National Wheat Yield Contest Celebrates a Decade of Progress in Yields and Quality

For the past decade, wheat growers from coast to coast have put their grain-growing prowess to the test in the National Wheat Yield Contest. Organized by the National Wheat Foundation (NWF), the contest encourages farmers to strive for exceptional wheat yields, high quality and stronger profitability while trying new and innovative management strategies that drive productivity and marketability.

Anne Osborne, NWF executive director, says the 10th edition of the contest features 11 first-time winners -- including farmers from states that previously had not produced national winners -- while four farmers who earned the title of "Bin Buster" before did so again.

The yield average for the 24 national winners in the contest's four traditional categories was 147.01 bushels per acre (bpa), a nearly 2-bushel increase from 2024. Since the contest's inception in 2016, the record high yield in the contest has increased by 20%, from 192.85 to 231.37 bpa.

In 2025, NWF expanded its pilot category, Digital Yield, to include dryland winter wheat farmers in six select states. The category allows digital agriculture technologies and data from calibrated grain cart scales to tally yields. Additional awards were given to national winners whose wheat was deemed to be of exceptional quality.

Entries for the 2026 contest will be accepted starting March 1. Learn more at https://www.wheatcontest.org/…

MEET THE BIN BUSTERS

IRRIGATED WINTER WHEAT:

Rylee Reynolds
Twin Falls, Idaho
Variety: WestBred WB1621
Yield: 228.13 bpa

When growing high-yielding winter wheat in south-central Idaho's Magic Valley, the Reynolds family follows SOP: standard operating procedure.

"We have our program that we believe in, and we stick to it," says Rylee Reynolds, a fourth-generation farmer who works alongside his brother, Oree, and father, Gary. "We treat every single acre of wheat the same."

Following SOP on the farm has led to something else: winning. Rylee bested all entries in 2025 with irrigated soft white winter wheat that yielded 228.13 bpa. It was the second-highest yield recorded in the contest's 10-year history and Reynolds' second time atop the category. He set the overall contest record in 2022 with wheat yielding 231.37 bpa.

In a region that annually receives about 7 inches of precipitation, irrigation is a necessity. Access and availability to that water require rotation considerations.

"Our typical rotation is corn, dry edible beans, winter wheat," Reynolds explains. "With wheat in the rotation, we're done watering it by the end of June, so that lets us put our water elsewhere. It's a real plus for us."

Reynolds selected WestBred WB1621, an awnless, medium-late-maturing soft white variety considered to have excellent standability for irrigated production while excelling with both yield and test weight.

Using a broadcast spreader, Reynolds seeded the field at a rate of roughly 100 to 120 pounds per acre. The seed was treated with CruiserMaxx Vibrance. Nutrition was also broadcast in the fall with roughly 100 units of nitrogen and 40 to 60 units of phosphorus applied per acre.

A warmer-than-average fall and one good rain allowed the wheat to emerge strong and begin tillering in earnest. Reynolds says it looked almost like a turf field going into winter dormancy, but then a dry pattern set up. He began watering a thirsty crop as soon as the irrigation district made it available. He estimates they applied about 15 inches of water per acre.

Applications of Starane Ultra herbicide and Nexicor Xemium fungicide limited competition and helped the wheat stay healthy and green. The season's biggest hurdle was ensuring the wheat had moisture when it needed it.

As for family competition in the yield contest, Reynolds says there are no production secrets. Rylee's entry only bested Oree's by 1.54 bpa -- a difference of less than 1% in total yield.

"He threshes his, and I thresh mine," Reynolds says. "I guess my combine was set just a little better."

DRYLAND WINTER WHEAT:

Steve VanGrunsven (Top-Quality Award Winner)
Forest Grove, Oregon
Variety: Oregon State University Rosalyn
Yield: 198.32 bpa

It wasn't long ago that Steve VanGrunsven viewed the winter wheat he planted as simply a means of extending his crop rotations, a way to "clean up the ground" for the grass and clover seed he grew as his primary cash crops.

Today, though, he knows wheat can be so much more -- as his award-winning yields can attest. In 2025, the farmer earned his third Bin Buster title with a crop of Oregon State University's Rosalyn that yielded 198.32 bpa.

The winning field, which had previously been in red clover, was planted on Oct. 5, 2024, with a conventional double-disc drill at a rate of 1 million seeds per acre. The seed was treated with a fungicide package, an insecticide and a biological. A preemergent pass of herbicide was applied to ensure a clean field.

"That red clover is leaving behind a fair amount of nitrogen, so that really helps the wheat crop get established," VanGrunsven says. "We used to question whether our seed treatment was beneficial, but we're seeing that crop come out of the ground quicker with a whole lot more root growth. The insecticide protects against early aphid pressure since we don't typically get a cold snap to kill them off. The aphids can vector barley yellow dwarf virus in our area, so it's an insurance package against that."

A relatively mild winter in Oregon's Willamette Valley meant the wheat crop broke dormancy and began tillering with vigor. VanGrunsven met the crop's fertility needs with a broadcast application of 140 pounds of nitrogen, 30 pounds of potassium and 20 pounds of sulfur per acre prior to jointing. A stabilized urea product has been his go-to nitrogen source.

"It's allowed us to reduce our rates by 10% to 15% while still maintaining yields," he adds.

With a crop nearing 200 bpa, harvestability was VanGrunsven's biggest concern during the season. To combat lodging, a plant growth regulator (PGR) was applied to shorten and stiffen the plant.

"When you've got 6 tons of grain standing 3 feet off the ground, it makes us worry," he notes.

VanGrunsven says he often is asked what's the "one thing" that's key to high-yielding, high-quality wheat.

"The truth is there is no 'one thing,'" he admits. "It's the entire program -- the defensive genetics, the seed treatments, the fungicides, the fertilizer rates. You put together the package and make sure the crop has no restrictions."

IRRIGATED SPRING WHEAT:

Derek Friehe
Moses Lake, Washington
Variety: AgriPro AP Venom
Yield: 204.83 bpa

Washington farmer Derek Friehe gets a head start on the spring wheat season by planting some of his crop in the fall. The move took him to the top of the irrigated spring wheat category with an entry of 204.83 bpa.

The AgriPro AP Venom hard red spring wheat was planted Oct. 8, 2024. It takes a special kind of hardiness for a spring variety to withstand winter conditions.

"We have enough experience with the practice to say that yield is better when it does work," Friehe says. "The same AP Venom variety planted as a spring crop using the same agronomic practices yielded on average 20 to 40 bpa less in 2025.

"Planting in the fall gives the crop a longer time to tiller and grow. It also allows the crop to pollinate earlier and avoid some heat events. Harvest on fall-planted wheat runs about one week earlier than when the crop is planted in the spring," he adds.

Friehe Farms agronomy manager Heath Gimmestad helps fine-tune crop management. It was a stellar weather year. The crop received about 18 inches of water in-season to supplement an 8-inch seasonal rainfall.

"Overall, this is the best wheat crop we've ever had. We had four or five fields that averaged in the 190 (bpa) range, and they were all fall-planted," Friehe explains.

The fertility program for the field included 25 pounds of sulfur and 83 pounds of nitrogen per acre in the fall. Another 65 pounds of nitrogen was applied prior to jointing and 91 pounds before leaf extension. Tissue testing at flag leaf helps optimize the fertility program.

The winning entry was planted at 85 pounds per acre and followed potatoes in the rotation. Spring wheat fields planted in the fall are dictated by what potatoes are harvested early enough to get fertilizer on and the ground prepped. Early to mid-October planting is preferred to allow the wheat to get some growth, but not too much.

The farm also grows Kentucky bluegrass, which is planted in August. Fall-planted wheat or green peas also fit nicely between potatoes and bluegrass in the rotation.

A plant growth regulator (PGR) was used to shorten plant internodes and increase the size and stiffness of the stem.

"Even where we used a PGR, we had more lodging this year than we've seen for a long time. Maybe it was because the heads were so heavy," Friehe says.

DRYLAND SPRING WHEAT:

Nick Pfaff
Bismarck, North Dakota
Variety: Croplan 3119A
Yield: 147.81 bpa

Nick Pfaff faced severe drought going into the 2025 spring wheat season. In fact, it was so dry, the North Dakota farmer cut nitrogen applications in half prior to seeding to hedge his input bets.

The gasping start makes the story of Pfaff's eventual Bin Buster win in the yield contest remarkable. His 147.81 bpa entry of Croplan 3119A, an awnless variety, bested the next entry in the category by 24 bpa.

"All of a sudden, the rains started coming like crazy after emergence," Pfaff says. "I quickly realized I needed to topdress everything. I think that late dose of nitrogen helped yield, but it wouldn't have gone out if we hadn't gotten moisture."

Pfaff won the same category in 2024 by producing 117.60 bpa with Croplan 3099A, another awnless (also known as beardless) variety. During the 2024 crop year, he noticed Croplan 3119A outyielding other varieties planted on his higher-productivity fields by 10 to 20 bpa -- all while exhibiting better protein levels. He made a note to plant more of the variety in 2025, and it paid off.

The central-North Dakota farm is spread over 75 miles. Fields closer to the Missouri River tend to be more nutrient dense and yield better.

"This winning entry didn't get any special ingredients that didn't go out on all our wheat fields," Pfaff says. The winning entry was extracted from a 322-acre field that averaged around 83 bpa.

"It takes our very top ground to produce consistently high yields," he notes. "This year was more variable, and relentless spring rains resulted in some added disease pressure that hurt our overall average."

The 2025 entry was seeded on April 12. Split nitrogen applications on the field totaled 222 pounds per acre. Approximately 75 pounds of the nitrogen went on at jointing. He also applied a full micronutrient package.

Routine fungicide treatments have proven to be a good investment against fusarium head blight and other diseases. Beardless varieties can be more susceptible to disease.

"The upside is awnless wheat has a longer maturity, which extends grain fill and gives us a longer harvest window. Awnless varieties tend to be more durable and hold up to wind and weather," he explains. Croplan 3119A is rated at 62 days to heading and 95 days to maturity.

Pfaff says nitrogen management helps manage protein. But, discounts are always a concern since there's typically a trade-off with higher yields.

MEET THE 2025 NATIONAL WINNERS

WINTER WHEAT DRYLAND:

First Place: Jerry and Daniel Mullen (Top-Quality Award Winner)
St. Paul, Oregon
Variety: Oregon State University Gale
Yield: 186.11 bpa

Second Place: Garrett Warren (Top-Quality Award Winner)
Dayton, Washington
Variety: Limagrain Cereal Seeds 50% Shineâ??/â??50% Jefe
Yield: 169.00 bpa

Third Place: Erik Olson
Bonners Ferry, Idaho
Variety: Washington State University Scorpio
Yield: 164.42 bpa

Fourth Place: Steve Wilkens (Top-Quality Award Winner)
Random Lake, Wisconsin
Variety: Pioneer 25R64
Yield: 161.48 bpa

Fifth Place: Blake Anthis (Top-Quality Award Winner)
Wheatland, Indiana
Variety: Dyna-Gro 9533
Yield: 155.70 bpa

WINTER WHEAT DRYLAND ABOVE COUNTY AVERAGE:

First Place: Shawn Kimbrell
Sunray, Texas
Variety: WestBred WB4595
Yield: 70.04 bpa, 448.48% above Moore County, Texas, average

Second Place: Matt Dornan (Top-Quality Award Winner)
Chandler, Oklahoma
Variety: WestBred WB4422
Yield: 106.45 bpa, 242.40% above Lincoln County, Oklahoma, average

Third Place: Kenneth O'Neal (Top-Quality Award Winner)
Groom, Texas
Variety: WestBred WB4792
Yield: 89.14 bpa, 219.62% above Carson County, Texas, average

Fourth Place: Charles A. (Tony) Kodesh
Red Rock, Oklahoma
Variety: WestBred WB4422
Yield: 108.32 bpa, 216.55% over Noble County, Oklahoma, average

Fifth Place: Wyatt Ramage (Top-Quality Award Winner)
Billings, Montana
Variety: Dyna-Gro Ramsay
Yield: 141.84 bpa, 205.55% above Golden Valley County, Montana, average

WINTER WHEAT IRRIGATED:

First Place: Oree Reynolds
Castleford, Idaho
Variety: WestBred WB1621
Yield: 226.59 bpa

Second Place: Nick Suwyn (Top-Quality Award Winner)
Wayland, Michigan
Variety: Irrer Seed Farm ISF780
Yield: 185.60 bpa

SPRING WHEAT DRYLAND:

First Place: Brent Philipp
Goodridge, Minnesota
Variety: WestBred WB9590
Yield: 123.67 bpa

Second Place: Karissa Berg (Top-Quality Award Winner)
Bottineau, North Dakota
Variety: Dyna-Gro Ballistic
Yield: 110.64 bpa

Third Place: Robert Holzwarth
Hazel, South Dakota
Variety: Limagrain Cereal Seeds Cannon
Yield: 87.86 bpa

SPRING WHEAT DRYLAND ABOVE COUNTY AVERAGE:

First Place: Jordan Christman (Top-Quality Award Winner)
Hettinger, North Dakota
Variety: WestBred WB9590
Yield: 101.27 bpa, 157.04% above Adams County, North Dakota, average

Second Place: Greg Messer
Richardton, North Dakota
Variety: WestBred WB9645
Yield: 101.15 bpa, 150.25% above Stark County, North Dakota, average

Third Place: Andrew Doll
New Salem, North Dakota
Variety: WestBred WB9590
Yield: 100.79 bpa, 126.75% above Morton County, North Dakota, average

SPRING WHEAT IRRIGATED:

First Place: Dallin Wilcox (Top-Quality Award Winner)
Rexburg, Idaho
Variety: WestBred WB7589
Yield: 190.10 bpa

Second Place: Jess Blatchford
Baker City, Oregon
Variety: WestBred WB6430
Yield: 168.89 bpa

PILOT DIGITAL YIELD - WINTER WHEAT DRYLAND:

High Yield: Alec Horton
Leoti, Kansas
Variety: WestBred WB4792
Yield: 138.00 bpa

High Above County Yield: Daniel Edmonds
Morris, Oklahoma
Variety: WestBred WB2542
Yield: 99.00 bpa, 67.88% above Okmulgee County, Oklahoma, average

PILOT DIGITAL YIELD - SPRING WHEAT DRYLAND:

High Yield: Isaac Hendrickson
Agate, North Dakota
Variety: WestBred WB9590
Yield: 119.00 bpa

High Above County Yield: Brad Disrud
Rolla, North Dakota
Variety: WestBred WB9590
Yield: 103.00 bpa, 85.19% above Towner County, North Dakota, average

QUALTY COUNTS

Big yields may generate big headlines, but in the world of wheat, bushels per acre is only one consideration. The crop's functional qualities are just as important -- if not more.

Since 2022, the National Wheat Foundation (NWF) has incorporated a quality component into the National Wheat Yield Contest. Winners submitted a 10-pound sample of their grain, which was analyzed for grain, milling, flour and end-use qualities. Flour from the winning wheat was used to produce baked goods, including sponge cake and sugar cookies for soft wheats, and bread for hard wheats. A panel of experts reviewed the results and determined which winning entries earned a Top-Quality Award.

**

-- For more information and a complete set of contest rules, visit https://www.wheatcontest.org/…

-- Follow Jason on social platform X @JasonJenkinsDTN

-- Pamela Smith, Senior Crops Editor, contributed to this article. Follow the latest from her by visiting the Production Blogs at https://www.dtnpf.com/… or following her on social platform X @PamSmithDTN

[PF_0326]

(c) Copyright 2026 DTN, LLC. All rights reserved.