LEESBURG, Ga. - February 13, 2026 - Georgia farmer Alex Harrell says precise soybean singulation and intensive planter maintenance were decisive factors behind his record-breaking yields, including a 218-bushel-per-acre soybean crop in 2024 and 206 bushels in 2023. Speaking at the North Carolina Commodity Conference on Jan. 15, Harrell explained that uniform emergence, fertility balance and equipment precision matter more than any single input - and the implications are significant for U.S. producers seeking higher yields amid rising input costs and volatile commodity prices.

Harrell, who farms with his father Rodney in Lee and Sumter counties in southwest Georgia, has built a system focused on extending plant health deeper into the reproductive stage. In corn, that means delaying black layer beyond projected Growing Degree Unit maturity. In soybeans, it means protecting green leaf area until full membrane separation at desiccation.

"When I desiccate beans, I don't want a yellow leaf in the field," Harrell said. "If those plants are dying before the pods are fully mature, we left yield on the table."

Singulation - the precise placement of soybean seeds to ensure optimal spacing and uniform emergence - is central to his strategy. Harrell wants every corn and soybean plant to emerge simultaneously to minimize in-field competition and maximize resource efficiency. For high-yield soybeans, he targets four primary levers: plants per acre, pods per plant, beans per pod and seeds per pound.

Over the past seven years, his operation increased average seeds per pod by 0.5, moving from 2.7 to 3.2 seeds per pod - meaning more four-bean pods and heavier seed weights. The result: measurable gains in both yield and marketable bushels.

In corn, Harrell's record mirrors his soybean success. He won the 2025 National Corn Growers Association Yield Contest conventional irrigated category with 416 bushels per acre, following yields of 393 and 401 bushels in the prior two seasons. His corn management focuses on plant population, kernel rows around, kernels long and kernels per bushel - all supported by uniform stands established at planting.

Fertility management underpins these results. Harrell prioritizes soil base saturation balance before adjusting nutrient ratios. His targets include 60-70% calcium, 13-17% magnesium, 5-8% potassium, 5-15% hydrogen and less than 1% sodium. On soils averaging just 0.5% organic matter, he pushes potassium levels aggressively.

"Every single year, our highest yielding fields are where our highest base saturation of potassium is," Harrell noted. "If calcium is out of balance, everything is out of balance."

Rather than relying on traditional five-acre soil grids, Harrell samples on one-acre grids, citing four years of replicated data with the University of Georgia. According to his findings, grids larger than 2.5 acres reduce precision and limit yield response. Since tightening sampling zones, he reports flatter yield monitor swings and steady yield increases.

Tissue sampling also plays a critical role. Every Monday during the growing season, Harrell pulls plant tissue samples to build nutrient trend lines rather than reacting to a single report. His primary focus at the V3 stage - roughly 350 GDUs - is phosphorus levels.

"Where that phosphorus level is early in the plant is where we just set our yield ceiling," he said. "If phosphorus is low at 350 to 450 GDUs, there is nothing we can do later to raise that ceiling."

Yet Harrell repeatedly emphasized that none of these strategies matter without planter precision. He calls the planter the most overlooked piece of equipment in global row-crop production. Each winter, his team fully rebuilds their planter - replacing bushings, bearings and any part that shows wear.

"When we finish planting and know we don't have to replant, we strip it down and throw anything that moves, wiggles or wobbles into the scrap pile," he said.

In a production environment where sustainable agriculture increasingly intersects with profitability, Harrell's system highlights a clear takeaway for U.S. producers: precision agriculture begins at planting. Proper singulation, balanced fertility, early nutrient optimization and disciplined equipment maintenance can extend crop longevity, improve yield stability and strengthen return on investment - without simply increasing seeding rates or input costs.

As yield contests demonstrate what is agronomically possible, Harrell argues the broader opportunity lies in applying those lessons across commercial acres - one seed, placed precisely, at a time.