PHOENIX, Ariz. — On Friday, the National Wheat Foundation (NWF) announced the creation and implementation of a National Wheat Yield Contest during a press conference at the Commodity Classic in Phoenix.

Through the primary support of BASF, NWF is able to launch this new venture. "We appreciate the generous support of our primary industry partner, BASF, to assist in the creation of this program. We are looking forward to this contest increasing grower productivity, helping build a stronger U.S. wheat industry and increasing knowledge transfer between growers," commented NWF Chair Dusty Tallman, a wheat grower from Brandon, Colo.

The contest hopes to increase U.S. wheat grower productivity to ensure an ample supply of quality wheat to reliably meet the needs of the domestic wheat market and foreign customers.

"Our goal is to help growers get the most out of every acre," said Neil Bentley, director of Marketing for BASF. "Initiatives such as the National Wheat Yield Contest give growers an opportunity to work with innovations that help them break yield barriers, and allows farmers to grow and learn from one another."

A few objectives of the contest are: drive innovation, enable knowledge transfer between growers, urge experimentation with new technologies and identify top wheat producers in each state. Participants will compete by wheat class, by dryland or irrigated and by state and region to ensure the competition is between peers. Contest parameters include class, geography, quality and yield.

The contest rules are still being developed and will be announced well prior to the entry start date.