Producing 315 bushels of corn per acre when the average of other national entries in the National Corn Growers Association yearly contest was 149, brought praise from the Ute Tribal Council for the employees of the Ute Mountain Farm and Ranch.
Besides the accolades, the Tribal Council fed the farm employees lunch Thursday at the Council Chambers in Towaoc.
For the second year in a row, the Ute Mountain Farm placed third in the national contest competing against 8,431 other entries.
We as a tribe should be proud of what we have. We as a council are honored to share a meal with the farm employees, said Tribal Chairman Gary Hayes.
Being number one in the state and winning third nationally, they deserve a pat on the back for a job well done, Hayes said. Maybe next year they can take second or even first.
A good job, really well done, said council member Manuel Heart. They put the tribe on the map on the agricultural side.
When asked if he had anything to say, Council member Bradley Hight immediately started clapping bringing a round of applause from everyone in the chamber. I cant say enough about how well you work together. We couldnt ask for a better crew, Hight said.
Farm technician Eric Whyte read a letter from the Corn Growers Association emphasizing the importance of the contest and the remarkable results of the Ute Mountain Farm.
Farm manager Paul Evans said, Its fun to compete against all these farmers who have been growing for generation after generation.
Its hard to do when competing against 8,500 other entries, Evans said.
This is the third time the Ute Farm has placed in the top three nationally.