Ralph and Don Walter of Grand Ridge, Illinois, won top honors in the National Corn Yield Contest (NCYC), sponsored by the National Corn Growers Association, for their yield of 253.6155 bushels per acre with the Mycogen® brand 2T780 corn hybrid.

The 2T780 hybrid is a 114-day HERCULEX® I Insect Protection/LibertyLink® hybrid and is a favorite among many growers in the region. It was a standout hybrid again in 2006 and is known for its high yield performance across many soil types.

“We just tried the 2T780 hybrid on 35 acres, and it was fantastic,” Don Walter said. “Even with our low subsoil moisture, it outperformed everything we planted and that’s what we want: high-yielding hybrids.”

The Walter brothers used a granular rootworm insecticide, sprayed the crop with fungicide and used LIBERTY® herbicide, which all have helped them achieve their impressive yields. The 2T780 family of genetics is one of the most versatile, high-yielding families that performed well under insect and disease pressures and in regions of dry conditions.

The 2006 NCYC marked the contest’s 41st year, with more than 3,000 entries from 46 states competing in nine categories, including:

• A Non-irrigated;

• AA Non-irrigated;

• A No Till/Strip Till Non-irrigated;

• AA No Till/Strip Till Non-irrigated;

• No Till/Strip Till Irrigated;

• A Ridge Till Non-irrigated;

• AA Ridge Till Non-irrigated;

• Ridge Till Irrigated; and

• Irrigated.

States in the AA category are Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio and Wisconsin. Ralph and Don Walter participated in the AA Non-irrigated class.

The NCYC is the longest-running agricultural production competition in the country, which gives growers an opportunity to display their production skills. State and national contest winners will be honored at Commodity Classic, the combined convention and trade show of NCGA, the American Soybean Association and the National Association of Wheat Growers.

Mycogen Seeds is a retail seed company of Dow AgroSciences LLC and a developer and marketer of leading grain corn hybrids, the market leader in Silage-Specific™ corn hybrids and sunflower hybrids, as well as an industry leader in canola, alfalfa, soybeans and sorghum.

®™Mycogen, the Mycogen Logo and Silage-Specific are trademarks of Mycogen Corporation.
®HERCULEX is a trademark of Dow AgroSciences LLC
®LIBERTY and LibertyLink are registered trademarks of Bayer CropScience.
©2007 Mycogen Seeds. Mycogen Seeds is an affiliate of Dow AgroSciences LLC.
HERCULEX Insect Protection technology by Dow AgroSciences and Pioneer Hi-Bred.