Russell Hedrick, a first-generation no-till farmer from North Carolina, made history with his 2022 harvest.
He is also a co-founder of the organization, Soil Regen. In their press release, they shared Hedrick submitted an entry of 459.51 bushels per acre to the North Carolina Corn Growers Association, beating the current national yield record of 442 bushels per acre held by Francis Childs.
He is known for being innovative and having an unconventional no-till approach. He first tried his hand at row crops in 2012 to 30 acres. Today, he has grown his operation to more than 800 acres.
Hedrick said it did not happen overnight. Five years ago, he was challenged to push his yields to see what was possible in his state, chasing 400-bushel corn.
He designs his plots in the fall, planting a cover crop mix that offers moisture conservation, weed suppression, and nutrient availability.
In 2017, Hedrick won the North Carolina Corn Yield contest, which made him become the first person to win in the state that used regenerative practices.
Story via Brian O’Connor with No-Till Farmer
