Latah County Father and Son Are Winners of 2018 Wheat Yield Contest

Doug and Trevor Stout achieve winning yields with WestBred® wheat

ST. LOUIS (Jan. 8, 2019) – Farming is truly a family affair on DT Stout Joint Venture (JV) in Latah County. Doug Stout has been growing wheat for 35 years and farms today with his wife Tammy and son Trevor; daughter Makenzie also helps. 2018 was a special year for the family, as both Doug and Trevor were recognized for achieving two of the highest wheat yields in the state of Idaho; father and son were winners of the National Wheat Foundation’s 2018 Wheat Yield Contest.

Doug Stout took first place for the state of Idaho in the Winter Wheat – Dryland category with a yield of 162.8 Bu/A. He achieved this with a WestBred® RIMROCK/KELDIN blend. Trevor Stout had top yields in the Spring Wheat – Dryland category with a yield of 123.26 Bu/A, which not only was a top yield for the state of Idaho but also made him one of just 21 National Wheat Yield Contest winners. He achieved this with a blend of WestBred wheat varieties, WB9668 and WB9518, and won an all-expenses paid trip to Orlando, Florida, to attend the 2019 Commodity Classic, courtesy of the National Wheat Foundation and WestBred wheat.

“Wheat growers face many challenges, from weather to pests to disease, yet season after season they endure these threats to provide an abundant, quality crop,” says Dr. Jeff Koscelny, Global Wheat Commercial Strategy Lead and WestBred Wheat Business Lead. “Doug and Trevor Stout achieved two of the highest wheat yields in the country this year, and we’re proud that they did so with WestBred varieties.”

The National Wheat Yield Contest recognizes the top five growers in the sectors of Winter Wheat Dryland, Winter Wheat Irrigated, Spring Wheat Dryland and Spring Wheat Irrigated. Winners were determined by evaluating the yield percentage increase above the USDA NASS county Olympic averages. Only first-place state winners within each sector compete for the national award.

A Winning Streak for the Stouts

This isn’t the first National Wheat Yield Contest win for the Stouts; last year, Doug Stout achieved a 1st place yield (114.05 Bu/A) in the Spring Wheat – Dryland category with WB9668. He and Trevor attended the 2018 Commodity Classic in Anaheim, California, as guests of the National Wheat Foundation and WestBred wheat.

“It was a great experience, and I really enjoyed meeting growers from all different parts of the country,” says Trevor Stout. “It was an easy decision to enter this year’s National Wheat Yield Contest. We had good moisture all season, which helped — but we also had a good stand and high proteins. The WB9668 and WB9518 blend was easy to grow and easy to manage.”

Doug Stout says these high yields show what’s possible when the right products are backed by careful planning and management. “There’s a lot a research and data to back these varieties up, and we reviewed it to find the ones that were the very best match for our farm,” he says. “When it comes to farming, you’ve got to take a leap of faith on new varieties once in a while.”

About WestBred Wheat

WestBred wheat provides seed suppliers and their growers access to the highest yield potential wheat seed, as well as testing, education, resources and experienced representatives to help maximize their yield potential.