Gary Pestorious of Sunset Farms recently won first place in the AA Non-Irrigated division of the 2007 National Corn Growers&8217; Association&8217;s Corn Yield Contest in Minnesota. Pestorious won with Pioneer brand hybrid 36H56, which yielded 254 bushels per acre.

Pestorious earned one of the 334 state titles won by growers planting Pioneer hybrids. The NCGA awarded 527 state titles in this year&8217;s contest. Growers planting Pioneer hybrids dominated the contest and won 65 percent of all state awards presented. In addition, growers planting Pioneer producers took 20 of the 27 national yield categories.

The NCGA Corn Yield Contest is an annual competition among corn producers with the goal of producing the highest yields. In the contest, growers compete within a broad range of corn production classes, including non-irrigated, no-till/strip-till non-irrigated, no-till/strip-till irrigated, ridge-till non-irrigated, ridge-till irrigated and irrigated classes.

&8220;Each year, we&8217;re excited to see the continued success growers have with Pioneer products in the NCGA Corn Yield Contest,&8221; says Paul Schickler, president of Pioneer Hi-Bred. &8220;We&8217;re especially impressed with the high yields our customers have this year with Pioneer hybrids. That says a lot about the value Pioneer hybrids bring to the bottom line of all growers.&8221;

&8220;In 2008, growers will be challenged to generate still higher yields to meet the growing demand for corn for ethanol and other traditional markets,&8221; Schickler adds. &8220;We&8217;re very confident our customers will meet the need, especially with the high-yielding choices of Pioneer corn hybrids available with the latest genetics and technologies to match the production demands of each acre.&8221;

Pestorious planted the winning entry on April 28, 2007, in fields grown to corn in 2006. He planted the crop into 30 inch rows using a JD 1770NT 24 row planter at a rate of 36,000 seeds per acre.

Pestorious applied a total of 200 pounds of nitrogen, 0 pounds of potash per acre to enhance fertility.

He used a JD 9760 combine to harvest the winning plot.

Pioneer Hi-Bred, a DuPont business, is the world&8217;s leading source of customized solutions for farmers, livestock producers and grain and oilseed processors. With headquarters in Des Moines, Iowa, Pioneer provides access to advanced plant genetics in nearly 70 countries.

DuPont is a science-based products and services company. Founded in 1802, DuPont puts science to work by creating sustainable solutions essential to a better, safer, healthier life for people everywhere. Operating in more than 70 countries, DuPont offers a wide range of innovative products and services for markets including agriculture and food; building and construction; communications; and transportation.