Source: CORN GROWERS ASSOC. OF NC, 8/26/20

NORTH CAROLINA CORN YIELD CONTEST

Click here for 2020 Entry Form

Rules and Regulations
The North Carolina Corn Yield Contest is sponsored by the Corn Growers Association of
North Carolina and administered by the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service. Its
purpose is threefold: (1) to encourage North Carolina corn producers to strive for greater
yields and profits, (2) to recognize those farmers achieving high corn yields, and (3) to
identify those management practices associated with profitable corn production.

ELIGIBILITY: Anyone who grows one acre or more of corn in North Carolina may enter.
Only one entry per farm unit is eligible for an award, but several applications may be
submitted if production practices are different.

MEASUREMENTS: The harvested area must be a minimum size of one (1.000) acre
measured from within a single field. The field may include drainage ditches or other
conservation structures but the harvested area must be bordered by a minimum of two
rows of similarly produced corn on at least two sides. The four sides of the plot should be
as straight as possible; however, reasonable variations for such causes as contour cropping
may be accepted. All four sides of the plot must be measured. In measuring, start on the
left with the first harvested row and measure to the first non-harvested row on the right
(this process accounts for the ½ row width on either side of the harvested area which must
be included in the calculation of the final yield). Repeat this procedure at the other end of
the area using the same rows measured at the front. Row length should also be measured
at both sides of the plot. For maximum accuracy, a single diagonal measured from one
corner of the plot to the opposite corner would be helpful. However, this is not a
requirement for submitting an official contest entry. If a diagonal is not measured, we ask
that you mark all right angles on the plot diagram to assist in making the proper area
calculations. Area of four-sided fields with dimensions for only the four sides will be
calculated as the maximum area that can be encompassed by the four sides with
consideration of all right angles marked. Area of four-sided fields with all four sides plus a
diagonal measured will be calculated as the area in the two triangles. No awards will be
made to fields with only two sides measured. Measurements should be reported to the
nearest inch or link and the area rounded off to the nearest thousandth of an acre. As in the
past, we will also accept entries that have been measured using the regulations
described for the 2020 NCGA Corn Yield Contest. A copy of the 2020 NCGA Corn Yield
Contest form must be submitted along with copies of supporting documents such as
scale tickets and moisture measurements.

The measurements must be made by a county surveyor, county extension agent, vocational
agriculture instructor, licensed surveyor, or a person recommended by the County Corn
Extension Agent. At least one member or designated representative of a county corn
contest committee must be present at the harvest and weighing of the yield. Harvest,
weighing and a moisture determination should be completed the same day. A diagram of
the field and harvested area must be shown on the application form.

YIELD: Official yield will be calculated on the basis of No. 2 corn as shown in the example
on the application form. Only combine-harvested yields will be accepted. No hand
gleaning is permitted. The weight of the combined corn will be corrected to 15.5%
moisture. For moisture determinations, a routine sample run at a local buying station will
be sufficient. Please include a copy of the weigh ticket listing the net grain weight and
moisture for the plot.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: Applications must be postmarked prior to
midnight November 30, 2020. There will be no exceptions. Please note that this date
may not be the same deadline used in the National Corn Yield Contest.

ENTRY SUBMISSION: Entries should be submitted to:
Corn Yield Contest
c/o Dr. Ron Heiniger
Vernon James Research and Extension Center
207 Research Station Road
Plymouth, NC 27962
Ron_Heiniger@ncsu.edu

COUNTY COMMITTEE: The county corn agent may wish to form a committee to help
him/her conduct a county contest or coordinate and supervise harvest operations. The
corn agent will be responsible for all information submitted on an application to the North
Carolina contest. Only properly and fully completed entries will be recognized.

STATE COMMITTEE: A group of three persons including (1) a representative of the Corn
Growers Association of North Carolina, (2) a county extension agent, and (3) the extension
specialist (Dr. R.W. Heiniger) will have the authority to clarify any point of contention
which might develop in the administration of the program. Their decision will be final.
Any irregularities in regard to the requirements of the program as outlined above will be
just cause for disqualification. Only fully completed North Carolina or NCGA certifications
will be accepted.

NORTH CAROLINA CORN YIELD CONTEST AWARDS

Dryland Division
Awards will be made in the dryland division on the basis of the entrant’s
geographical location. The state will be divided into five areas reasonably similar in
soils and climate. These areas are as follows:



Area 1 Tidewater: Currituck, Camden, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Chowan,
Washington, Tyrrell, Dare, Beaufort, Hyde, Pamlico, and Carteret counties.

Area 2 Northern Coastal Plain: Gates, Halifax, Northhampton, Hertford, Bertie,
Martin, Edgecombe, Nash, Wilson, Johnston, Wayne, Greene, Pitt, Lenoir, Craven,
and Jones counties.

Area 3 Southern Coastal Plain and Sand Hills: Onslow, Duplin, Pender, New Hanover, Brunswick, Columbus, Bladen, Sampson, Cumberland, and Robeson counties.

Area 4 Central: Warren, Vance, Granville, Person, Caswell, Rockingham, Guilford,
Alamance, Orange, Durham, Franklin, Wake, Chatham, Randolph, Lee, Harnett,
Hoke, Moore, Montgomery, Stanly, Union, Anson, Richmond, and Scotland counties.

Area 5 Western: Stokes, Surry, Alleghany, Ashe, Watauga, Wilkes, Yadkin, Forsyth,
Davidson, Davie, Rowan, Iredell, Alexander, Catawba, Caldwell, Burke, Avery,
Mitchell, Yancy, McDowell, Madison, Buncombe, Haywood, Swain, Graham,
Cherokee, Clay, Macon, Jackson, Transylvania, Henderson, Polk, Rutherford,
Cleveland, Lincoln, Gaston, Mechlenburg, and Cabarrus counties.

Each area winner and runner-up will receive a plaque. A farming operation is eligible for
only one award even though several entries will be accepted if production practices are
different. The top two dryland producers in the state will receive plaques. An additional
plaque will be awarded to the highest no-tillage entry in the dryland division. An entry is
considered “no-till” when no tillage took place during the fall season prior to the year in
which the contest was held with the exception of disking to establish a cover crop or
shallow disking (no deeper than 3 inches) once to smooth ruts. There should be no tillage
of a field already in sod during the prior fall season, and no tillage practices should be used
after January 1 of the year in which the contest is held with the exception of that tillage
done by the corn planter and, in such case, no more than 25 percent of the surface area is
tilled for the seed zone.

Irrigated Division
All fields that have received supplemental water via sprinkler, subirrigation, furrow, or any
other irrigation method must be entered in the irrigated division. Only those fields which
were irrigated for the purpose of adding supplemental water qualify. For example, a single
application of lagoon waste applied through an irrigation system should be considered a
nutrient application and therefore would not qualify under the irrigated division. Awards
will be made in the irrigated division without regard to geographical location. The top four
irrigated corn producers will receive plaques and recognition at the state level. An
additional plaque will be awarded to the highest no-tillage entry in the irrigated division
(see no-till rules above).

Top Corn Grower Club Certificates
Each participant with an entry that is within 10% of the highest measured yield for 2020
will receive a certificate of membership in the North Carolina Top Corn Grower Club.
Only one certificate will be awarded per participant.

Agent Awards
Regardless of the yield level, each agent is encouraged to submit all certified entries to
the North Carolina Corn Yield Contest. The agent in each area who has the highest
average yield for three applications will receive a plaque recognizing him/her for
superior accomplishments in the North Carolina Corn Yield Contest.

Prepared by Dr. R.W. Heiniger
Corn Extension Specialist
North Carolina State University
Vernon G. James Research and Extension Center
Plymouth, NC 27962