Chris Weaver no-tilled his way to a world record-breaking non-irrigated 154-bushel soybean yield in 2025. The sixth-generation farmer from Finksburg, Md., says he couldn’t have done it without his team. 

Weaver’s record-setting team consists of advisors from several companies, including Locus Ag, Concept AgriTek and AgroTech USA, to name a few. 

His right-hand man throughout the growing season is Daniel Hensley, president of AgriTek. They met at the 2018 Commodity Classic, and now they discuss agronomic strategies with each other on the phone almost daily.     

Every year, Weaver stays true to a simple acronym, S.T.O.P., which stands for “Start Thinking Out your Plan.” He adopted that philosophy a few years ago after a disappointing soybean crop fell short of a lofty yield goal.

“Throughout my life, there have been those moments where the light bulb goes off. And that year was a game-changing moment because I learned I needed to start managing soil types, not fields,” Weaver says. “The year following that, we got up to 136 bushels, and it was because I stopped and slowed down.” 

No-Till, High Yields

Weaver’s journey to high yields begins with healthy soils. His dad started no-tilling in 1986, and today 100% of his corn, soybean and rye (grown for a distillery company) acres are no-tilled. Weaver zeroed in on using cover crops to boost…