In 2015, the United States Department of Agriculture announced the country had harvested a record crop at four billion bushels. Washington County producers averaged about 55 bushels per acre last year according to Meghan Anderson, field agronomist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach.

Now, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach specialists are conducting an in-depth analysis of key factors that impact yields and prohibit some farmers from obtaining yields they may be able to potentially reach. The analysis is called the “Soybean Yield Benchmarking Project” and is funded by soybean checkoff funds. From 2010 to 2014, average soybean yields for the 12-state North Central region of the U.S. Was 43 bushels per acre, but some producers are consistently having yields greater than 80 bushels per acre.