Iowa corn growers planting Garst Seed Company corn and soybean products earned several top awards at this year's Iowa Crop Improvement Association awards banquet held in Ames, Iowa.

The Iowa Master Corn and Soybean Growers' Contests are coordinated by Iowa Crop Improvement Association (ICIA) and conducted by local sponsors. The purpose of the contests is to promote the use of good seed, encourage the development of new techniques and to promote the use of good cultural techniques in crop production for the betterment of Iowa Agriculture.

The Iowa Master Corn Contest has been held every year since 1938, making itone of the longest running and highly respected yield competitions in the United States. Any Iowa corn or soybean grower is eligible to enter the contests.

In the 1998 competition, entrants planting Garst hybrid corn did very well. On the very tough District level, Garst customers secured one 1st place award and two, 2nd place finishes. In District 11, Steve Lauer of Winterset, Iowa won the competition with a yield of 212.72 bu./a from his Garst 8585GLS/IT hybrid.

In District 3, Garst customers D & K Farms from Postville, Iowa secured a 2nd place award with 235.33 bu/a from their Garst 8550. And in District 12, Linder Farms, from Keokuk, IA, also nailed down a 2nd place tally with their Garst 8342 hybrid and a yield of 220.08 bu/a.

In addition to the fine showing on the District level, 17 Garst customers earned 1st place finishes in their local competitions.

Independent of the Iowa Masters competition, Garst recognizes entrants that post yields of 200 or more bushels per acre. And for 1998, Garst will be welcoming 60 growers to the "Garst 200 Bushel Club."

Soybeans score well

In the statewide soybean competition, Garst grower Dean Gourley from Villisca, Iowa, secured a 2nd place finish in District 10 with a yield of 64.53 bu/a from his Garst D350 soybeans.

On the local level, six Garst soybean growers won their hometown competitions with yields ranging from 60.59 bu/a all the way up to a remarkable 78.54 bu./acre.

As with the corn entrants, growers planting Garst soybeans and posting yields in excess of 65 bu./a are recognized in the Garst "65 Bushel Club." And for 1998, 40 "Garst Guys" put their names on the list for this exclusive club.

"Obviously we are very pleased to seed our Garst corn and soybean customers entering and doing well in the Iowa Masters competition," says Gene Kassmeyer, Crop Product Manager for Garst Seed Company. "Corn and soybean growers across the  country look to the Iowa Masters as a dependable source of real-world yield information because of the reputation of Iowa's farmers and the near ideal soils and growing conditions of the state."

1998 Entries

For the 1998 Iowa Masters competition, there were 142 corn contests and 128 soybean contests sponsored at various locations around the state. A total of 2,443 entries were received in the corn contest with 1,488 of those being qualified harvest yield data.

In the soybean competition, 1,731 entries were received with 1,136 qualified harvest results being submitted.

For more information on Garst corn hybrids and soybean varieties, see your local Garst Sales Representative or call 1-888-GO-GARST for more information. You can also visit our web site at www.garstseed.com .

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