gro 34J71 and Kenn Jameson cut 39.52 bushels an acre with Dyna-Gro 33Z74.

Oak III Farms of Clarendon County was first in the Pee Dee District in both categories, harvesting 67.26 bushels an acre with Pioneer 97B52 and 66.73 bushels an acre with irrigated soybeans using the same variety. Oak III is farmed by Don Brunson, son Cag and son-in-law Troy Allan. Cecil Eaddy Jr. was second in the Pee Dee in non-irrigated soybeans with 58.18 bushels an acre of Pioneer 96M20.

A minimum of three acres of soybeans must be harvested for a contest entry, according to David Gunter, Clemson Extension agent in Darlington County, who supervised the contest.

Farmers harvested 420,000 acres of soybeans in South Carolina in 2005. The crop averaged approximately 20 bushels an acre and was worth nearly $48 million.

“Early maturity group beans did well last year because there was moisture to fill pods,” said Gunter. “Later maturity beans suffered because of dry weather in September.”

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