NORTON, Kan. (AgPR) Dec. 11, 2025 — Stewarding land for the future while maximizing profitability in the present, Josh McClain never stops innovating to get the most from his 12,000 acres of row-crops.
In 2025, McClain Family Farms set a new state yield record in the Kansas Soybean Yield and Value Contests with a 144.5-bushel entry. Products from Meristem Crop Performance® played a key role.
“Our irrigated yield contest soybeans this year averaged over 135 bushels an acre,” McClain said. “We used Excavator® AMS with Cyclestrike™ LR in the fall to start breaking down the residue and releasing the nutrients. Then we came in and used Upshift® C to release the phosphorus we already had in our soil. We used Hopper Throttle® MaxStax™ Soybean on naked beans. We added Harvestshield™ Complete to one of our fungicide applications as well.”
While working to increase yields, McClain’s strategy for farm profitability also includes capitalizing on carbon payments by implementing sustainable practices to reduce production costs. Firebolt Carbon, LLC, a spin-off of the McClain family’s full-service fertilizer and chemical retail business, manages carbon payments for over 2 million acres around the country.
“Carbon is a complex, but ever-growing market. There’s free money out there with some very small changes for the farm. You’ve just got to go find it,” McClain said. “The more money we can get back to farmers, the better off they are.”
By combining Meristem products with carbon-sequestering practices, McClain has diversified income and reduced production costs without sacrificing productivity.
“With Meristem, we get a partner who actually cares about our profitability, and that means a lot to us,” McClain said. “The return on investment using the Meristem products is a lot higher because we’re cutting back on our fertilizer and synthetics. Just the savings alone has increased ROI dramatically and then the yield benefit is just the cherry on top.”
With continued conservation, McClain expects those yield benefits, especially in soybeans, to continue to increase moving forward for a profitable future.
“Farmers have to innovate to succeed and that is exactly what we’re seeing at McClain Family Farms,” said Mitch Eviston, Meristem founder and CEO. “The innovation behind Meristem products, including our patented Bio-Capsule Technology™, fits perfectly with this type of operation. This teamwork between farmers and Meristem helps us all work together to produce more bushels for less.”
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