Four growers planting WestBred Wheat in the 2023 National Wheat Yield Contest won an additional award for grain quality, in addition to high yields, demonstrating the balanced agronomics of the brand.
The NWYC Quality Awards were selected based on wheat grain samples submitted by the 2023 national yield winners that were tested for end-use quality. A panel of industry experts evaluated the results and selected the quality award winners. WestBred Wheat varieties earned three quality winners in the Hard Red Spring category and one placement in the Hard Red Winter category:
Hard Red Spring
• Brad Disrud, Rolla, North Dakota, with WB9590 and a yield of 129.98 bushels per acre—the Bin
Buster winner in the dryland category.
• John Wesolowski, Warren, Minnesota, with WB9590 and a yield of 126.09 bushels per acre—the
first-place high yield winner in the dryland category
• Devan Laufer, Mott, North Dakota, with WB9719 and a yield of 109.8 bushels per acre, a 241%
increase over the county average of 32.19 bushels per acre—the third-place percent over county
winner in the dryland category.
Hard Red Winter
• Chris Gross, Reardan, Washington, with KELDIN and a yield of 211.98 bushels per acre—the Bin
Buster winner in the irrigated category.
“Congratulations to the winners of the second annual NWYC Quality Awards,” said Jeff Koscelny, cereals account management lead, Bayer. “Another great showing in both the yield and quality awards in the 2023 NWYC demonstrates how WestBred Wheat focuses on yield, grain quality and agronomic traits to help growers seize every season. The winning WestBred Wheat varieties for quality are excellent examples of products that combine key attributes that growers need to be successful.”
Three of the four Bin Buster awards and a total of 11 national winners in the 2023 National Wheat Yield Contest planted WestBred Wheat varieties. Across all categories, the 11 national winners who grew WestBred varieties averaged 136 bushels per acre in a range from 109 to 212 bushels per acre.
“Consistent, high-end grain quality is important for maintaining our competitiveness both domestically and globally for U.S.-grown wheat,” Koscelny said. “We commend all the winners in the 2023 NWYC and the National Wheat Foundation for making yield and grain quality a part of this prestigious contest.”
