17 December 2020, Johnston, Iowa: The results of the National Sorghum Producers (NSP) Yield Contest were announced yesterday, and farmers who grew Pioneer® brand sorghum hybrids represented nearly 90% of all national first-, second- and third-place winners and earned 6 of 7 first-place national honors.
Ella Johnston of Fulton County, Pennsylvania, won both top yield and set a new U.S. dryland sorghum yield record achieving 245.86 bu/A using Pioneer® brand 84G62 sorghum. The winning extended to the state level, where farmers who grew Pioneer brand sorghum won 28 of 32 state first-place titles, while accounting for 81% of all state category winners.
“This year’s results are a testament to the seemingly boundless yield potential of today’s elite hybrids when coupled with comprehensive management practices and backed by the right agronomic support team,” said LeAnn Larson, Pioneer Sorghum Marketing Manager. “Every year, I am impressed with how these committed farmers manage to outperform expectations in the pursuit of yield – despite frequently challenging conditions, and this year, under the uncertainty of a global pandemic.”
Over the past four years, nearly 80% of the NSP Yield Contest national winners grew Pioneer brand sorghum hybrids — demonstrating a consistent 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.
