Virginia, long known as tobacco country, has a new title: Corn king.A farmer from near Richmond broke the 12-year-old Iowa record of 442 bushels of corn per acre with 454 bushels, nearly three times the average of 160 bushels nationally. It was declared the world record by the National Corn Growers Association."That kind of gets your heart," said Charles City grain farmer David Hula. "When you think of growing corn you sure don't think of Virginia," he added.In a video about his new world record, Hula described how his combine yield calculator once hit 500 bushels per acre before averaging out at 454."We strive to produce high yields," Hula said in a statement to Secrets. "As we've been cropping some ground at Curles Neck farms, we've tapped into some areas of the land that are more productive. Through the application of some products, we've been able to unleash that potential,"He credited soil enhancing products from the firm Biovante.That company's agronomist Phillip Davis said, "We couldn't be more excited about what David has done here. This is a big day for him, but also a big day for the agricultural world. As growers look to increase yields, the lessons that were learned here can help everyone. You have to start with the soil in mind, and know that it is the most valuable thing on your farm.Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner's "Washington Secrets" columnist, can be contacted at pbedard@washingtonexaminer.com