Local corn growers, Kevin Dowdy and Michelle Dowdy-Deese, both of Valdosta, recently competed in the 2019 National Corn Yield contest and came home with top awards.

Kevin Dowdy brought a 2nd place national finish back to Valdosta in the Conventional Irrigated Class, with a yield of a little over 478 bushels per acre. Michelle Dowdy-Deese placed third nationally in the same class, with a yield of over 393 bushels per acre. For comparison, the average US was 168 bushels per acre in 2019.

The contest, sponsored by the National Corn Growers Association, recognizes farmers from all over the country in their efforts to produce quality corn with high yields. The contest included 7,454 entries from 46 states and produced 531 total winners.