WestBred® Wheat Growers Make Up Nearly 75 Percent of National Winners in Yield Contest
November 11, 2018
Fifteen national winners placed with WestBred varieties with a collective average yield of 128 Bu/A
ST. LOUIS (Nov. 12, 2018) – WestBred® wheat is excited to announce 15 of the 21 winners recognized in the 2018 National Wheat Yield Contest (NWYC) achieved the honor with a WestBred variety.
Now in its third year, the National Wheat Yield Contest, organized by the National Wheat Foundation (NWF), received 318 entries from 23 wheat-producing states. Entrants were judged in two primary categories: spring wheat and winter wheat, and two subcategories: dryland and irrigated wheat. WestBred growers placed in each of the four categories and comprised 9 of the 10 spring wheat winners.
The 15 WestBred national winners achieved an average yield of 128 Bu/A, with an average of 141.6 Bu/A for the nine irrigated WestBred entries and an outstanding average of 108 Bu/A for the six dryland WestBred entries.
“These results showcase what is possible when superior genetics are matched with careful management and innovative farming practices,” says Dr. Jeff Koscelny, Bayer Crop Science Global Wheat Commercial Strategy Lead and WestBred Business Lead. “Today’s wheat growers have numerous options to choose from, so we’re proud this exceptional group chose high-performing WestBred varieties for their diverse operations and thankful for our team of dedicated seed suppliers who work hard each season to bring our variety portfolio onto farms.”
The 2018 National Wheat Yield Contest WestBred winners include:
Winter Wheat – Irrigated
- Ken Horton, KS, 1st Place; 111.28 Bu/A with WB-CEDAR
- Lawrence Pedro, OR, 3rd Place; 194.41 Bu/A with WB4303
- Brock Terrell, NE, 4th Place; 106.72 Bu/A with WB4303
- David Gross, WA, 5th Place; 154.51 Bu/A with WB4311
Winter Wheat – Dryland
- Jesse Green, OK, 2nd Place; 112.69 Bu/A with WB4303
- Randy Bokma, MT, 5th Place; 123.59 Bu/A with KELDIN
Spring Wheat – Irrigated
- Larry Carroll, OR, 1st Place; 158.93 Bu/A with EXPRESSO
- Keith Gross, WA, 2nd Place; 172.56 Bu/A with WB9662
- Terry Wilcox, ID, 3rd Place; 193.38 Bu/A with WB9668
- Monte Leidenix, ND, 4th Place; 97.07 Bu/A with WB9479
- Alex Bishop, MN, 5th Place; 85.53 Bu/A with WB9479
Spring Wheat – Dryland
- Orin Knutson, MN, 2nd Place; 104.79 Bu/A with WB9590
- Trevor Stout, ID, 3rd Place; 123.26 Bu/A with a WB9668 and WB9518 blend
- Brian Schafer, NE, 4th Place; 67.95 Bu/A with WB9653
- Jason Beechinor, WA, 5th Place; 115.75 Bu/A with WB6121
Contest winners were determined by evaluating their yield percentage increase above their most recent 5-year USDA-NASS county Olympic averages. First-place state winners within each sector competed for the national awards.
Connecting and Celebrating Top Wheat Growers
Last year, WestBred wheat brought nine of its winning growers and their seed suppliers together at Commodity Classic to celebrate their successful seasons, network with wheat growers from across the country and learn about the latest innovations available to advance yields and profit potential. “We look forward to bringing this year’s group of WestBred yield winners and their seed suppliers together again in 2019,” Koscelny says.
National winners will be recognized at Commodity Classic in Orlando from February 28 to March 2, 2019.
Oklahoma grower Jesse Green is among the 2018 WestBred winners. Green earned second place in the Winter Wheat – Dryland category with WB4303.
“This was my third year planting WestBred [wheat] and my third year in a row having really good yields,” Green says. “Despite a rough season with 66 days without rain, WB4303 had good green-up, good stand and good growth all season long. I had the feeling it was going to be a high-yielder, but you never really know for sure until harvest — so I was glad to see triple-digit yields with my WestBred wheat.”
Looking Forward to NWYC 2019
As an industry leader, WestBred wheat is proud to again sponsor the National Wheat Yield Contest in 2019 to showcase U.S. wheat production and wheat grower productivity and profitability. Growers interested in competing in the contest can contact their WestBred seed supplier or local WestBred representative.
Additional details can be found at www.westbred.com/NWYC. Official rules and entry deadlines will be available in January 2019.
