National Sorghum Yield Contest Winners

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (DTN) -- The National Sorghum Producers announced the winners of the 2023 National Sorghum Yield Contest on Dec. 12: Chris Santini of Stewartsville, New Jersey, was named this year's Bin Buster Award recipient, producing sorghum in a no-till production system yielding 221.75 bushels per acre (bpa).

She bested her husband, Santino "Sam" Santini Jr., whose yield of 221.06 bpa took first place in the contest's Dryland Tillage Eastern category.

Organized by National Sorghum Producers since 1985, the yield contest initially began as a means of increasing membership and educating producers on new management techniques, said Tim Lust, the organization's CEO.

"As we look at the yield contest winners this year, not only was Chris Santini our Bin Buster, but this year's win also qualifies her for the Hall of Fame award, which signifies three national wins in the same category," Lust said. "Sam Santino also qualified for the Hall of Fame with his win in the Dryland Tillage Eastern Category.

"Sometimes Mother Nature shines on all of us one year, but it is impressive when individuals can push sorghum to yield extremes year after year," he continued. "We commend the Santini family for their efforts."

The Santinis farm about 1,700 acres in Warren County in northwest New Jersey, about 60 miles from New York City. Sam said they plant about 100 acres of sorghum each year as part of a rotation that also features corn and soybeans.

"Hunting is big in this area, and people from the city rent farms to hunt here," Sam said. "They really like to hunt in the cut sorghum."

The 2023 season in northwest New Jersey began as it did for many growing sorghum in other regions -- dry.

"We usually try to push the envelope a little on our sorghum planting," Sam said. "For sorghum, you're supposed to wait until it gets pretty warm, but as soon as I'm done with corn and soybeans, I will start sorghum."

The Santinis used a John Deere 1795 planter to seed their sorghum at a rate of 120,000 to 140,000 seeds per acre on 15-inch rows. The previous crop in each field was soybeans. Sam noted he prefers to use the planter because it allows him to more precisely control the seeding rate.

"We treat our sorghum like corn," Sam said. "Whatever we use on the corn, we use on the sorghum. So, when it comes to fertility and nitrogen, we'll split apply with some before, some at-plant and then top dress some during the season."

While the dry conditions made for quicker planting, allowing the Santinis to finish by the middle of May, it led to worry as they waited for rain to start. Typically, the region receives between 50 to 60 inches of precipitation annually.

"We felt like it was setting up for a real drought, and I'd say we were a week away from disaster," Chris said. "But then the rains came on June 5, and they kept coming."

Overall, the Santinis attributed their winning yields to a new sorghum variety, a new fungicide, and the smoke from Canadian wildfires. After planting Pioneer 84G62 for nearly 15 years, they chose to plant Pioneer 85P58 this year at the suggestion of their seed rep. With a relative maturity of 113 days, the variety is characterized by Pioneer as having good standability, exceptional test weight and adequate head exertion in a moderately tall plant.

While Sam would not disclose the name of the foliar fungicide he used this year, he noted that he made two applications -- one prior to heading and one at heading. He said he believed it helped keep the plant healthier throughout the growing season.

"Then there was the smoke from the wildfires. We had days when it was complete cloud cover and almost like a really heavy fog because of the smoke," Sam explained. "I feel it put carbon into the crops. Our sorghum and our corn was probably the best overall we ever had."

With their wins, the Santinis will be recognized along with the other national winners at a contest gala held during the 2024 Commodity Classic in Houston. The Santinis said they enjoy the opportunity to meet with other top producers and exchange ideas on sorghum production.

"People from different parts of the United States farm differently, so it's always interesting to hear how someone else handles their sorghum," Chris said. "You might hear something that you want to try next year."

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2023 NATIONAL SORGHUM YIELD CONTEST WINNERS
DRYLAND-TILLAGE EASTERN CATEGORY

First Place: Santino Santini Jr.

Warren County, New Jersey

Variety: Pioneer 85P58

Yield: 221.06 bpa

Second Place: Steven Halter

Daviess County, Indiana

Variety: Pioneer 84G62

Yield: 196.94 bpa

Third Place: HRB Farming Partnership

Livingston County, Missouri

Variety: Dekalb DKS44-07

Yield: 177.90 bpa

DRYLAND-TILLAGE WESTERN CATEGORY

First Place: David Knoll

Charles Mix County, South Dakota

Variety: Pioneer 89Y79

Yield: 183.32 bpa

Second Place: Zack Rendel

Ottawa County, Oklahoma

Variety: Golden Acres 4880R

Yield: 176.06 bpa

Third Place: R.C. Farms

Charles Mix County, South Dakota

Variety: Golden Acres 2620C

Yield: 159.32 bpa

DRYLAND NO-TILL EASTERN CATEGORY

First Place: Chris Santini

Warren County, New Jersey

Variety: Pioneer 85P58

Yield: 221.75 bpa

Second Place: Billy H Bowers Farm Trust

Davidson County, North Carolina

Variety: Pioneer 84G62

Yield: 197.55 bpa

Third Place: Carly Barlieb

Warren County, New Jersey

Variety: Pioneer 85P58

Yield: 173.57 bpa

DRYLAND NO-TILL WESTERN CATEGORY

First Place: Mark Bloss

Pawnee County, Nebraska

Variety: Pioneer 84P72

Yield: 181.00 bpa

Second Place: Jason Chenoweth

Bon Homme County, South Dakota

Variety: Pioneer 88P71

Yield: 171.85 bpa

Third Place: 3rd Rope Creek Ranch LLC

Harlan County, Nebraska

Variety: Pioneer 85Y88

Yield: 168.96 bpa

IRRIGATED EASTERN CATEGORY

First Place: Howard DeShong

Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

Variety: Pioneer 84G62

Yield: 168.34 bpa

Second Place: 2nd Promise Land Farms LLC

Warren County, New Jersey

Variety: Pioneer 85P58

Yield: 163.35 bpa

Third Place: Mitch Quillen

Allegany County, Maryland

Variety: Channel 6B95

Yield: 155.96 bpa

IRRIGATED WESTERN CATEGORY

First Place: Bibb and Nighswonger Partnership

Comanche County, Kansas

Variety: Dekalb DKS44-07

Yield: 218.64 bpa

Second Place: Amy Peterson

Stanton County, Kansas

Variety: Channel 6B95

Yield: 213.88 bpa

Third Place: Grant Schutz & Canyon View Farm

Gosper County, Nebraska

Variety: Pioneer 86Y89

Yield: 200.00 bpa

FOOD GRADE CATEGORY

First Place: JnL Farms

Appanoose County, Iowa

Variety: Richardson G37

Yield: 139.56 bpa

A complete list of national, state and county yield contest winners can be found here: https://sorghumgrowers.com/…

Jason Jenkins can be reached at jason.jenkins@dtn.com

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