2011 National Corn Yield Contest Winners Announced

Cindy Zimmerman

Despite a challenging growing season, winners in the 2011 Corn Yield Contest still averaged well over 300 bushels an acre – some over 400!

Advanced production techniques, informed growing practices and improved seed varieties helped corn growers achieve high yields in the National Corn Growers Association 2011 National Corn Yield Contest. Despite the challenging weather conditions that plagued the Corn Belt throughout the year, entrants continued to far surpass the national average corn yield, even doubling it in some circumstances.

The National Corn Yield Contest is in its 47th year and remains NCGA’s most popular program for members. With 8,425 entries, the 2011 NCGA National Corn Yield Contest set a new participation record again this year. This is a 18 percent increase over 2010 (7,125) and an incredible 70 percent increase over 2007 (4,932). The 18 winners in six production categories had verified yields averaging more than 313.107 bushels per acre, compared to the projected national average of 146.7 bushels per acre in 2011.

While there is no overall contest winner, yields from first, second and third place farmers overall production categories ranged from 277.5 to 429.0 bushels per acre.

See a list of all the winners.

Corn, NCGA

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • The 2nd Annual Beginning Farmer and Rancher Conference will take place Feb. 18-20, 2012, in Grand Rapids, Mich.
  • BRANDT announced they are returning to Turner Motorsports as the primary sponsor of the No. 31 BRANDT Chevrolet driven by championship contender Justin Allgaier.
  • An arbitration panel has ruled in favor of DuPont in a dispute filed by Monsanto where they alleged that Pioneer Hi Bred’s PROaccessSM genetics distribution relationships breached Pioneer’s Roundup Ready corn and soybean licenses with Monsanto in May 2009.
  • DuPont and Rosetta Green Ltd. have entered into a strategic research agreement to identify drought tolerance genes in corn and soybeans.
    Zimfo Bytes

    Majority Say Ethanol Production Good For All Of Agriculture

    Chuck Zimmerman

    A significant majority believe that ethanol production is a good thing. In answer to our question, “Is Ethanol production good for ALL of Agriculture?” 64% said yes and 36% said no. That still shows a large group who aren’t on board the ethanol bandwagon. If you’re in the “no” group let us know why by posting a comment.

    Our new ZimmPoll is now live. We’re asking the question, “What is your Christmas/Holiday entree?” The holidays are almost here and I’ll be you’ve got plans made already. We sure hope you have a happy holiday time with family and friends.

    ZimmPoll is sponsored by Rhea+Kaiser, a full-service advertising/public relations agency.

    Ethanol, Food, ZimmPoll

    Match Up With Your Grill

    Chuck Zimmerman

    There’s a reason why I like Ace Hardware and it’s all about grilling. They’re my go-to store for grill supplies. For example, if you’ve got a Weber Smokey Joe and need a new grill or other parts then this is the store where you’ll find them. Here’s another thing I like about Ace. The idea of grilling year round! Why stop when it gets cold?

    As the winter months set in, most of us put our grills away and say goodbye to bar-be-que until spring. Most of us, but not everyone. In fact, a growing number of grill enthusiasts are grilling year-round.

    Enthusiasts like grillmaster Scott Drawbaugh of Westlake Ace Hardware. The first thing he does when it snows is shovel a path to his four grills. At holiday feasts, he is famous for his grilled turkey.

    So, I’m right there with Scott. Grilling, it’s not just for summer anymore. So, if you need a grill and don’t know which one is right for you, Ace has a Grill-Match quiz you can take to find it. What are you waiting for? Find yours now.

    Food

    LPC Says Merry Christmas

    Chuck Zimmerman

    From the Livestock Publications Council comes some holiday greetings:

    Merry Christmas from your LPC board of directors and executive committee!

    (front row) Scott Vernon, Kathy LaScala, Christy Lee, Don Norton, and Andy Atzenweiler

    (back row) Diane Johnson, Mike Deering, LeAnne Peters, Scarlett Hagins, Jennifer Carrico, Cindy Cunningham, Stephanie Hoult, Amy Bader, Carey Brown, Beverly Moseley, Shelly Sitton, Jay Carlson

    LPC

    St. Louis Agribusiness Club

    Chuck Zimmerman

    ZimmCast 330The St. Louis Agribusiness Club has gone through a number of changes since it was started many years ago. To learn how things are going with this unique organization I spoke with the current leadership.

    Here’s Molly Cline, President and Wendell Knehans, Vice President. We visited at last week’s regular club meeting. Molly says this is the 30th year for the club and it shows how important it is to people involved in the agricultural production chain to get together. Wendell says the club membership has transitioned from primarily farmers to primarily those involved in agribusinesses of various types.

    Listen to our conversation in this week’s ZimmCast and learn more about the organization: Conversation With St. Louis Ag Club

    Thanks to our ZimmCast sponsor, GROWMARK, locally owned, globally strong, for their support.

    The ZimmCast is the official weekly podcast of AgWired. Subscribe so you can listen when and where you want. Just go to our Subscribe page.

    Ag Groups, Audio, ZimmCast

    BASF Sponsors ASA Educational Podcasts

    Chuck Zimmerman

    BASF is sponsoring a series of educational podcasts for the American Soybean Association. Here are three currently in the list that you might be interested in:

    This podcast recaps the 2011 soybean growing season with BASF Technical Market Manager, Nick Fassler. Developed by the American Soybean Association, this educational podcast is designed to provide growers with the latest information about soybean production, including ways to maximize their soybean yields. Fassler reviews harvest results and factors affecting this year’s soybean production.

    Listen: ASA Educational Podcast - Season Review

    This podcast, developed by the American Soybean Association, provides soybean growers with tips on how to get the most out of every acre for the upcoming 2012 growing season. Nick Fassler, BASF Technical Market Manager, provides growers with the latest information about soybean production, including proactive management strategies to prevent challenging disease outbreaks throughout the season.

    Listen: ASA Educational Podcast - 2012 Tips

    Implementing a complete weed management program that incorporates multiple sites of action is a key way to keep resistant weeds at bay and prevent them from damaging yields. In this educational podcast from the American Soybean Association, BASF Technical Market Manager Dr. Dan Westberg discusses the important role that planning and other best practices will play in the future of weed resistance prevention.

    Listen: ASA Educational Podcast - Weed Resistance Prevention

    Ag Groups, Agribusiness, ASA, Audio, BASF