The National Wheat Foundation has challenged farmers to submit their most productive crops to the National Wheat Yield Contest for nine years. For four of those years, wheat farmer Phillip Gross earned the top-yielding spot with his irrigated winter wheat. Located in Warden, Washington, Gross again beat out more than 500 other entries this year with his 223.08-bpa hard red winter wheat to win “Bin Buster” honors. The crop also earned him the second-highest yield the contest had ever seen.

According to competition sponsor DTN/Progressive Farmer, the contest is partly designed to encourage farmers to hone their management approach. Gross started by searching for the right variety for his field. Then, he focused on planting and the right treatments to get his crop through some unpredictable weather.

Read all the details on his strategy here.