Today is opening day, not for baseball, but for the National Corn Growers Association’s National Corn Yield Contest. Baseball and growing record corn yields may have little in common on the surface, but both feature intense competition, months of preparation, and good old-fashioned hard work.
Farmers have from today, May 6, through Sunday, July 31, 2019, to enter. This year marks the 55th year for the contest that began with 20 entries from four states. Last year 7,258 entries from 46 states made NCYC the premier event of its kind in the nation.
“NCGA wants to challenge you to take advantage of this opportunity to explore new ideas and production techniques while gleaning knowledge to enhance your future yield potential,” said Linda Lambur, NCYC manager. “It’s not just about big yields but promoting innovative production methods and sharpening management skills. It’s about being more precise in how we grow each bushel of corn and that ultimately will make corn production more sustainable.”
A farmer must have an NCGA membership number to have an entry in the contest which can only be obtained from NCGA. Please call 636-733-5512 or email ncyc@ncga.com to obtain your membership number or to create a new membership number. Your full name, mailing address, phone number, and email address are required.
Winners will receive national recognition in publications, such as the NCYC Corn Yield Guide, as well as other awards from participating sponsoring seed, chemical and crop protection companies. At each Commodity Classic, state winners are recognized at the NCYC Breakfast, and national winners receive awards at the NCGA’s Evening Awards Banquet. You can find both entry and harvest rules on the Corn Yield Contest website.