Pioneer Brand Hybrids Dominate National Sorghum Yield Contest

Farmers in New Jersey and Texas achieve top results with consistent Pioneer genetics

Published on Feb. 26, 2026

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Pioneer brand sorghum hybrids helped farmers across the United States sweep all six contest categories in the 2025 National Sorghum Producers Yield Contest, including the prestigious Bin Buster award. Growers in vastly different environments, Chris Santini of New Jersey and Kenny Rathjen of Texas, both achieved outstanding results with Pioneer genetics, highlighting the company's reputation for delivering consistent, high-performing sorghum hybrids.

Why it matters

The National Sorghum Producers Yield Contest showcases the best sorghum genetics and farming practices in the country. Pioneer's dominance in the contest underscores the company's position as the industry leader in sorghum innovation and performance, helping farmers in diverse regions maximize their yields and profitability.

The details

In the 2025 contest, Chris Santini of New Jersey took home the Bin Buster award, yielding 239.93 bu/A with a Pioneer brand hybrid. Meanwhile, Kenny Rathjen of Texas earned a first-place title in the Irrigated Western Division, yielding 237.15 bu/A with Pioneer genetics. Both growers credited the consistent performance of Pioneer hybrids, combined with favorable growing conditions, for their outstanding results.

  • The 2025 National Sorghum Producers Yield Contest took place in 2025.
  • The 2026 planting season is approaching, and both Santini and Rathjen plan to plant more Pioneer brand sorghum.

The players

Chris Santini

A farmer from Warren, New Jersey, who won the Bin Buster award in the 2025 National Sorghum Producers Yield Contest with a Pioneer brand hybrid.

Kenny Rathjen

A farmer from Dalhart, Texas, who earned a first-place title in the Irrigated Western Division of the 2025 National Sorghum Producers Yield Contest with a Pioneer brand hybrid.

Pioneer

The flagship seed brand of Corteva Agriscience, a global pure-play agriculture company that is a leading developer and supplier of advanced plant genetics.

Adelai Dolch

The Pioneer portfolio lead for complementary crops, who congratulated the winners and highlighted Pioneer's focus on pairing elite genetics with strong agronomic support to help farmers achieve consistent, high yields.

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What they’re saying

“To achieve the highest yield is quite a feat, especially among so many great growers. It's important to us to show that New Jersey can be on the map for sorghum production, and I think this award — building on what we've accomplished in past years with the help of Pioneer — helps reinforce that.”

— Chris Santini

“Pioneer brand hybrids produce every time on our farm – you can't beat them in our area. Pioneer brand corn and sorghum work for us, and I appreciate the Pioneer team I have standing behind me.”

— Kenny Rathjen

“We're thrilled to hear that the winners swept the 2025 yield contest with Pioneer brand hybrids, and we're even more excited about the consistent performance across geographies and seasons. Consistency is what separates great hybrids from the rest. Our focus at Pioneer is pairing elite genetics with strong agronomic support to help farmers manage risk and unlock yield potential year after year.”

— Adelai Dolch, Pioneer portfolio lead for complementary crops

What’s next

The judge in the case will decide on Tuesday whether or not to allow Walker Reed Quinn out on bail.

The takeaway

Pioneer's dominance in the National Sorghum Producers Yield Contest demonstrates the company's commitment to developing consistent, high-performing sorghum hybrids that enable farmers across diverse regions to maximize their yields and profitability, even in challenging growing conditions.