Harrisburg, PA, Dec. 23, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — A Cumberland County farmer is being recognized as Pennsylvania’s top soybean producer in the 2025 Pennsylvania Soybean Yield Contest, an annual competition sponsored by the Pennsylvania Soybean Board that highlights innovation and continuous improvement across the state’s soybean industry.
Ian Stamy of Mechanicsburg earned the statewide title with a yield of 101.67 bushels per acre, outperforming more than 30 other entrants from across Pennsylvania.
The Pennsylvania Soybean Yield Contest recognizes not only the statewide grand champion, but also the top growers in each of five production regions in Pennsylvania, based on maturity maps:
- State Overall & Central Region: Ian Stamy, (Cumberland County); 101.67 bu./acre
- South Central Region: A. Dale Herr (Lancaster County); 100.49 bu./acre
- Western Region: Ron Carter, (Washington County); 72.07 bu./acre
- Northern Region: John Tebbs (Lycoming County); 98.68 bu./acre
- Southeast Region: Brad Kiefer, (Northampton County); 95.33 bu./acre
- Irrigated Class: Eric Meyers, (Franklin County); 86.71 bu./acre
Pennsylvania Growing Conditions for 2025
Timely mid- and late-summer rains, soil water-holding capacity, and late April planting dates were key factors influencing results in the 2025 Pennsylvania Soybean Yield Contest. Thirty-two farms competed this year, slightly fewer than 2024, largely due to a wet spring followed by extended dry conditions later in the growing season. Two farms surpassed the 100 bushel-per-acre level — one in the Central Region and one in the South-Central Region.
Like most seasons, the 2025 growing year brought a mix of challenges and opportunities. Approximately 85% of contest entries were planted by late April following an unseasonably warm and dry stretch. Rainfall was generally above average in May and June, then below average from August through October. Growing season temperatures were near average, with slightly higher-than-normal temperatures occurring primarily in the spring. Insect and disease pressure remained relatively low statewide. Harvest conditions were favorable in early October, though dry conditions later in the month raised concerns about low-moisture soybeans and harvest losses.
2025 Overall Soybean Contest Winner Summary
Stamy harvested his winning crop on October 2, using a Pioneer P37Z06E variety. He planted soybeans following corn with a corn planter on 30-inch rows on April 23. Stamy used a two-pass herbicide program and applied both fungicide and insecticide.
His area received approximately 22 inches of rainfall from planting through harvest, slightly below the 24-inch average. While early spring conditions were warm and dry, rainfall from May through July totaled approximately 19 inches, followed by significantly drier conditions in August and September. Growing degree days were slightly above the 10-year average, with no major temperature extremes.
As the state’s winner, Stamy will receive an educational trip for two to one of the largest agricultural conferences, the 2026 Commodity Classic, an annual joint convention of the American Soybean Association, National Corn Growers Association, National Association of Wheat Growers, and the National Grain Sorghum Producers. The regional winners will also receive an educational trip for one to the Commodity Classic, which will be held in San Antonio, Texas.
The contest was introduced by the Pennsylvania Soybean Board to showcase crop management practices of some of the top soybean producers in the state and to encourage the exchange of ideas that drive continuous improvement and on-farm innovation. A summary of the crop production practices from recent contest entrants is available from Penn State Extension educators and at pasoybean.org.
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About the Pennsylvania Soybean Board
The Pennsylvania Soybean Board is a farmer-controlled board responsible for managing Pennsylvania’s share of funds received from the nationwide Soybean Checkoff program. The funding is available under an assessment program, approved by Congress in 1990, under which soybean farmers contribute 50 cents of every $100 they receive for their beans at the first point of sale. Funds are used to develop markets, educate consumers, and research new ways to utilize and produce soybeans more efficiently.
For the latest news, events, research updates and more, visit the Pennsylvania Soybean Board’s website www.pasoybean.org and its Facebook, X and YouTube pages.
- Ian Stamy, 2025 Pa Soybean Yield Contest Winner