JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (DTN) -- On Monday, the National Wheat Foundation (NWF) announced the 28 national winners in the 11th Annual National Wheat Yield Contest. For the second consecutive year -- and third time in the past five seasons -- Rylee Reynolds of Twin Falls, Idaho, bested all entries.

Reynolds' yield of 214.16 bushels per acre (bpa) earned the title of "Bin Buster" for the irrigated winter wheat category again in 2026. He set the overall contest record in 2022 when he raised irrigated soft white winter wheat that yielded 231.37 bpa.

Two other wheat growers also repeated as Bin Busters. Dallin Wilcox of Rexburg, Idaho, topped the irrigated spring wheat category with hard white spring wheat yielding 175.35 bpa. It's the farmer's second time to earn distinction as a Bin Buster in the contest in the past four seasons. Helle and Bruce Ruddenklau of Amity, Oregon, earned a third Bin Buster title and second in the dryland spring wheat category for their entry that averaged 144.34 bpa. Jake Druffel of Colton, Washington, earned his first Bin Buster title in the dryland winter wheat category with an entry of soft white winter wheat yielding 196.12 bpa.

Held annually by the National Wheat Foundation (NWF) since 2016, the contest celebrates wheat growers who strive for high yields, exceptional quality and increased profits while trying new and innovative management strategies. DTN/Progressive Farmer is the official media outlet of the competition.

Anne Osborne, NWF executive director, said that entries were down in 2026, driven by reductions in planted acreage as well as drought conditions that challenged farmers in many wheat-growing regions. However, she noted that an interesting trend developed this year.

"Of our 28 national award winners, 15 earned the distinction for the first time, which is incredible when you consider the level of competition among some of our more seasoned contest entrants," she said. "What's more, for many of these first-time national winners, this was also their first time entering the contest -- ever.

"I would argue it's not beginner's luck, either," she continued. "After more than a decade of the contest, these new winners undoubtedly have been paying attention to what previous winners have shared about what it takes to grow high-quality, high-yielding wheat, and they've taken it to heart."

In addition to the awards presented to farmers for their overall yield accomplishments, national awards were given to dryland wheat growers who raised a crop that excelled when compared to others in the county where it was produced. Entries were judged based on their percentage above their five-year Olympic county average, a figure published annually by USDA. This levels the playing field and provides a means of recognizing growers who succeed at producing wheat in lower-yielding areas.

This year, Matt Dornan of Chandler, Oklahoma, produced dryland hard red winter wheat that yielded 110.33 bpa -- 276.03% above his county average of 29.34 bpa. In Joplin, Montana, Michael Wood raised dryland hard red spring wheat that yielded 90.52 bpa, which was 219.18% above his county average of 28.36 bpa.

The 24 national winners in the contest's four traditional categories hail from 10 states. Their entries' yield average was 146.40 bpa, a slight decrease from 147.01 bpa last year. The winners in the dryland winter wheat category set a new record-high average of 176.10 bpa, up from 172.51 bpa in 2025.

For the third year, NWF offered a pilot contest category, Digital Yield, which was available to dryland spring wheat farmers in Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota and dryland winter wheat farmers in Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas and Wyoming. Using digital technologies such as John Deere Operations Center, Climate FieldView or Bushel -- along with data from their calibrated grain cart scales -- growers could submit their yield to the contest from a 20-acre selected area in a previously entered field.

This year's digital high yield dryland winter wheat winner was Cayden Ledbetter of Okmulgee, Oklahoma, with an entry of 98.00 bpa. Lauren Foutch of Shawnee, Oklahoma, won the dryland winter wheat digital yield award for highest percentage above county average with a yield of 94.00 bpa, which was 40.40% above the county average of 66.95 bpa.

In dryland spring wheat, Tim Hendrickson of Bisbee, North Dakota, took honors as the digital high yield winner, submitting an entry that yielded 113.95 bpa. John Hofer of Milnor, North Dakota, earned the dryland spring wheat digital yield award for highest percentage above county average with a yield of 86.90 bpa, which was 34.75% above the county average of 64.49 bpa.

MORE WHEAT WINNERS

In addition to the national winners, NWF named 71 state yield contest winners from 22 states. Their yield average across all traditional contest categories was 134.72 bpa, down from 140.41 bpa in 2025.

Though contest winners are selected based on yield, emphasis is also placed on the production of high-quality grain. The 28 national winners are required to submit a 10-pound sample that will be analyzed for milling and baking qualities. The soft wheat samples will be tested at the Wheat Marketing Center in Portland, Oregon; the hard wheat samples will be sent to Great Plains Analytical Laboratory in Kansas City, Missouri. A panel of experts will rank the wheat samples by quality, and the winners will be announced in mid-January 2027.

National winners are awarded a trip to the Commodity Classic, which will be held March 3-5, 2027, in New Orleans, Louisiana, where they will be recognized at the NWF Winners' Reception.

"The winners' reception at Classic is always one of the most rewarding nights of the year," said Scott Brown, NWF chairman. "We see these top-notch wheat growers from all over the country coming together to share stories and ideas. It is a small payoff for all the hard work everyone puts into the contest. The biggest payoff for contestants is the production information they learn and apply to all their wheat acres to achieve higher yield and quality on their whole farm."

CONTEST EXPANSION IN 2027

Six classes of wheat are recognized in the United States, each with its own distinct characteristics. In 2027, those who grow bin-busting yields of each class also will be distinctly recognized as NWF expands its contest.

In 2027, a total of 30 national winners will be named, including eight "Bin Buster" award winners -- twice as many as in previous contests -- as winter wheat categories expand.

"Winter wheat entries were grouped into two contest categories, dryland and irrigated, regardless of class," Osborne explained. "However, yield potential can differ among classes and the environments where they're grown, so the board decided to give growers of each class more opportunities to compete and be recognized for their outstanding crop performance. This change also aligns the categories more closely with the quality components of the contest, which is another aspect that makes our yield contest unique."

In 2027, dryland and irrigated winter wheat entries will be separated into three class categories: soft red, soft white, and hard red and white. For spring wheat growers, entries will be accepted in both dryland and irrigated categories.

Also, for the first time, the 2027 yield contest will feature categories for dryland and irrigated durum wheat growers. NWF is also continuing its pilot Digital Yield categories, expanding that portion of the contest to include dryland winter wheat, spring wheat and durum growers in select states.

For more information, visit: https://www.wheatcontest.org/….

Partnering sponsors for the 2026 National Wheat Yield Contest include: BASF, Dyna-Gro, John Deere, WestBred, AgXplore, Corteva, Croplan, Limagrain Cereal Seed, The McGregor Companies, U.S. Wheat Associates, AgriGro, AgriMaxx, Anheuser Busch, Ardent Mills, BNSF, Eastman, Mennel Milling Company, Siemer Milling Company, UPL, Bushel, Climate FieldView, American Bankers Association, Great Plains Analytical Laboratory, Grain Craft, Nachurs, Miller Milling, Northern Crops Institute, Idaho Wheat, Kansas Wheat, Kentucky Small Grain Growers Association, Michigan Wheat, Minnesota Wheat Growers, Montana Grain Growers Association, Nebraska Wheat, North Carolina Small Grain Grower Association, North Dakota Grain Growers Association, Ohio Corn & Wheat, Oklahoma Wheat, PlainsGold and Texas Wheat.

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2026 NATIONAL WINNERS

WINTER WHEAT IRRIGATED CATEGORY:

-- Bin Buster: Rylee Reynolds

Castleford, Idaho

Variety: WestBred WB1621

Yield: 214.16 bpa

-- First Place: Noah Beechinor

Walla Walla, Washington

Variety: Limagrain Cereal Seeds Shine

Yield: 212.27 bpa

-- Second Place: John Frisch

Cove, Oregon

Variety: Limagrain Cereal Seeds Shine

Yield: 190.07 bpa

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WINTER WHEAT DRYLAND CATEGORY WINNERS:

-- Bin Buster: Jake Druffel

Colton, Washington

Variety: Limagrain Cereal Seeds PNW Trident

Yield: 196.12 bpa

-- First Place: Joe Limbaugh

Pullman, Washington

Variety: Limagrain Cereal Seeds Shine

Yield: 188.28 bpa

-- Second Place: Mike Stout

Genesee, Idaho

Variety: Limagrain Cereal Seeds PNW Trident

Yield: 180.55 bpa

-- Third Place: Jerry and Daniel Mullen

St. Paul, Oregon

Variety: Oregon State University Gale

Yield: 175.49 bpa

-- Fourth Place: Nick Suwyn

Wayland, Michigan

Variety: Irrer Seed Farm ISF780

Yield: 164.47 bpa

-- Fifth Place: Kent Edwards

Castalia, Ohio

Variety: Pioneer 25R29

Yield: 151.70 bpa

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WINTER WHEAT DRYLAND ABOVE COUNTY AVERAGE WINNERS:

-- First Place: Matt Dornan

Chandler, Oklahoma

Variety: WestBred WB4422

Yield: 110.33 bpa, 276.03% above Lincoln County, Oklahoma, average

-- Second Place: Kelly Ramage

Billings, Montana

Variety: Dyna-Gro Ramsay

Yield: 134.72 bpa, 221.99% above Golden Valley County, Montana, average

-- Third Place: Leighton Wasinger

Scott City, Kansas

Variety: WestBred WB4792

Yield: 103.72 bpa, 187.47% above Lane County, Kansas, average

-- Fourth Place: Brandon Philipps

Conrad, Montana

Variety: Dyna-Gro Ramsay

Yield: 122.57 bpa, 182.36% above Pondera County, Montana, average

-- Fifth Place: Mark Thomsen

Waterville, Washington

Variety: Limagrain Cereal Seeds Shine

Yield: 111.18 bpa, 180.26% over Douglas County, Washington, average

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SPRING WHEAT IRRIGATED CATEGORY:

-- Bin Buster: Dallin Wilcox

Rexburg, Idaho

Variety: WestBred WB7589

Yield: 175.35 bpa

-- First Place: Wyatt Furness

Rexburg, Idaho

Variety: WestBred WB7589

Yield: 164.88 bpa

-- Second Place: Jess Blatchford

Baker City, Oregon

Variety: WestBred WB6430

Yield: 144.97 bpa

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SPRING WHEAT DRYLAND CATEGORY:

-- Bin Buster: Helle and Bruce Ruddenklau

Amity, Oregon

Variety: WestBred WB9668

Yield: 144.34 bpa

-- First Place: Justin Liebl

Bottineau, North Dakota

Variety: WestBred WB9641

Yield: 131.29 bpa

-- Second Place: Dale Flikkema

Bozeman, Montana

Variety: WestBred WB9668

Yield: 105.22 bpa

-- Third Place: Brent Philipp

Goodridge, Minnesota

Variety: WestBred WB9590

Yield: 104.40 bpa

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SPRING WHEAT DRYLAND ABOVE COUNTY AVERAGE WINNERS:

-- First Place: Michael Wood

Joplin, Montana

Variety: Dyna-Gro Rocker

Yield: 90.52 bpa, 219.18% above Liberty County, Montana, average

-- Second Place: Greg Messer

Richardton, North Dakota

Variety: WestBred WB9641

Yield: 94.39 bpa, 107.13% above Stark County, North Dakota, average

-- Third Place: Andrew Doll

New Salem, North Dakota

Variety: WestBred WB9590

Yield: 102.69 bpa, 105.54% above Morton County, North Dakota, average

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PILOT DIGITAL YIELD -- WINTER WHEAT DRYLAND

-- High Yield: Cayden Ledbetter

Okmulgee, Oklahoma

Variety: WestBred WB2545

Yield: 98.00 bpa

-- High Above County Yield: Lauren Foutch

Shawnee, Oklahoma

Variety: WestBred WB2452

Yield: 94.00 bpa, 40.40% above Okmulgee County, Oklahoma, average

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PILOT DIGITAL YIELD -- SPRING WHEAT DRYLAND

-- High Yield: Tim Hendrickson

Bisbee, North Dakota

Variety: WestBred WB9590

Yield: 113.95 bpa

-- High Above County Yield: John Hofer

Milnor, North Dakota

Variety: WestBred WB9590

Yield: 86.90 bpa, 34.75% above Ransom County, North Dakota, average

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For more information on yield contest and to view past winners, go to: https://www.wheatcontest.org/….

Jason Jenkins can be reached at jason.jenkins@dtn.com

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