OK....RRSB then. I assume he chose those over conventionals due to yield potential? I'd assume that in "go for broke" contests you use whatever it takes.

I believe also it takes multiple applications of fungicide & vinegar (to shorten the beans), right? Which fungicide? Should I be using vinegar on all our beans to shorten them? When/how would I apply the vinegar?

I didn't realize there was an "irrigated" division. So, what's the killer yield for non-irrigated in NE IL (= cold)? I think we're only 110 bus off of Kip Culler's yeilds, but with some more tweaking, I think we can get there. You gotta be positive..it's all mental, not environmental. To combat the early season cold soil, we could plant the beans much later, but it seems frost potential could really "kill" the contest results.

Is this like Ed McMahon's Publishers contest in that if you win, you have to consent to publicity (aka advertising) & endorsements? That might be a big negative.