Yankton farmer is winner in corn yield contest

ST. LOUIS – A Yankton-area corn grower has been honored as a state winner in the 2012 National Corn Yield Contest, sponsored annually by the National Corn Growers Association.

Prairie Creek Ranch placed third in the state in the No-Till/Strip Till Irrigated Class with a yield of 261.4564 bushels per acre. The hybrid used in the winning field was Pioneer 34F07.

The local grower was one of 421 state winners nationwide. The 2012 contest had 8,263 entries from 46 states. Of the state winners, 18 growers – three from each of six classes – were named national winners, representing 13 states.

The average yield among national winners was 316.3 bushels per acre – greater than the 2012 U.S. average of 122.3 bushels per acre. Nine of the national winners recorded yields of 300 bushels or more per acre.

“Despite the fact that 2012 was a challenging production year, individual growers continued to provide a showcase for American production agriculture,” said NCGA Chairman Garry Niemeyer, a corn grower from Auburn, Ill. “While the national corn yield average declined more than 24 bushels per acre in 2012, the average yield in this year’s contest actually increased by more than three bushels per acre as compared to 2011. The top yield in this year’s contest – a tremendous 384.4 bushels per acre achieved by David Hula of Charles City, Va., – is a testament to these efforts.”