VALPARAISO, Ind. — At this workshop, Doug Noveroske didn’t waste any time mentioning the Holy Grail of farming – 300 bushels-an-acre corn and 100-bushel soybeans.

Noveroske, a soybean agronomist for Cargill, was one of about a dozen speakers at the 2012 Purdue University Crop Management Workshop at the Porter County Expo Center, just south of Valparaiso, on the night of Feb. 1.

He said while those magic numbers are targets of which farmers dream, he cautioned they should not get caught up in trying for record yields. “If you do that, you can miss the basics and that will hurt you in the long run. There is no silver bullet in soybean production,” he added.

Noveroske said Cargill planted a soybean research plot along Indiana Highway 8 near Kouts in Porter County last year, to try to reach 100 bushels an acre. Using normal farming methods, the plot yielded 65 bushels an acre. But by adding some high-tech ingredients and a few key inputs such as nitrogen and sulfur, the yield was raised to nearly 77 bushels.

Darel Walker, a corn agronomist for Cargill, did the same kind of research in the same area. Normal corn farming methods resulted in a yield of 240 bushels an acre, while more intense use of high-tech additives increased the yield to 273 bushels.

While the test plots came tantalizingly close to the magic numbers, both Noveroske and Walker cautioned that before anyone tries this on their own, they need to carefully calculate the cost of inputs versus the returns. They said if the numbers aren’t crunched carefully, it could end up costing farmers more to boost their yield than they’ll get at harvest time.

Purdue crop specialists reached the same conclusion, and they presented their expectations for 2012 to nearly 100 farmers from across northern Indiana. Purdue corn specialist Bob Nielsen said farmers ought to consider if it’s worth it to go all out in trying to achieve a record yield.

“Given that the yield potential of that bag of seed corn is already 300-plus bushels per acre, then what is preventing all of us from routinely producing those high yields on our farms?” asked Nielsen.

“The answer to that question is simple: Once that seed is planted, that crop is subjected to a season-long array of yield influencing factors, most of which are stresses that reduce yield potential.”

By the time the extra cost of fertilizer, pesticide and other soil nutrients like nitrogen are included, much of the profit from 300-bushel-an-acre corn will be eaten up.

It’s important to know the cost of everything from seed and fertilizer to pesticides and fuel, said Nielsen. At the same time, he said farmers need to keep abreast of market prices in order make sure they getting enough return to cover the cost of their inputs.

Purdue’s estimates for the cost to plant corn on average soil is $461 an acre, but given current projections of $5.40 per bushel of corn, the profit would be $419 an acre, said Nielsen. For soybeans, the cost of inputs is $230 an acre on average soil. At an estimated $11.60 a bushel, farmers could expect a return of $338 an acre.

While there are many variables over which farmers have no control, Nielsen said it’s better to be armed with those numbers ahead of time than to plant without any kind of an idea of what the costs are and the return will be.

“So, the secret to improving yields on your farm is simply to sharpen your focus on identifying the yield-influencing factors specific to the fields you farm,” he explained.

“Once you have successfully done that, then you are better equipped to identify the appropriate agronomic management strategies to alleviate those factors holding back your yield and, perhaps, enhance those factors that promote high yields.”

He said while it sounds fairly simple to increase corn yields, it’s only been in the past half-century that yields have really begun to climb as a result of scientific research. For 90 years, from 1866-1956, corn yields rose only from 26 bushels an acre to 55 bushels.

Today, 200 bushels-an-acre corn is not uncommon, but researchers are still looking for ways to boost the yield by producing more ears per acre and more kernels per ear.

“In the future,” said Nielsen, “keep thorough notes on what happens with the crop during the entire growing season. Don’t just plant it and come back at harvest. Visit your fields regularly.”

While some farmers hire scouts to assess-roam their fields, Nielsen said nothing takes the place of looking at the fields for oneself. And while walking the fields, Nielsen said farmers should equip themselves with a handheld GPS device so they can accurately map their fields for any problem areas. The technology is there and is relatively inexpensive, he said.

Shaun Casteel, a Purdue University soybean specialist, said the most challenging factors to reaching a 100 bushels-an-acre crop are weather and the choice of seed varieties.

“The earlier you can plant, the better you’ll be,” said Casteel. “Yields are going to drop off if you don’t get in the field until after May 31.” He pointed to recent research that shows a 10 bushels-an-acre difference between soybeans that were planted in early May and those planted in early June.