Carlos “Caloy” Guevarra, a Bgy. Anao, Mexico, Pampanga-based progressive farmer, was recognized twice this year by the national government for his achievement in hybrid corn farming. With his record-high yield of 10.25 metric tons per hectare (MT/ha) using Pioneer hybrid 30Y73 with YieldGard* Corn Borer Protection, Caloy was able to net more than P500,000 in his 10-hectare farm and he used his earnings to expand his agricultural supply business and finance farm inputs, particularly recommending Pioneer products with the technology. This success story had influenced other farmers and had led to the province becoming one of the fastest adopters of Bt corn in the country.

With his feat, Guevarra was recognized during the Farmer and Fisherfolk Month held at the Department of Agriculture as one of the most successful Bt corn farmers and, later on, he was proclaimed as the 2004 Gawad Saka Awardee for Outstanding Corn Farmer, a prestigious national award for models in the agriculture industry.

Meanwhile, in the U.S., American growers planting Pioneer corn hybrids won 24 of 27 categories in the 2004 National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) Corn Yield Contest, an annual national competition in the U.S. for the highest-yielding corn farmers.

Farmers growing Pioneer hybrids finished first in all nine national classes with the highest yield winner David K. Hula of Charles City, Virginia who planted Pioneer hybrid 30M54 and obtained 339.48 bushels per acre, equivalent to 10.44 MT/ha. It was the second year in a row that Hula had placed first among all contestants. Moreover, Pioneer farmers had dominated the contest for the eighth consecutive year, with multi-awarded farmer Francis Childs of Iowa winning during the first six years.

“We are very thankful to the government, through the Department of Agriculture, for their initiatives in recognizing outstanding farmers who can help influence others to aim for higher productivity,” said Pioneer Country Manager Jet Parma. “These efforts collectively contribute to the country’s goal of self-sufficiency in corn for food security and price stability of commodities.”

Pioneer Hi-Bred Philippines, a wholly owned subsidiary of U.S.-based Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc.—a DuPont business—is the country’s leading producer and distributor of high quality seed corn.


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*YieldGard is a trademark used under license from Monsanto Co.