Announced at a Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) Research Update this week, the award went to Simon Burgess who farms at Vaucluse Estate, Conara, Tasmania.

Harvested early in February this year, the yield was recorded from 18ha of DS Bennett wheat. Due to record rainfall in March and April last year, the crop was sown on 7 May into a clay loam following faba beans.

Despite some crops suffering from early waterlogging, winter was drier than average, helping to minimise the potential widespread possibility of badly waterlogged paddocks.

Inputs included four applications of nitrogen-based fertiliser and 101mm of irrigation was applied in November to compensate for the below average rainfall for the month.

Taking out the HYC Award for ‘Highest percentage of Yield Potential' in Tasmania was James Clutterbuck who farms at Summerhill Farms, Hagley. His dryland crop of the wheat variety RGT Calabro yielded 10.8 t/ha.

GRDC grower relations manager, Randall Wilksch, said the early success demonstrated by the 2021 HYC Award winners would inspire others to push crop yield boundaries in their region.

"This national investment continues to support growers who are keen to push yield to the next level in high yield potential grain-growing environments," Wilksch said.

Nick Poole, FAR Australia's managing director, said it was great to be leading a project which links field research with adoption on farm through schemes such as the HYC Awards.

"We hope that the HYC awards create an opportunity across Australia to get growers and advisers involved in a community that is networked by their interest to increase productivity," Poole said.

FAR Australia is the project lead for the GRDC's $7.9 million HYC project and is hosting a six-week national roadshow to recognise farmers who have achieved some of the highest yielding wheat crops across the high rainfall zones of Australia.

For further information on the HYC project, visit https://faraustralia.com.au/hyper-yielding-crops/

A full list of the roadshow events can be viewed at https://faraustralia.com.au/event/