Kansas Wheat has named the winners of the 8th Annual Kansas Wheat Yield Contest.

This year's top wheat yields belong to Spencer West of LeRoy, Eastern Region winner. Richard Seck of Hutchinson was Central Region winner; and Alec Horton of Horton Seed Services in Leoti was Western Region winner.

Spencer West is the overall winner of the 2017 Kansas Wheat Yield Contest, with a new contest record.

West is also a repeat winner in this year's Eastern Region. West's winning plot was 5 acres planted with WB-Cedar (WestBred) and resulted in a yield of 123.75 bushels per acre, a Kansas Wheat Yield Contest record. This is West's second consecutive regional win in the contest, and he made a splash this year with a record Eastern Region yield for the Kansas Wheat Yield Contest.

Seck’s plot was 7 acres planted with LCS Mint (Limagrain). His prize-winning yield was 115.29 bushels an acre.

Horton achieved a yield of 93 bushels per acre on his 5.98-acre plot of WB-Grainfield (WestBred). Horton is another repeat regional winner in the Kansas Wheat Yield Contest; last year's plot smashed the record books with a yield of 121.48 bushels an acre.

Best management practices are key for winners of the contest. All three winners used treated seed on no-till ground. In addition, winners used innovative fertilizing techniques and protected their investments with fungicide applications. 

For more agronomic information on this year's winners, visit kansaswheat.org/yieldwinners.

Justin Gilpin, CEO of Kansas Wheat, said, "Hosting the Kansas Wheat Yield Contest is an exciting part of what we do here. We're proud to recognize farmers across the state for their dedication to good management practices and celebrate their successes."

The 2017 Kansas Wheat Yield Contest is sponsored by Limagrain, WestBred, Kansas Wheat Alliance, AgriPro/Syngenta, ADM Milling and Kansas Wheat. Winners of the contest receive a $1,000 prize. Each winner will also receive a $500 prize, awarded by the company whose variety they planted.

In addition, the contest also has the optional Quality Initiative. Participants collect a sample of their wheat, which will then be graded and analyzed by ADM Milling for various quality components. The sample with the highest overall quality, mill and bake scores will receive $250. This winner is announced by the governor at the Kansas State Fair.

Source: Kansas Wheat