The Michigan Wheat Program recently announced and honored the state’s top-yielding wheat growers for the past growing season, with honorees including Sanilac County grower Dwight Bartle.
The growers honored included entries in the Michigan Wheat Yield Contest that were revealed at the Michigan Wheat Winter Grower Meeting. The Michigan Wheat Program supports growers’ participation in both the state and national yield competitions, which were developed to recognize growers finding new ways to ramp up production.
The National Wheat Foundation’s (NWF) contest also hopes to enable knowledge transfer between growers, encourage experimentation with new technologies and support new ideas to increase wheat yield. When a Michigan wheat farmer enters the NWF contest, they are automatically entered into the Michigan Wheat Program State Yield Competition – which seeks to identify the state’s “Wheat Warriors,” also known as the best producers.
Bartle, who also serves as a member of the Michigan Wheat Board, came in third place for the state’s 2025 wheat yield competition for Dryland Soft Red Winter Wheat, having grown 148.2 bushels per acre at his farm in Brown City. Appointed to the Michigan Wheat Board in 2023, Bartle is not a newcomer to the wheat industry, having participated in and won at varying levels in recent wheat yield contests.
Bartle, who has retired from dairy farming, also grows corn, soybeans, and sugar beets. Bartle’s other community service includes serving on the board of his milk cooperative, hosting a dozen exchange students through Youth for Understanding USA and supporting the Eastern Michigan Food Bank with the Safari Club International of Flint.
