AUBURN UNIVERSITY, Ala. — For 2025, three Alabama row crop farmers reaped yields worthy of national recognition in the National Corn Growers Association’s Annual Yield Contest.  

With record-breaking harvests, these three Alabama growers prove that Alabama fields can deliver the same kind of performance as major Corn Belt states. 

Earning first place nationally in the No-Till Irrigated Class, Corder Hobbs of Limestone County brought in a yield of 402.3345 bushels per acre. Chad Henderson of Limestone County ranked second nationally for the Conventional Irrigated Class with 404.3021 bushels per acre. This is also an Alabama record for the category. Finally, Jamie Roberts of Dekalb County also set a new Alabama record for Dry Land Corn with 341.8810 bushels per acre and earned second place nationally in the category. 

Chad Henderson of Limestone County, left, harvested corn with a yield of 404.3021 bushels per acre. This set an Alabama record and earned him second place in a national competition. He is pictured with Eddie McGriff of Alabama Extension.

Working Together

Eddie McGriff, an agronomic crops agent with Alabama Extension at Auburn University assisted several northeast Alabama farmers during this year’s contest. 

“We were blessed with good rainfall for most growers throughout pollination and kernel fill,” McGriff said. “Timeliness is critical for high yields, so growers who are successful are also timely. Also, with the introduction of spray drones, growers were able to spray fungicides in fields that an aerial applicator couldn’t spray in the past due to size or location.” 

McGriff provided farmers with best management practices and recommendations to help achieve better yields. Together with other Alabama Extension agronomic crops agents, he contributes to season‑long efforts that enhance production efficiency and overall performance. 

“We are working with growers throughout the state on a program to increase kernel size and weight, which helped Chad Henderson and Jamie Roberts set state records,” McGriff said. “The program helped Henderson increase his profitability by $189.69 per acre compared to his adjoining corn. Roberts improved his profitability by $92.70 per acre compared to adjacent corn not in this program.” 

The Alabama producers competed against over 7,000 entries representing farmers from 47 states. These award-winning yields highlight the improvement and capability of Alabama’s agricultural production. Ultimately, the results show the strength of partnerships between Alabama Extension and Alabama’s farmers as well as the importance of research-driven guidance.