FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas soybean farmers had an average 2012 yield of 41 bushels per acre, a total that beat the national average of 39 bushels per acre.
A University of Arkansas researcher, Ryan Van Roekel, said growers can probably double that output by making some careful changes in how they manage their crop.
Van Roekel, who is pursuing a doctoral degree, said producers can generate 80-bushel-per-acre yields by taking several key steps, including timely irrigation, proper fertilizer applications and effective pest, weed and disease control.
Van Roekel’s test plots surpassed 100 bushels per acre, but he said pushing yields that high can be unprofitable and unsustainable.