08 February2023, Iowa: The results of the National Sorghum Producers (NSP) Yield Contest have been announced, and farmers who grew Pioneer® brand sorghum hybrids represented more than 80% of all national first-, second- and third-place winners and earned four of seven first-place national honors. The winning extended to the state level, where farmers who grew Pioneer brand sorghum won 35 of 47 state first-, second- and third-place titles, accounting for 75% of all state category winners.
Many sorghum producers battled exceptionally difficult weather conditions all season, including extreme drought in key sorghum production areas. The results drove down overall sorghum yields to levels not seen since 1984, but producers who planted Pioneer brand sorghum still managed to deliver winning results.
“Sorghum farmers are accustomed to challenges, but this year really demonstrated the importance of selecting hybrids that are capable of performing in the toughest conditions,” said LeAnn Larson, Pioneer Sorghum Marketing Manager. “We saw several national NSP winners who grew Pioneer brand sorghum submit their harvest results from a 100-acre contest plot instead of the required 10, showing how consistently strong the yield results were across their fields.”
Over the past five years, more than 80% of the NSP Yield Contest national winners grew Pioneer brand sorghum hybrids, demonstrating a clear pattern of top-end yield performance across diverse geographies and various field management practices.
The NSP Yield Contest awards participating farmers with first, second and third places in each of seven divisions: dryland-no till east, dryland-no till west, dryland-tillage east, dryland-tillage west, irrigated-east, irrigated-west and food grade.
