Nation's best wheat yield tops 200 bushels per acre

Moses Lake, Washington, farmer Derek Friehe produced 206.70 bushels per acre in an irrigated field to claim the nation's best wheat yield.

Wheat harvest

Moses Lake, Washington, farmer Derek Friehe produced 206.70 bushels per acre in an irrigated field of Limagrain "Jet" variety winter wheat – earning the nation's top wheat yield, as tabulated by the National Wheat Foundation in the 2020 National Wheat Yield Contest.

Friehe was one of four "Bin Buster" honorees in the 2020 Contest, says David Cleavinger, president of the NWF Board of Directors. These winners represent the top yield from across the nation in each of the four categories: winter wheat and spring wheat, irrigated and dryland.

In all, 418 entries were received for the 2020 contest, Cleavinger says.

Here are the Bin Buster Winners for 2020:

Bruce Ruddenklau Derek Friehe Trevor Stout TerryWilcox
Location Amity, OR Moses Lake, WA Genessee, ID Rexburg, ID
Variety OSU Rosalyn Limagrain Jet WestBred WestBred
Category Winter Wheat – Dryland Winter Wheat - Irrigated Spring Wheat - Dryland Spring Wheat - Irrigated
Final Yield 191.17 Bu/A 206.70 139.22 172.60

Contest winners are selected by the percentage increase their yield exceeds the most recent 5-year Olympic county average as determined by USDA.

A complete list of state winners can be found here.

Sponsors for the 2020 National Yield Contest are AgriMaxx, Ardent Mills, BASF, Corteva, Croplan/Winfield, Grain Craft, John Deere, Miller Milling, Syngenta, and WestBred.

Official rules and entry deadlines for the 2021 contest will be available in January 2021.

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