Showcase top yields and quality in the National Wheat Yield Contest

The National Wheat Foundation (NWF) is currently accepting grower enrollment for the 2019 National Wheat Yield Contest. The Contest is divided into two primary competition categories: winter wheat and spring wheat, and two subcategories: dryland and irrigated. The deadline for Winter Wheat entries is May 15th with an early registration deadline of April 1st. The Spring wheat entry deadline is August 1st, with an early registration deadline of June 15th.

“America’s wheat farmers produce the highest quality wheat in the world which should be taken into account when determining criteria for this national contest,” stated NWF Board President and Idaho wheat grower Wayne Hurst. “2019 will be the first year that we truly see how a quality component will impact the rankings of growers and influence results.”

In order to be considered for a national or state award in the contest, growers must follow up each initial contest entry with a grain sample, which will be analyzed by an independent lab. To qualify, samples must meet a quality Grade of 1 or 2.

“The National Wheat Foundation would like to thank our sponsors for helping to make the Contest available to all wheat growers across the United States,” continued Hurst. “As we incorporate the new quality component into Contest, we will need help from our partners to educate wheat farmers on this standard.”

The 2019 National Wheat Yield Contest sponsors include AgriMaxx, Ardent Mills, BASF, Corteva Agriscience, Indigo Ag, Grain Craft, John Deere, LimaGrain Cereals, Syngenta, and WestBred.

The National Wheat yield contest was held for the first time in 2016 and was well-received by wheat growers across the United States. The Contest offers growers the opportunity to compete with their peers across the United States and learn from each other innovative techniques to improve wheat productivity on their farms.

Winners of the 2018 National Wheat Yield Contest were recognized at the Commodity Classic in February.

Kansas winners in last year’s contest in the winter wheat dryland division included Rick Horton from Leoti, Kansas, with a yield of 91 bushels per acre with the PlainsGold variety Langin; Tom Pauly from Sedgwick, Kansas, with a yield of 89 bushels per acre with the Kansas Wheat Alliance variety Zenda; and Jerome Wiens from Meade, Kansas, with a yield of 60 bushels per acre with the WestBred variety WB4303.

Kansas winners in the winter wheat irrigated division included Ken Horton from Kearny County, Kansas with a yield of 111 bushels per acre with the WestBred variety WB-Cedar, and Matt Horton from Kearny County, Kansas with a yield of 106.5 bushels per acre with the WestBred variety WB4269.

To view the rules for the 2019 National Wheat Yield Contest and to register, visit https://yieldcontest.wheatfoundation.org/. You must be an active member of your state wheat growers association to enter. And, remember, the deadline for winter wheat entries is May 15th with an early registration deadline of April 1st.