YEN Participants Share Blueprint for 100-plus-bushel wheat
Kentucky Growers participate in the Yield Enhancement Network for wheat to bump yields.
By: Jennifer Kiel
At a Glance
Timing of inputs and planting is critical for wheat.
Two producers detail their inputs.
YEN helps identify potential yield and actual yield by understanding limiting factors.
Editor’s note: This is the first in a two-part series. The next story will highlight the producers’ yields and dig deeper into cost of production and return on investment.
“The idea is not to let wheat have a bad day — spoon-feed it just like corn,” says Brad Kamprath of Ida, Mich.
Timing is critical with wheat, everything from planting to nitrogen applications. A few days one way or the other can make a difference, according to Kamprath and Rick Clifton, who are both part of the Great Lakes Yield Enhancement Network, which was formed four years ago to help growers bump wheat yields through high management.
Clifton, 70, farms in Circleville, Ohio, with his son, Sam, and his wife, Judy. They grow 500 acres of wheat, 1,100 acres of corn and 1,000 acres of soybeans. In addition, they double-crop soybeans after wheat, which has been their practice for more than a decade.
Both operations have set their sights on wheat producing 100-plus bushels per acre.
“If you manage wheat well and push the envelope a little bit, there's just as much potential as corn and beans,” says Kamprath, who has been in YEN since it started in 2021.
He’s a fourth-generation farmer, working with his father, Richard, raising 250 acres of wheat, as well as 500 acres of soybeans, 500 acres of corn and 20 acres of hay. “Growing wheat helps with diseases and bugs and gives a crop rotation,” Kamprath adds.
The YEN program has gotten both growers scouting fields more often and closer. “I’m not trying to be the top wheat producer, but I am trying to be in the top third, raise my average and increase my bottom line,” Kamprath says.
In 2024, Michigan broke its previous state yield record with 87 bushels per acre, and in YEN, the highest yield was 172 bpa, says Dennis Pennington, a Michigan State University wheat specialist who manages the program.
The YEN program not only looks at yield, but also cost of production. “High yields alone are not enough,” Pennington says. “Inputs need to pay for themselves. In general, YEN participants that spend more per acre have a lower cost per bushel. You have to spend more to make more. But it starts with properly identifying what inputs to spend money on. This is what the YEN program is good at.”
Planting details
Wheat varieties McKillip 2405 and Agrigreen 2020 went in earlier than in previous years with planting from Sept. 26 to Oct. 12 on Kamprath Farms.
“Early-planted wheat does better; I strive to have it all planted before Oct. 15,” Kamprath says.
In the fall, a starter fertilizer, 7-0-35 with 2% magnesium and 3% sulfur, was applied. One hundred pounds per acre of MAP was mixed with seed at planting.
Getting wheat planted early is also paramount to Clifton.
“Not mid-September, but once we get to the end of September, I’m ready to go and I don’t worry much about the fly-free date anymore,” he says. “Getting out timely and having good weed control has really helped improve our yields.”
Wheat germinated well, and it looks excellent now, Clifton says, noting it is headed out with a likely June 20 harvest date. “With our spray treatments, we usually raise very high-quality wheat, which we take to Mennel Milling,” he says. “But with wheat, you never have it until it’s in the bins.”
On Sept. 15, Clifton broadcasted 150 pounds of DAP, 125 pounds of potash and 8 pounds of sulfur, as well as 100 pounds of pelletized lime. Wheat planting (Becks 722) started Sept. 26 and finished Oct. 8. On Nov. 7, 0.75 ounce of Quelex (herbicide) and 2 ounces Priaxor (fungicide) were applied.
Clifton’s farm is no-till, except when putting in tile or under extreme conditions.
“I never work my ground for wheat, but we were so dry last year, I worked 200 acres because the drill wouldn't go into the ground — it was that hard,” he says. “But then we sowed 100 acres one day and got a 3-inch rain that night.”
Following is a breakdown of Kamprath’s inputs in 2025:
March 27: N, Merristem Upshift-C (fertilizer), ammonium thiosulfate (nitrogen/sulfur) at Feekes-3
April 23: N, ammonium thiosulfate at Feekes-4
April 28: Huskie (herbicide), Presto Gold (foliar feed), sugar, ZMB (zinc, manganese, boron) at Feekes-4.
May 19: Maravis Ace (fungicide) at Feekes-10.5
Following is a breakdown of Clifton’s inputs in 2025:
March 12: 100 pounds 21-0-0-24s at Feekes-3 growth stage
March 26: 25 gallons 25-0-0-4s at Feekes-4
April 16-17: 20 gallons of 25-0-0-4 and 10 oz. Palisade (plant growth regulator) at Feekes-7
May 4: 7 ounces of Nexicor (fungicide) at Feekes-9 (flag leaf)
May 15: 7.3 ounces Sphaerex (fungicide) at Feekes-10.5 with one quart of micros — sulfur, boron, copper, manganese, molybdenum and zinc.
“Keep in mind, I double-crop, so I’m trying to feed both crops,” Clifton says.
For the 2024 wheat crop, Kamprath averaged 100 bpa.
With virtually no winterkill or ice encasements, he seems to be on track for his goal of 100-plus bpa, which he has obtained the past four years. “I’m real happy with the way it looks right now, and disease pressure has been light,” Kamprath says.
Chickweed is Kamprath’s biggest weed problem. “And thistles are starting to be more of a thorn in my side,” he says. “Not just wheat, but all crops.”
In terms of timing, it’s turning out to be an average year, unlike the 2024 wheat crop that came off before July 4. “We’re thinking the second week of July for harvest,” Kamprath says.
In Pickaway County, just south of Columbus, Clifton was located in USDA’s drought disaster area last year. Wheat, which matured before Mother Nature’s spigot was completely turned off, was harvested two weeks ahead of normal, yielding 121 bushels per acre.
“We bail the straw off, and we've had some really good years with double crops,” he says. “We've had 50- and 60-bushel double-crop soybeans, and we've had 40. Last year, with the drought, it was a failure.”
Clifton is optimistic for his wheat crop and in a bear farm economy, he did not consider dropping wheat. “It fits our rotation, and there's more money to be made with wheat followed by double-crop beans than anything else I do,” he says.
YEN helps identify potential
The Great Lakes Yield Enhancement Network for wheat focuses on closing the gap between potential yield and actual yield by understanding the limiting factors. The network connects agricultural organizations, Extension specialists, academics, agronomists and farmers, who collect data on every aspect of wheat production. It is then compiled and used to develop detailed reports for growers, who can then compare results to other growers in the group.
While some of the information is confidential regarding individual farms, growers are able to compare their yields to others using benchmarking. “It’s a box and whisker plot, which is a statistical term showing the range of values for every data point,” Pennington explains.
The Great Lakes YEN — which started with growers from Michigan, Ohio and Ontario — now has more 203 participants from 11 states, including Pennsylvania, New York and as far away as Washington. The program is a partnership with the Michigan Wheat Program; Grain Farmers of Ontario; Michigan State University; the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs; and the University of Guelph.
It’s Clifton’s third year in the YEN program. “I'm always wanting to learn something and to hear what others are doing to better themselves and their yields — that’s what I’m after,” he says. “And Dennis [Pennington] is so, so good to work with.”
Want to join YEN?
Participation in the 2025 YEN program is now closed. But for farmers considering next year, here’s what to expect.
Farmers participating in the Great Lakes YEN will agree to collect soil, tissue and grain samples at specific times throughout the duration of the project and send them to a lab in shipping boxes provided for analyses. Additionally, they are expected to:
Keep a record of all crop inputs, track crop growth stages and enter field data by established deadlines.
Download software or an app and use it for data entry.
Participate in the year-end meeting.
Accept and arrange third-party verification of yield.
Participation in the yield contest is optional.
There is a $300 fee to participate, but the program would be much more expensive without industry financial support underwriting the expensive data-heavy program, Pennington says.
The program is supported by Mennel Milling, Kentucky Small Grain Growers Association, King Milling, Eastman, Star of the West, Ardent Mills, Michigan Ag Commodities, Mosaic, Chelsea Milling, Coop Elevator and Knappen Milling.
For more information on the Great Lakes YEN project, visit greatlakesyen.com or look for the hashtag #GreatLakesYEN.