Growers planting Pioneer® brand corn hybrids won 23 of 27 categories in the 2006 National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) Corn Yield Contest announced today.

Farmers growing Pioneer hybrids finished in first-place in seven national classes. Among second-place winners, those growing Pioneer hybrids won eight categories and, among third-place winners, growers planting Pioneer hybrids won eight of nine categories.

The highest yield winner in the contest was Kip Cullers, Purdy, MO, who planted Pioneer hybrid 31N28 with a yield of 347.27 bushels per acre. He won in the national No Till/Strip Tip Irrigated category. Cullers was also the second-highest yielding grower in the contest by finishing second in this category with Pioneer hybrid 31P41 with 338.24 bu/ac. He also finished second in the Ridge Till Irrigated national category with Pioneer hybrid 33N59, producing 297.71 bu/ac.

This was a banner year for Cullers. Also in 2006, he posted the highest verified soybean yield on record by growing 139.52 bu/ac with Pioneer soybean variety 94M80.

"Each year, we're excited to see the continued success growers have with Pioneer products in the NCGA Corn Yield Contest," said Dean Oestreich, president of Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc. "We're especially impressed with the high yields our customers have this year with Pioneer hybrids. That says a lot about the value Pioneer hybrids bring to the bottom line of all growers.

"In 2007, growers will be challenged to generate still higher yields to meet the growing demand for corn for ethanol and other traditional markets," Oestreich added. "We're very confident our customers will meet that need, especially with the high-yielding choices of Pioneer corn hybrids available with the latest genetics and technologies to match the production demands of each acre."

The NCGA Corn Yield Contest is an annual national competition among corn growers with the goal of producing the highest yields. Growers compete in nine corn production classes, including non-irrigated (A and AA), no-till/strip-till non-irrigated (A and AA), no-till/strip-till irrigated, ridge-till non-irrigated (A and AA), ridge-till irrigated and irrigated classes.

For more information about Pioneer corn hybrids grown by contest winners and the broad range of top-producing Pioneer products, growers should contact their local Pioneer sales professional.

For a list of the national winners, yield totals and hybrid numbers, go to www.pioneer.com/media/ncga.htm. 

Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc., a subsidiary of DuPont, is the world's leading source of customized solutions for farmers, livestock producers and grain and oilseed processors. With headquarters in Des Moines, Iowa, Pioneer provides access to advanced plant genetics, crop protection solutions and quality crop systems to customers in nearly 70 countries. DuPont is a science-based products and services company. Founded in 1802, DuPont puts science to work by creating sustainable solutions essential to a better, safer, healthier life for people everywhere. Operating in more than 70 countries, DuPont offers a wide range of innovative products and services for markets including agriculture and food; building and construction; communications; and transportation.

Pioneer(R) brand is a registered trademark of Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc