FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
From left to right: Delaware Soybean Board Vice Chair Matt Szelestei; Sussex County Full Season Winner Billy O’Day, who achieved a yield of 105.02 bushels per acre; Statewide Full Season Winner Blaine Hitchens, who set a new contest record with 106.68 bushels per acre; and Delaware Soybean Board member Colby Watts.
The Delaware Soybean Board is pleased to announce the winners of the 2025 Delaware Soybean Yield Contest, recognizing soybean growers across the state for exceptional production results and management practices. This year’s contest marked a historic milestone, as two growers surpassed the 100-bushel-per-acre mark for the first time in contest history, and a new statewide yield record was established.
“These record-setting yields highlight the skill and dedication of Delaware soybean growers,” said Tim Rogers, Chair of the Delaware Soybean Board. “Breaking the 100-bushel mark twice in one year, while also setting a new statewide record, speaks to the strong management practices being implemented across the state.”
Blaine Hitchens of Sussex County set a new statewide Delaware Soybean Yield Contest record, earning top honors in the Full-Season Irrigated category with an outstanding yield of 106.68 bushels per acre. Hitchens planted Pioneer P37T51PR soybeans on April 21, achieving the highest yield ever recorded in the contest.
Joining Hitchens in exceeding the 100-bushel threshold was Billy O’Day of Sussex County, who captured Sussex County Full-Season honors with a yield of 105.02 bushels per acre. O’Day planted Pioneer 37A18 soybeans on April 21, making 2025 the first year the contest has recognized growers achieving yields above 100 bushels per acre.
The statewide Double-Crop winner was Bob Willoughby, Jr. of New Castle County, who produced 65.47 bushels per acre using Seed Consultants SC7485E, planted on June 29. Tyler Shaffer of Kent County earned the statewide Non-Irrigated title, achieving a yield of 78.57 bushels per acre after planting Seed Consultants SC7444E on June 23.
Additional county-level Full-Season winners included John Comegys of Kent County, who harvested 67.33 bushels per acre with Seed Consultants SC7375E, planted on May 3, and Robbie Emerson of New Castle County, who recorded a yield of 76.53 bushels per acre using FS HS41E20, planted on May 6. In the Double-Crop county category, Dickerson Farms O.G. of Sussex County earned top honors with a yield of 61.65 bushels per acre, planting Pioneer P40257E on July 20.
Established by the Delaware Soybean Board in 2012, the Delaware Soybean Yield Contest allows growers to discover varieties and management choices that have proven successful in local fields. Over the past twelve years, the contest has received over 200 entries, recognizing grower success in full season and double-cropped soybeans on irrigated and non-irrigated acres.
Complete contest information and results summary can be found on the DSB website at https://desoybeans.org/yield-contest/.
Delaware farmers plant about 150,000 acres of soybeans annually, producing over seven million bushels of beans and generating approximately $60 million in value to the state. The Delaware Soybean Board consists of nine farmer-directors and the Secretary of Agriculture. Funded through a one-half of one percent assessment on the net market value of soybeans at their first point of sale, the checkoff works with partners in the value chain to identify and capture opportunities that increase farmer profit potential.
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For information, contact:
Steve Breeding
Yield Contest Coordinator
302-381-6129
spbreeding@gmail.com
OR
Danielle Bauer
Executive Director
Delaware Soybean Board
443-812-4526
Danielle@desoybeans.org
www.desoybeans.org