ST. LOUIS – Three area corn growers were recently named state winners in the 2002 National Corn Yield Contest (NCYC), sponsored by the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA).

Brenda V. York of Farmington placed first in the state in the A No Till/Strip Till Non-Irrigated class with a yield of 203.4236 bushels per acre. The hybrid planted in the winning field was Pioneer 3893.

L. Herbert York of Farmington placed second in the state in the A No Till/Strip Till Non-Irrigated class with a yield of 168.0172 bushels per acre. The hybrid planted in the winning field was Pioneer 3893.

Linwood York of Farmington, placed third in the state in the A No Till/Strip Till Non-Irrigated class with a yield of 149.2581 bushels per acre. The hybrid planted in the winning field was Pioneer 3893.

The local operations were a few of 497 state winners nationwide. This year’s contest had a total of 3,291 entries from 46 states, topping last year’s total despite disastrous weather conditions throughout much of the nation. The top yield in the contest – a record breaking 442.14 bushels per acre – was produced by Francis Childs of Manchester, Iowa, who claimed the nation’s highest yield for the fifth consecutive year.

The winning national yields ranged from 224.3 bushels per acre in the A Ridge-Till Non-Irrigated Class to 442.1 bushels per acre in the AA Non-Irrigated Class. The average yield of all winners was 210.6 bushels per acre, 10.8 bushels above the 199.8 average yield of all contest entrants.

Contest winners used a total of 159 different hybrids, compared to 509 hybrids used by all entrants.

The winners were recognized Feb. 28 at the 2003 Commodity Classic, the combined convention and trade show of the NCGA and the American Soybean Association, held in Charlotte, N.C. For a complete list of winners and for more information about the NCYC, visit the NCGA Web site at www.ncga.com/02profits/CYC/main/index.

The National Corn Growers Association represents more than 32,000 members, 45 affiliated state corn grower and checkoff organizations, and hundreds of thousands of growers who contribute to state checkoff programs.