Applications for GREAT LAKES YEN Now OPEN

GUELPH, ON and LANSING, MI – Grain Farmers of Ontario, Michigan State University, Michigan Wheat Program, the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA), and the University of Guelph are accepting applications for the Great Lakes YEN (Yield Enhancement Network).

Farmers growing winter wheat for the 2021-2022 season in Ontario and the Great Lakes region of the U.S. are invited to apply to be part of the Great Lakes YEN. The Great Lakes YEN is a way to connect farmers and help them understand more about their crops and the yields they are achieving.

Every farm involved in the Great Lakes YEN will share soil, tissue, and whole plant analysis for comparison and benchmarking, which will allow the Great Lakes YEN team to offer better insight into each field‘s performance. Farmers will learn more about how their wheat crop develops and produces yield and how they compare to their peers.

“This is a great opportunity for our farmer-members across Ontario to learn more about their actual yield and yield potential, while also learning more about winter wheat growing in other regions of the province and our neighbours in the U.S.,” said Paul Hoekstra, Vice President, Strategic Development, at Grain Farmers of Ontario, “We are encouraging farmers to participate in the Great Lakes YEN and gain valuable insights.”

“The Great Lakes YEN will provide wheat growers with a chance to learn more about their crop and management decisions than ever before,” said Dennis Pennington, Wheat Extension Specialist, Michigan State University. “Not only will you learn from the benchmarking data for your farm, you will also learn about how you compare with other fellow wheat growers in the Great Lakes Region.”

“The partners have all been working to develop the YEN program for the Great Lakes Region,” said Jody Pollok-Newsom, Executive Director of the Michigan Wheat Program. “We look forward to receiving applications from our growers interested in participating in this cutting-edge new program.”

This program will encourage farmers to try new things and learn from data that are comparable across the Great Lakes region. Every field is different and has different yield potential based on a multitude of factors, such as environment (rainfall, sunlight), soil (water holding capacity, nutrient levels), and management (inputs used and timing).