2024 NCGA National Corn Yield Contest Winners

Here are strategies the 2024 winners of the NCGA National Corn Yield Contest use to put more bushels in the bin.

-- A: Conventional Non-Irrigated Class

Sam Santini
Stewartsville, New Jersey
383.4336 bpa
Pioneer P14830Q

THE FARM. Sam Santini's grandfather, Dominic, immigrated to the United States from Italy and started Santini Farms 103 years ago. Today, Sam and his wife, Chris, are the third generation to run the farm, growing corn, soybeans and grain sorghum on about 1,600 acres.

THE FIELD. Using a John Deere 1990 CCS air seeder, Santini planted the 100-acre clay loam field with Pioneer P14830Q, a 114-day hybrid featuring Qrome technology for above- and belowground insect protection. Row spacing was 30 inches, and seeding rate was 41,000 seeds per acre, resulting in a final stand of 40,000 plants at harvest. The previous year's crop in the field was soybeans.

THE FORMULA. Building soil fertility began with an application of 1 ton of chicken manure per acre. Santini runs a liquid system that allows him to deliver 30 gallons of nitrogen per acre while planting. He then topdresses when the corn is knee high. Overall, 350 units of nitrogen and 150 units of potash per acre were applied to the crop. While fungicides have been part of his program for a while, 2024 was the first year he applied Xyway fungicide using a 2 x 2 system during planting, something he believes helped make a difference in yield.

THE FIGHT. Santini says they encountered tar spot in 2024, but it was toward the season's end and didn't hurt yields. Overall, Mother Nature was agreeable throughout the growing season. Although they endured a stretch of hot, dry weather, timely rain seemed to fall just when the corn needed a drink.

"It just seems like we get lucky every year with the thundershowers," he adds.

THE FUTURE. Santini entered his first National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) yield contest 45 years ago with an entry of 125 bushels per acre (bpa). He remembers thinking then how great it would be to get to just 150 bpa.

"Ever since then, it's been climbing," he says. "Now, my goal is 400 bpa. I haven't hit it yet, but I'm trying. A couple more years, then I'll let my grandson take my spot."

-- B: Conventional Non-Irrigated Class

(Corn Belt States: IL, IN, IA, MN, MO, OH, WI)

Troy Uphoff
Findlay, Illinois
385.8807 bpa
Dekalb DKC68-35

THE FARM. Troy Uphoff credits his parents, Tony and Deanna, his brother, Trent, farm employees, Mother Nature and other mentors and advisers for inspiring the yields realized on Uphoff Farms. A sixth-generation farmer, he grew up studying the farming ways of Herman Warsaw, an Illinois farmer whose 1985 yield of 370 bpa held bragging rights in the state until Uphoff topped it this year. This is the second national win for Uphoff and his fourth national ranking.

THE FIELD. Rich, well-drained soils received adequate rainfall (about 6 inches in season) and no stressful temperatures during pollination. The high-yield plot was planted in 30-inch rows following soybeans and had a harvest population of 38,000 plants per acre.

THE FORMULA. Uphoff plants corn plots designed to see what accelerates yield. Matching hybrid to field and knowing how it performs is key. This year, he chose Dekalb DKC68-35, a fuller season (118-day) hybrid containing a VT Double Pro trait package that had shown promise farther south. Planted in May, it remained green into mid-September. Fungicide, fertility and insecticide treatments were applied every three weeks from mid-July through August. "We made sure that field never had a bad day," Uphoff says. The winning entry received 300 pounds of nitrogen, 300 pounds of phosphorus and 300 pounds of potash per acre.

THE FIGHT. Keeping fields clean is key. Timely and layered residual herbicides battle weeds such as waterhemp. Well-timed rains are a necessity, but so is tile in these flat, heavy clay soils.

THE FUTURE. Uphoff plans to continue working with university researchers to unlock corn secrets, such as the relationship between population and root size, and the trade-offs/benefits of harvesting at higher moisture. "The future is in 400-bushel corn," he says.

-- C: No-Till Non-Irrigated Class

Robert Santini
Bloomsbury, New Jersey
337.1218 bpa
Pioneer P1136AM

THE FARM. Robert Santini and his wife, Sharon, started New Village Farms in 1971. They raise corn, soybeans, milo and wheat on about 2,000 acres in western New Jersey, roughly 60 miles from New York City. His daughter, Michelle Santini, is a partner in the operation and was also an NCGA yield contest winner in 2024.

THE FIELD. The clay loam field had been in soybeans in 2023. At the suggestion of his seed dealer, Santini selected Pioneer P1136AM, a 111-day hybrid containing two modes of aboveground insect protection and tolerance to glufosinate and glyphosate. Santini planted the corn into the bean stubble in 30-inch rows using a 12-row John Deere 1795 planter. Population at harvest was 38,000 plants per acre.

THE FORMULA. Soil testing guided Santini's fertility program, which included 200 units of nitrogen, 150 units each of phosphorus and potash per acre, and the application of chicken litter prior to planting. Throughout the season, weekly tissue samples were taken to ensure that any nutrition deficiencies were identified and corrected. Santini is a proponent of fungicide, which he applied both in-furrow and foliar. However, he believes one of the most important steps to growing high-yielding corn has nothing to do with any single product.

"I used to plant corn earlier, but I don't look at the calendar anymore," he says. "Now, I wait for the conditions. Once that ground temperature is right, that's when I go."

THE FIGHT. While corn growers in many regions fought drought conditions during 2024, Santini was not among them. Pests and diseases were also negligible.

"It was a pretty good season. Everything came up nice, the weather cooperated, and we got off to a good start," he says. "It got a little dry in June, but with the genetics these days, it wasn't a problem."

THE FUTURE. While diseases weren't much of an issue for Santini in 2024, he remains vigilant, most notably against tar spot, which found its way to New Jersey the season before.

"It's here now, so that will be a bigger challenge for us this coming year," he says. "We're preparing for it."

-- D: No-till Non-irrigated Class
(Corn Belt States: IL, IN, IA, MN, MO, OH, WI)

Shawn Kalb
Dubois, Indiana
402.7334 bpa
Dekalb DKC66-06RIB

THE FARM. The Kalb family is a corn yield contest regular. This year, it was Shawn Kalb rising to the top of the winner's circle -- her fifth national first place honor. Son, Kogen, and husband, Kevin, also placed in the national contest this year, while daughters, Emmersen and Rhylan, were state winners. Sandy silt loam soils in this part of southern Indiana are consistent but not weather-proof.

THE FIELD. This field has delivered national honors before, and the same hybrid (Dekalb DKC66-06RIB) placed first in this category in 2023. The winning field sits in a valley protected by hillsides, which allowed it to endure better than other fields when Hurricane Helene came to call and caused some lodging in the still-green crop.

THE FORMULA. In-furrow microbes and a 2 x 2 x 2 band of nutrients below the seed got things started. Tissue samples starting around V3 continue through black layer and plan the subsequent diet, which is delivered via Y-drops. She planted in 30-inch rows behind soybeans and had a 44,000-plant population at harvest.

THE FIGHT. No significant rainfall from tassel to critical grain fill hurt yields across the farm this year. "Fortunately, we didn't have crazy heat. At the end of July, we were set up for our best crop ever. We had the high ovule counts, and ear size was massive. Most of the kernels held on, but they were smaller than normal due to lack of rainfall," she says. Rains that fell with Helene helped preserve some dry matter, but lodging created harvest headaches.

THE FUTURE. The goal is to keep reaching to exceed the national dryland record of 450 bushel plus. Incremental yield gains beyond a certain level require near-perfect conditions, but the Kalbs say they'll keep pushing.

-- E: Strip-Till, Minimum-Till, Mulch-Till, Ridge-Till Non-Irrigated Class

Michelle Santini
Phillipsburg, New Jersey
353.2038 bpa
Pioneer P1136AM

THE FARM. For about 20 years, Michelle Santini has been a partner in New Village Farms, which her parents, Robert and Sharon, established more than a half-century ago. The farm is located in western New Jersey, near the Pennsylvania border. The Santinis grow corn, soybeans, milo and wheat on about 2,000 acres.

THE FIELD. The 40-acre clay loam field -- located less than 3 miles from the field where Robert grew his yield-contest-winning corn in the 2024 No-Till Non-Irrigated Class -- was in soybeans in 2023 and had previously produced contest wins for the Santinis. Robert says the field's orientation allows for rows to be planted in an east-west fashion, which he thinks makes a difference on this field.

The field was planted on May 10 with Pioneer P1136AM, the same 111-day hybrid as in Robert's winning entry. The only difference was that the 12-row John Deere 1795 planter placed the seed into strip-tilled 30-inch rows. Final stand count was 38,000 plants per acre.

THE FORMULA. Not surprisingly, the Santinis' fertility plan for this field mirrored the one down the road: 200 units of nitrogen and 150 units each of phosphorus and potash per acre, and the application of chicken litter prior to planting. Similarly, weekly tissue sampling was conducted to make sure the crop wasn't deficient in any nutrient. Weed control was achieved with Bicep II Magnum, while two fungicide products -- Xyway delivered in-furrow and Miravis Neo sprayed twice during the season -- provided disease protection.

THE FIGHT. With so many similarities between the Santinis' two winning entries in 2024, some may wonder why the same hybrid planted in similar soil and grown with the same production blueprint would have a 16-bushel yield difference.

"It comes down to Mother Nature and H2O," Santini says. "This field got one extra shower of about a quarter-inch. That's all it took."

THE FUTURE. Contest participants often mention that the inputs and management practices they "experiment" with in contest fields often determine decisions they make across all their corn fields. The Santinis are no different, and one practice they'll be scaling up in 2025 is fungicide application.

"We haven't sprayed some of our noncontest fields, but I think we'll be going straight across the board with fungicide now," Santini says. "I think it pays off."

-- F: Strip-Till, Minimum-Till, Mulch-Till, Ridge-Till Non-Irrigated Class
(Corn Belt States: IL, IN, IA, MN, MO, OH, WI)

Galt Porter
Mercer, Missouri
405.1317 bpa
Pioneer P1742Q

THE FARM. Galt Porter was born to push corn yields. His parents, Gary and Lori, became active in yield contests decades ago. Today, Porter Farms and several of its partners participate in corn, soybean and sorghum contests.

THE FIELD. Porter considers himself a Missourian, but his winning field lies just across the state line in south-central Iowa. He and brother, Grey, purchased the bottomland together with a beginning farmer loan. A creek serves as a natural dividing line for their yield contest entries. Grey placed third in the same category this year with a 393.7122-bpa entry. "He beat me in this same field two years ago. I guess it was my turn," Porter says.

THE FORMULA. The field was blessed with perfectly timed rains. Strips were formed in late March with nutrients banded 6 to 8 inches deep. Multiple split applications of liquid nitrogen followed. In-season applications were Y-dropped with levels based on tissue testing, and the final application at grain fill included a fungicide and insecticide. Total nutrients applied included 300 pounds of nitrogen, 80 pounds of phosphorus and 80 pounds of potash per acre. The crop was planted in 30-inch rows after soybeans with a harvest population of 38,000 plants per acre.

THE FIGHT. Early rains were followed by cloudy days that stalled corn development, especially where soils were saturated. The field would benefit from additional tile drainage, Porter believes. "Getting moisture when you need it, but not too much, is the name of the game when you don't have irrigation," he says.

THE FUTURE. Porter plans to continue turning more acreage over to strip-till as it limits trips over the field, gives seed a warm start and helps meet conservation goals. Split application is helping target nutrient needs.

-- G: No-till Irrigated Class

Ben Jackson
Wrightsville, Georgia
400.3078 bpa
Dekalb DKC63-58

THE FARM. Ben Jackson treasures a 1992 photo of his father, Sammy Jackson Jr., knee-deep in a 126-acre cotton field that yielded 1,789 pounds per acre. "This is where I learned -- both how to push these soils and the desire to do it," says Jackson, who represents the fifth generation on this east-central Georgia family farm. Today, he and his sons, Sam and Nicholas, and his nephew, Morgan Jackson, manage 4,500 acres of primarily corn and soybeans, using cotton and grain sorghum as secondary rotation crops.

THE FIELD. That cotton photo was snapped in the same field where Jackson produced this year's winning corn yield. He's been building these dark, loamy soils for decades. Surpassing 400 bpa was exciting, but the whole field average of 364 bpa was rewarding. The field was subsoiled, fall-seeded to triticale and no-tilled in 30-inch rows with a 113-day conventional hybrid that measured 45,500 plants per acre at harvest.

THE FORMULA. Jackson tissue-tests high-yield plots (about every other day) throughout the season to guide nutrition needs, which are mainly supplied through fertigation. The field received 500 pounds of nitrogen, 400 pounds of phosphorus, 350 pounds of potash, 500 pounds of manganese and 4 tons of poultry litter per acre. He scouts plots daily to watch for issues.

THE FIGHT. Early planting is critical to avoid pollination during triple-digit daytime temps and steamy nights. "Pumping 60°F water during a 100°F day can shock corn plants," he notes. "Fertigation is done at night."

THE FUTURE. Jackson's goal is 500 bpa in plots. He's seen that and higher cross the yield monitor. "The realistic goal is to take what I learn and make 300 bushel across all my corn acres," he says.

-- H: Strip-Till, Minimum-Till, Mulch-Till, Ridge-Till Irrigated Class

David Hula
Charles City, Virginia
490.6276 bpa
Pioneer P14830VYHR

THE FARM. David Hula's corn yield roots run deep. The highest yield recorded in the 2024 contest, it is Hula's 13th NCGA high yield win, and he remains the only farmer to break the 600-bushel mark in the contest (2019, 2021 and 2023). A third-generation farmer, Hula's legacy began with a grandfather who broke the 100-bushel corn yield barrier, and his father passed 200 bpa. He farms approximately 4,000 acres with brother, John, and son, Craig. In fact, Craig placed second in this same class in 2024 and scored the second-highest overall yield in the contest with 461.3025 bpa.

THE FIELD. Renwood Farms lies in the Chesapeake Bay watershed and uses surface water from the James River for irrigation. Soil CEC (cation exchange capacity) can range from 2.1 to 6.7, and 1-acre grids are used to manage the differences. This entry followed soybeans, was planted in 30-inch rows and recorded a harvest population of 47,900 plants per acre.

THE FORMULA. Hula's systems approach to production starts with soil sampling and flagging corn emergence. Seed and in-furrow treatments are routine. Tissue sampling begins around 350 to 425 GDUs (growing degree units) to guide in-season management. In 2024, the winning field received a total of 420 pounds of nitrogen, 137 pounds of phosphorus, 360 pounds of potash, 6 pounds of boron, 60 pounds of sulfur, 15 pounds of zinc and 2 tons of chicken litter per acre.

THE FIGHT. Corn emergence was ideal this spring, but drought forced early watering, and pumping continued until pollination. "Things looked promising until grain fill. Then we noticed that even with irrigation, we couldn't keep tissue level up to the levels expected. Due to the excessive heat, the plant did what it naturally does but at a faster rate, and that limited top-end potential," Hula says.

THE FUTURE. He plans to keep focused on placing the right seed in the right environment.

-- I: Conventional Irrigated Class

Rodney Harrell
Leesburg, Georgia
393.8045 bpa
Dekalb DKC68-35

THE FARM. Rodney Harrell began his farming operation in southwest Georgia in 1972. Today, he and his son, Alex, raise corn, soybeans, wheat and watermelons on roughly 4,000 acres, of which about 80% is irrigated. The Harrells have participated in the NCGA National Corn Yield Contest for two decades.

THE FIELD. It was the second season the Harrells planted Dekalb DKC68-35, a 118-day VT Double Pro hybrid. The corn was seeded in late March in 30-inch rows at a rate of 44,000 seeds per acre. The 60-acre sandy loam field equipped with center-pivot irrigation was the same one in which Alex produced soybeans yielding a then-record 206.7997 bpa in 2023. He raised the bar to 218.2856 bpa in 2024 in another field 15 miles away.

THE FORMULA. The Harrells placed bands of fertility in the soil during tillage. At planting, biologicals, humic acid and zinc went in the furrow, while additional fertility was applied using a 3 x 3 liquid system. Drones and a ground rig equipped with EZ-Drops were employed for in-season fertility. Alex added they are proactive with their fungicide and insecticide programs.

"Everybody does the big stuff," Rodney says. "But, it's the little details that make big yields."

THE FIGHT. The crop got off to a terrific start with nearly perfect emergence. Tissue sampling between 300 to 400 GDUs showed that key nutrients were at levels for producing high yields. But, then Mother Nature threw a curveball.

"I think we had close to 500-bushel potential, but then the heat hit from R1 to R5," Alex says. "Nighttime temps in the 80s were too much heat in the canopy. It shortened the reproductive cycle, and we couldn't pack on the kernel weight."

THE FUTURE. Rodney believes a higher plant population led to a thicker stand that held more heat. In 2025, the Harrells intend to plant multiple populations in each field.

"Last year, our lower populations overall outyielded our higher ones. In 2023, it was the exact opposite," Alex says. "So, we're going to plant each field with three populations and spread out the risk."

**

-- For more about the National Corn Yield Contest, visit https://ncga.com/…

-- Pamela Smith, Senior Crops Editor, contributed to this article.

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