Farm Tender

New world record Corn yield in the US

There is a new world record for corn yield per acre, and one family in Virginia has figured out what works. David, Craig, and Johnny Hula from Charles City, Virginia finished 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in the National Corn Growers Association’s “No-till/Strip-Till Irrigated” division with more than 500 bushels per acre. David Hula’s 542 bushels per acre with Pioneer seed set the record. Yields in this division topped all other divisions.

Dan Gause from Scranton, South Carolina reached 357 bushels per acre in the “A Non-Irrigated” category. Keven Kalb from Dubois, Indiana had 386 bushels per acre in the “AA Non-Irrigated” division. John Gause from Scranton, South Carolina harvested 353 bushels per acre in the “A No-Till/Strip-Till Non-Irrigated” division. Shawn Kalb from Dubois, Indiana produced 354 bushels per acre in the “AA No-Till/Strip-Till Non-Irrigated” division. Don Stall from Charlotte, Michigan harvested 407 bushels per acre in the Irrigated division.

Rachael Orf with NCGA tells Brownfield they are seeing more high yields from states that are not in the traditional Corn Belt region. “Now, we’re seeing more corn produced up in the northern states like the Dakotas, but the east coast and the southern states such as Georgia, they’re irrigated so they have learned to use their irrigation system to put on different nutrients at different timings.”

NCGA’s “AA” categories are the corn belt states of Indiana, Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Ohio, and Missouri. The “A” divisions are everywhere else. The Irrigated and the No-Till/Strip-Till Irrigated divisions are open to growers nationwide.

The National Corn Growers Association released the national and state winners of their 2017 yield contest Monday across six categories.