Sign up now for the Great Lakes Yield Enhancement Network
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EmailWant to learn how to grow better wheat? If so, sign up for the Great Lakes Yield Enhancement Network (YEN).
Wheat growers interested in becoming part of the ground-breaking Great Lakes Yield Enhancement Network (YEN) need to register now so they don’t lose out on the 2025 opportunity to learn more about their wheat crop and how to hit their yield potential.
Registration for this great learning opportunity closes Feb. 7, 2025. Visit the Great Lakes YEN website to register or for more information on Great Lakes YEN, or look for the hashtag #GreatLakesYEN on social media platforms. Growers must be registered and submit the $300 particpantion fee prior to the registration deadline.
Why is the deadline so early in the year?
“We have a lot of work to get done to get growers their boxes with all the materials needed to take the samples, including pre-addressed and stamped envelopes,” said Jody Pollok-Newsom, executive director of the Michigan Wheat Program, the check-off program collaborating to bring the Great Lakes YEN to wheat farmers. “We also need to get first-time participants set up with access to the database so they can enter their selected YEN field. We need everything ready to go before growers head out into the fields this spring—and it’s anyone’s guess when that will happen!”
More about YEN farmer participation
Every farm involved in the Great Lakes YEN shares soil, tissue and whole plant analysis for comparison and benchmarking. Growers receive reports specific to their field at the end of the season, allowing them the opportunity to learn more about how their wheat crop develops and produces yield, and how they compare to their peers. The growers are responsible for putting in their data throughout the season in order to compile reports.
Once harvest is complete, data is compiled and reported back to each participant via a field-specific written report as well as through regional events. Individual farm data will be specific to each grower and is safeguarded and not reported back to anyone except that grower.
More about the YEN program
All of the organization and work put into the program has been grower-driven since the beginning of YEN in 2012 in the United Kingdom. Here in the United States and Canada, the Great Lakes YEN program was established in 2021.
As the fifth year of Great Lakes YEN gets underway, it’s already proving to be a program that encourages farmers to try new things and learn from wheat growers across the Great Lakes region. Every field is different and has different yield potential based on a multitude of factors, such as environment (rainfall, sunlight), soil (water holding capacity, nutrient level) and management (inputs used and timing).
With four years under our belt, we have come a long way and have learned a lot about how wheat grows and produces yield. The data we collect and report back to participants is proving to provide valuable insights to their farm operation and identify management practices that would improve yields.
The Great Lakes YEN is built off the strong history of the Yield Enhancement Network that was developed in the United Kingdom. Through the collaboration of agricultural stakeholders in the Great Lakes region in the U.S. and Ontario, the Great Lakes YEN connects farmers, agronomists, academics, extension specialists, agriculture organizations and more to analyze, measure and understand yield potential versus actual yield of a given field.
This data-heavy program is very expensive and sponsors are essential to help offset some of the expenses. A big thank you to those who supported the 2024 program: 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.
Companies interested in joining the Great Lakes YEN as 2025 program sponsors can reach out to the Michigan Wheat Program (Jody Pollok-Newsom, jody@miwheat.org) or Grain Farmers of Ontario (Alexandra Dacey, adacey@gfo.ca).
Great Lakes YEN Project
Established in 2021, the Great Lakes YEN was created in 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 to improve crop returns through greater understanding of crop performance and increased collaboration between industry and farmers. For more information, visit www.GreatLakesYEN.com.
