Big Yields Once Again from Great Lakes YEN Participants

A pair of Michigan farmers took the top two spots while an Ontario grower was third in the fourth annual Great Lakes Yield Enhancement Network (YEN) competition. 

Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO) announced the 2023-24 YEN winners on Monday, with Michigan’s Nick Suwyn taking home top honours with a winter wheat yield of 171.9 bu/acre. That was followed by Jeffery Krohn, also of Michigan, with a yield of 170.1 bu. John Kilbourne of Ontario grabbed third place with a yield of 160.2 bu/acre. 

This year’s average winter wheat yield across all YEN participants was over 115 bu/acre, down slightly from 118 bu in 2022-23, while the previous year’s top yield came in a bit higher at 173.4 bu/acre. 

The Great Lakes YEN is one of a global series of YENs that help local farmers better understand their winter wheat yield potential and learn what is limiting that potential.  The goal of the YEN is to connect agricultural organizations, extension specialists, academics, agronomists, and farmers who are striving to improve crop returns by closing the gap between potential yield and actual yield. The Great Lakes YEN covers Ontario and the Great Lakes region of the US. 

“Farming is a highly technical and skilled profession that is at its best when it incorporates data and knowledge and builds on that insight for innovative new practices and better sustainability. The Great Lakes YEN has helped farmers access those insights for winter wheat to understand their yield, achieve better results and incorporate innovation on their farms,” said Paul Hoekstra, Vice President, Strategic Development, Grain Farmers of Ontario. 

The 2023-24 Great Lakes winter wheat season had its ups and downs, with planting in much of the region delayed into October due to the late maturity of the 2023 soybean crop and persistent fall rain. However, an unusually mild winter resulted in excellent winter survival. Wet weather then returned in the spring, making timely fertilizer and crop protection applications a challenge. As the season progressed, insect and disease pressure then increased. 

At the end of the season, growers experienced an early harvest with generally good grain quality.