Ward County Grower Takes Second Place in North Dakota in National Wheat Yield Contest
January 10, 2017
Grower credits achievement to WestBred® wheat variety
ST. LOUIS, Jan. 10, 2016 – WestBred® wheat is proud to announce Ward county wheat grower, Jim Pearson, won second place in North Dakota in the National Wheat Yield Contest’s Spring Wheat—Dryland category. The competition, organized by the National Wheat Foundation, champions yield-maximizing production practices employed by innovative wheat growers. Pearson placed second in the state after a yield increase of 110.7 percent over the most recent USDA-NASS published county average data.
Pearson achieved a yield of 99.03 bushels per acre with WestBred variety WB9653.
“I planted WB9653 because I knew the yield potential that it had: a super, super yield potential. It is a pretty much top variety out there right now, and there aren’t many that can beat it. I had my sights on winning when I entered,” said Pearson.
More than 170 individual growers across wheat-growing counties in the United States entered to compete in four categories: irrigated winter wheat, dryland winter wheat, irrigated spring wheat and dryland spring wheat.
“I had raised some WestBred variety in the previous year, which was my first experience with it. I had very good luck with it so I was seeding more WB9653 this year, and my supplier encouraged me to enter the wheat yield contest with it,” said Pearson.
The National Wheat Yield Contest recognized national winners in each category as well as the top three state winners per category. Winners were determined by evaluating the yield percentage increase above the USDA-NASS county averages. The inaugural contest encouraged growers to innovate, exchange knowledge and employ the newest available technology.
Pearson credits his yield results to the outstanding performance of WB9653.
“I never treated these acres any better than any of my other acres on the farm, it was all treated the same. I do credit the variety a lot for the win; WB9653 is just an awesome variety.”
As a sponsor of the National Wheat Yield Contest, WestBred wheat provides growers with opportunities to succeed in the wheat industry and avenues to exchange successful techniques.
“Innovative techniques, high-performing seed varieties and cutting-edge production practices make planting wheat a more attractive option for growers,” said John Fietsam, Wheat Technical Product Lead for Monsanto.
With commodity prices of wheat fluctuating, growers today need to look for ways to maximize their yield and profit potential, and WestBred wheat is committed to providing solutions for growers.
“Through this contest, we’ve learned different management techniques growers are employing to maximize the proportion of genetic yield potential they harvest from their wheat seed investment,” said Fietsam. “By harnessing the benefits of new technology, the best wheat genetics and innovative production practices, the winning growers have shown the boundaries of wheat yields can be pushed.”
To register for the 2017 National Wheat Yield Contest, growers can visit yieldcontest.wheatfoundation.org. The registration deadline for winter wheat is May 1, 2017, and the deadline for spring wheat is August 1, 2017.
Wheat growers interested in competing in the contest can also contact their WestBred seed supplier or local WestBred representative. Additional details can be found at www.westbred.com.
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.
ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW PESTICIDE LABEL DIRECTIONS. Individual results may vary, and performance may vary from location to location and from year to year. WestBred and Design® and WestBred® are trademarks of Monsanto Technology LLC. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners. ©2017 Monsanto Company.
