Change to Michigan Soybean Yield Contest to be More ‘Lucrative’ To Participants

soybean field bloom
A soybean field in bloom. Photo: Ashley Davenport

Since 2006, the Michigan Soybean Promotion Committee (MSPC) has funded the annual Soybean Yield Contest.

“They were primarily motivated through data,” said Janna Fritz, executive director of the MSPC. “They wanted to receive information back on what growers are doing in terms of row spacing, application, and any number of different agronomic data that we could essentially cut the information from that we received from the contest.”

The Michigan Soybean Association (MSA) side of the organization will head up the contest.

“We’re still focused on the agronomics, we are still retaining that data, but we also wanted to make it a little bit bigger and more lucrative for these soybean farmers in the fact they can win more with this new contest,” said Fritz.

Now that the contest will be run under MSA this year, Fritz said they will be requiring a membership to participate.

“That continues to promote the Soybean Association as a whole and our advocacy efforts that we can do on behalf of Michigan soybean growers that we cannot do on the checkoff side,” she said. “So it’s a win-win on both sides, and then we’ve got an opportunity to grow the association so we can continue to advocate on behalf of soybean farmers in Michigan.”

Anyone is welcome to participate in the contest, which is modeled after the NCGA competition. Seven seed companies are sponsoring, so if you grow one of those varieties, Fritz suggests getting in contact with your seed dealer before you apply.

“Because with those sponsorships from those companies, they are offering to pay for the entry fees as well as membership fees for those folks that aren’t members of MSA,” said Fritz.

Entry submissions are due August 15 online, and harvest forms are due November 30. For more information and how to apply, click here or visit misoy.org.

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