Thursday, March 28, 2024

UArk launches 2020 ‘Most Crop Per Drop’ irrigation yield contest

karl garner
Karl Garner of Wynne, right, shakes hands with Arkansas Corn and Grain Sorghum Board member Tommy Young. Garner topped other corn producers with 11.4 bushels per acre-inch of water. He only applied 1.5 inches of irrigation and relied on rainfall for the remaining 18 inches.

Do you think you know how to irrigate and stretch your water supply? If so, enter the University of Arkansas’ “Most Crop Per Drop” contest.

Unlike regular yield contests that simply look at how many bushels you can produce per acre, this contest involves how many bushels you produce per acre-inch of water used.

The winner may not have the highest production per acre, but he or she may have harvested the most bushels for every inch of water.

Now only do the winners receive bragging rights, but there are some pretty hefty prizes, too.

Awards:

• $11,000 seed tote credit for first place winner in rice sponsored by RiceTec, $5,000 second place prize sponsored by M&M Mars.

• $6,000 cash for the first place winner in corn, $3,000 for second place and $1,000 for third place sponsored by the Arkansas Corn and Grain Sorghum Promotion Board.

• $6,000 cash for the first place winner in soybeans, $3,000 for second place and $1,000 for third place sponsored by the Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board.

• $1,333 in additional cash from Irrometer and Delta Plastics for each winner.

• $ in products from Seametrics, Trellis, Mccrometer, and Irrometer.

• $20,485 in total for each winner in corn, soybeans and rice.

Other corporate sponsors include Delta Plastics ($2,500) and Irrometer ($1,500). All winners will receive a manual reader and three Watermark sensors courtesy of Irrometer ($325). Each winner also will receive a 10-inch Mccrometer portable flow meter with a FS-100 flow straightener, valued at $2,271. Additional cash and products will be distributed among the winners. More sponsors are expected to contribute to the final award.

Deadline for entry form is June 30. Meter will need to be sealed before first irrigation, call 870-243-2604 or 870-673-2661 to request meter seal at least five days before. Learn more about the contest.

Entries are for rice, soybeans and corn irrigated fields only. Contestant must be a certified FSA owner/operator of the entry plot and the field must have a history of being irrigated. A copy of the FSA Form 578, including farm summary, must be submitted with the contest entry form. Contestants may not enter more than once per crop and per season. Contestants must be 18 years old at the time of entry.

For all of the rules and the fine print, visit the University of Arkansas.

Read about the 2019 winners

Related Articles

Connect With Corn South

E-News Sign-up