North Carolina's soybean crop delivered record yields last year thanks in large part to favorable weather.

The average yield on the 1.58 million acres that were harvested last year was 39 bushels per acre, easily beating the previous record of 34 bushels per acre set in 2009.

"We had a pretty good weather year once we got through some initial dryness at the beginning of the year," said Charles Hall, CEO of the N.C. Soybean Producers Association. "We picked up some timely rains later in the summer."

Hall said North Carolina's soybean crop also benefited from the fact that it can remain dormant in periods of high-heat and dryness and rebound when it rains.