The 2026 Corn Yield Contest rules and entry form are officially live!
The North Carolina Corn Yield Contest is sponsored by the Corn Growers Association of North Carolina and administered by North Carolina Cooperative Extension. Its purpose is threefold: (1) to encourage North Carolina corn producers to strive for greater yields and profits, (2) to recognize farmers achieving high corn yields, and (3) to identify management practices associated with profitable corn production. Anyone who grows one acre or more of corn in North Carolina may enter.
This year’s Corn Yield Contest includes a few changes based on feedback from those involved in measuring and certifying contest entries. Most notably, new restrictions have been added regarding field shape. Contest fields must be square or rectangular, with four sides meeting at 90-degree angles. Irregularly shaped fields, including triangular, diamond-shaped, trapezoidal, or other non-rectangular fields, will not be accepted.
Another change for 2026 is that entries completed using the National Corn Yield Contest entry form will also be accepted for the North Carolina contest, provided that the North Carolina Corn Yield Contest state entry form is also completed and submitted.
As in previous years, each area winner and runner-up will receive a plaque. Winners will be announced in January at the 2027 North Carolina Commodity Conference.
