by BRIAN LOCKHART
With the outlook for this season’s spring wheat production looking promising, grain farmers have the opportunity to cash in on a bumper crop with an extra bonus from the first annual Grain Farmers of Ontario Spring Wheat Challenge contest.
“We have farmers that take really good care of their wheat crops and we want to make a fun challenge for them,” says Grain Farmers’ communications coordinator Claire Cowan.
The contest, which is sponsored by Bayer Crop Science, will award a $1,500 cash prize to the farmer with the best yield as well as $750 for the first runner up and $500 for the second runner up.
After two consecutive seasons with cool and wet conditions that made growing wheat a challenge, 2010 has provided good planting conditions in most of the province. “Whoever has the best yield of milling quality wheat wins,” Cowan explains, adding “we wanted to highlight the quality factor. It must be a certified seed and it must be a spring wheat.”
To be eligible for the competition, a field size must be a minimum of 10 acres and the harvested plot must be a minimum of 1.5 acres of the same field.
“We have an interest in spring cereal and wheat and helping our customers in being successful,” says Bayer row crop production manager Greg Good.
Bayer is a leader in crop production with an integrated portfolio of crop protection products, seed treatment technologies and plant biotechnology.
The contest Good says, is part of Bayer’s commitment to “bring new innovation to our customers.”
Making a claim for a yield is done in one of two ways Cowan explains. Farmers can “weigh it right in the field, if they have a weigh wagon,” or if facilities exist, they can “take the crop to an elevator and have it weighed” and subtract the weight of the wagon. Either way the grain must also be graded by someone who has been certified by the Canadian Grain Commission and the weight signed off by a third party.
Once signed up farmers will be asked to complete a survey about their production practices.
Registration forms must be filled out and mailed in with a $10 entrance fee.
You can download a copy of the registration form from the Grain Farmers’ website at www.gfo.ca or call them at 1-800-265-0550 and request the form be mailed to you.
Registration for the contest is currently underway and is open until July 15. BF
