Hardy Farms swept the 2005 North Carolina Corn Yield Competition, winning the dryland, irrigated and no-till categories of corn production in the state. The Greene County farming operation produced 288.33 bushels per acre dryland, 285.69 no-till and 330.18 irrigated to win the overall North Carolina Corn Growers Association championship.

Top corn producers were recognized during the recent 17th annual joint meeting of the North Carolina Soybean, Corn and Small Grain Producers Association meeting in New Bern, N.C.

In the 2005 crop year entries from 35 counties were evaluated. Of these varieties, approximately 75 percent were grown in no-til systems. Less than 10 percent of the entries came from irrigated fields and 14 hybrid varieties were used by growers in the competition.

In the competition, North Carolina was split into six regions, and a winner and runner up were selected in each region. Winners and runners up in the dryland competition are listed below.

In the Tidewater Area, Dennis Boerma had the winning entry, producing 253.47 bushels per acre. He planted Asgrow 752Y on 20-inch row spacings, with 32,000 seeds per acre.

Runnerup in the Tidewater area is Charles Gray, who produced 239.68 bushels per acre, using 37,000 Garst 8292 seed per acre, planted on 20-inch rows.

In the Northern Coastal Plain, Thomas Hardy had the winning entry, producing 288.33 bushels per acre, using Pioneer 31G97 seed, planted in 20-inch rows, using a seeding rate of 35,000 per acre.

Hardy Farms also won the Irrigated category, posting the only yield in excess of 300 bushels per acre (330.18). The winning field was planted on 20-inch row spacing, using 40,000 seed per acre of Pioneer 33M54 seed.

Matt Sanderson, produced the second highest yield, with 223.58 bushels per acre. He used Asgrow 752YG seed, planted in 30-inch rows at a seeding rate of 28,000 per acre.

In the Southern Coastal Area, Henry and Edward Dale produced the top yielding crop, with 246.28 bushels per acre. He used Pioneer 31N28 seed, planted at 40,000 seed per acre in 30-inch rows.

Runnerup in the area was Charles Roberts, who produced 235.22 bushels per acre, using Pioneer 33V54 seed, planted in 36-inch rows at 27,400 seed per acre.

In the Northern Piedmont Area, Justin Carter had the winning entry, with 260.57 bushels per acre. He planted Pioneer P31G96 seed at 24,000 seed per acre in 30-inch rows.

Runner up in the region is Kevin Mathews, with a yield of 245.41 bushels per acre. He planted Pioneer P33D99 seed in 20-inch rows, using 30,000 seed per acre.

In the Southern Piedmont Area Fred and Penn Motley produced the top yield of 239.35 bushels per acre. They planted Pioneer 31G98 seed, using 30-inch rows and 28,000 seed per acre.

Charles and Brian Pope are runners up in the area, producing 235.50 bushels per acre. They planted Seed Consultants 11B95 seed in 30-inch rows, using 30,000 seed per acre.

In the Mountain Area, W-4 Farms had the winning entry, producing 233.34 bushels per acre. They planted Augusta 4587 seed in 30-inch rows, using 27,500 seed per acre.

Talmadge Mathis was runner up in the region, producing 205.36 bushels per acre. He planted Pioneer 31R88 seed in 30-inch rows, using 27,000 seed per acre.

In addition to the yield winners, 77 growers were included in the 200 Bushel Club by the North Carolina Corn Growers Association.

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