ONTARIO, Canada – The Great Lakes Yield Enhancement Network (YEN) has announced the results of its 2021 wheat yield contest.

The winners are Kevin Van Netten, of Simcoe, Ontario, with a yield of 152.8 bushels an acre; Ken Smith of Wyoming, Ontario, 151.3 bushels; and Jeff Cook of London, Ontario, 148.6 bushels.

The yield contest is a component of YEN, said Joanna Follings, of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Another part of the contest regards “potential yield,” which is a hypothetical measure of how much yield a grower could get under certain circumstances, Follings explained, such as weather conditions. The winners of the potential yield competition came the closest to achieving100 percent of their operation’s potential. Jeff Krohn, of Owendale, Mich., achieved 73.7 percent of his potential yield; Gordon Briggs, of Scottville, Mich., achieved 67 percent; and Adam Pfeffer, of St. Thomas, Ontario, achieved 66.6 percent.

“We’ve seen yields in the enhancement network of 160 bushels an acre,” Follings said. “We’ve also calculated our yield potential as high as 200 bushels an acre, based on a model. The yield potential category gives a chance for growers to see the potential of their operations, an idea of just how high they could go yield wise.”

In Michigan, soft white winter wheat is the main type of wheat grown. In 2019, the average yield for traditionally grown wheat in the state was estimated at 90.39 bushels an acre. In Ontario, soft red winter wheat accounts for most of the wheat grown. The 2021 average wheat yield there has been estimated at 84 bushels an acre. The Great Lakes YEN was started about a year ago with the participation of the Michigan Wheat Program, Ontario Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Michigan State University and others. The YEN concept started in Britain in 2012 and includes a number of other crops; for now, this particular YEN includes wheat only.

“The purpose of the Great Lakes YEN is to get farmers, agronomists and others together to get more information about farms, to learn more about wheat production in order to improve yield,” said Michigan State wheat specialist Dennis Pennington. Participants in the program use an app on their smartphone or computer and input the relevant data. Data from participating farms are pooled together and a report is generated that growers may find useful. Farmers receive information that is unique to their farms. Though participating farmers can see where they rank on the list regarding yield, they cannot identify any of the other farms to maintain privacy. Follings added, “our goal is to work together to build stronger farms through collaboration and increased knowledge of crop performance.”

For more information about the Great Lakes YEN, visit https://greatlakesyen.com/.