In the News
Check out the latest Latham news mentions...
RECENT NEWS:
2011 Latham Freedom of Independence Ride highlighted in Successful Farming
Successful Farming contributing editor, Gene Johnston, recently joined participants of the 2011 Latham Freedom of Independence Ride for a one-of-a-kind field day. Below is an excerpt from his recap of the ride. To read more about this year’s Latham Freedom of Independence Ride, including a slideshow of highlights, click here.
There is a bumper crop of field days to tour corn and soybean demo plots in late summer. The most fun one? It may be the Latham Hi-Tech Seeds event held last weekend near Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. Their Freedom of Independence Ride and Field Day on Wheels took place along the Mississippi River in both Iowa and Wisconsin.
To view the full recap and slideshow, click here.
Does my B2B brand even belong on Twitter?
Deb Brown, founder of DebWorks, recently hosted Des Moines’ first ever 140 conference with Nathan Wright, founder of Lava Row. The conference highlighted 140 characters in Iowa where were best using Twitter’s 140 character allotment, and Shannon Latham, Vice President of Latham Hi-Tech Seeds, was included in the group. Each “character” was provided 10 minutes to speak with the group about how they were using social media to connect with their industry and grow their business.
Deb recently recapped the event in a guest blog for Two Rivers Marketing, and Shannon was featured in the post due to her experience managing Latham Hi-Tech Seeds Twitter account. Below is an excerpt from the post:
It's that personality thing: you can't be all business, all the time. Shannon Latham of Latham Hi-Tech Seeds (@LathamSeeds) offered a great example of this at the recent 140 Conference in Des Moines. She forced herself to break away from a straight journalistic writing style on their corporate blog and tweets. It wasn't until she worked in personal anecdotes and a few of her favorite recipes that she noticed more blog traffic, comments and interest.
Click here for the full article.
Shannon Latham to Present at Des Moines’ First 140 Character Conference
Shannon Latham, Vice President, Latham Hi-Tech Seeds, will present at Des Moines’ first 140 Character Conference, “Exploring the State of Now,” Monday, May 9. The conference will be hosted at the Stoner Theatre in Des Moines, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
The Globe Gazette recently featured North Iowans who will contribute to the conference. Below is an excerpt from the article:
The conference, which has been held in cities around the world, will provide an opportunity to look at the effects of the real-time Internet on people and businesses around the Midwest.
Every 10 minutes there will be a new speaker talking about how technology, such as Twitter or Facebook, has made a difference in their business or lives.
Click here for the full article.
Lava Row Features Des Moines’ 140 Character Conference Agriculture Speakers
Nathan Wright, founder of Lava Row, a social media consulting, strategy and education firm in Des Moines, Iowa, recently highlighted the upcoming Des Moines’ 140 Character Conference on his blog, highlighting leaders in agriculture who will present about their online presence. Shannon Latham, Vice President, Latham Hi-Tech Seeds, will present among other leading voices in agriculture at the conference, Monday, May 9.
Below is an excerpt from his article:
1) A first for Iowa. Originally created by Jeff Pulver, 140 is a national conference with localized events in different cities, focused on real-time technology’s transformative power over business, government, culture and our personal lives. Each speaker has 10 minutes to present, and it’s a full day of speakers. This is the first #140conf in the state.
2) The cast of characters. Deb has done a great job assembling a diverse speaker line-up, featuring familiar local faces and many new ones.
3) The agriculture voices. We’re in Iowa – so this makes sense, right? I’m personally excited to hear from Jeff Caldwell (Successful Farming), Shannon Latham (Latham Hi-Tech Seeds) and Tara Litzenberger (the infamous @JohnDeereTara on Twitter) about how new media is changing their industry.
Click here to view the full article, and to learn more about the upcoming conference follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/LathamSeeds.
Latham Product Manger Provides Soybean Stand Tips for Wallaces Farmer Readers
Mark Grundmeier, Latham product manager, recently contributed to a Wallaces Farmer article highlighting tips to establish a good soybean stand. Below is an excerpt from the article. To read the full article and receive soybean stand tips from seed treatment to soil conditions, click here.
Pre-planting, use treated seed: The key to establishing a good soybean stand starts before planting with treated seed. Grundmeier says, “University after university study has proven the fact that seed treatments really are effective, and the benefits usually far outweigh the costs.” He recommends a fungicide treatment to prevent damping off from the diseases Pythium, Rhizoctonia, Fusarium and Phytophthora, as well as for use in no-till fields in general.
Latham Corn Specialist gives Wallaces Farmer Readers Tips for Pushing Corn Populations
Nick Benson, Latham corn specialist and northeast Iowa regional sales manager, recently provided Wallaces Farmer readers with tips for pushing corn populations without risking decreased yield. Below is an excerpt from the article. To read the full article and receive tips for pushing corn populations, from data to soil type, click here.
What the data says. In the past two years, more research has been conducted on plant populations than in all previous years combined, says Benson. “What we have to remember is these studies were done on good soils and they measure strictly yields. All we’re seeing in these comparisons are yield results - there has never been a study that compares stalk lodging in relation to yield or population increases. These skewed results may encourage some growers to plant high populations that carry a bigger risk than they do reward.”
Alpha Gamma Rhoreports Iowa State Alumnus Named Grand President Award Winner
John Latham is one of four individuals selected to receive the Alpha Gamma Rho Grand President’s Award. He will be honored with the award at 2011 AGR Leadership Seminar in Fort Worth, Texas which will take place Feb. 18-19. His efforts consistent with the AGR Promise and Values qualified him for this award.
Administered and nominated by a selection committee the Grand President’s Award is awarded by AGR for business excellence and professional achievement. It is awarded to specific fraternity alumni age 40 or under who have achieved remarkable success in their professional careers. This award demonstrates an honorable acknowledgement of Latham’s leadership, professionalism and knowledge of his industry.
Click here to read the full article.
ISU Ag Entrepreneurship Program highlights John & Shannon Latham for their Entrepreneurial Spirits
John and Shannon Latham were recently featured in Iowa State University's Agricultural Entrepreneurship Initiative's entrepreneur showcase brochure.
Find out how Shannon’s experience raising sheep in 4-H prepared her for her leadership role at Latham Hi-Tech Seeds: Turning Pro Bono into Vice Presidency. And, read about why John Latham and his brother, Chris, decided it was time to enter the corn business: Expanding the Family Business.
ASTA News reports, Corn & Sorghum and Soybean Seed Conference a Success in Chicago
ASTA News recently included John Latham in their article about the 65th Corn & Sorghum Seed Research Conference and 40th Soybean Seed Research Conference.
"We had a great line up of speakers and research topics ranging from Refuge-in-a-bag to breeding for biofuels and from plant composition to trait development," Latham notes. "There was a lot of thought and effort put into the sessions and speakers and I think it really paid off."
Click here to read the full article.
Seed World reports, Expanding the Toolkit: Seed Companies Are Reaching Out to Growers Through Various Social Media Avenues
Seed World recently featured Latham Hi-Tech Seeds in their story about how social media tactics are helping seed companies reach out to growers to provide instant, relevant information.
"Our mission is to help farmers feed and fuel the world, so we keep this in mind as we handle our social media accounts," says Shannon Latham. "We do our best to update content daily with helpful information or industry news that's pertinent to growers."
Click here to read the full article.
Seed World reports, "Downsize" Isn't a Word Many Farmers Use
Seed World recently featured John Latham in their “story of the week,” which focused on the agriculture industry and how it has weathered the recent economic recession better than many other sectors of the economy.
"Agriculture is usually on a different cycle than the rest of the economy because farmers are going to plant every year," says John Latham, owner of Latham Hi-Tech Seeds in Alexander, Iowa. "It's not like some industries where they just decide they are not going to do business. Farmers have to do business."
Even so, agriculture is insulated from some of the job- and credit-related problems that have plagued other businesses.
Click here to read the full article.
Post-Bulletin reports, Ohrtman joins Latham
Rochester's Post-Bulletin announced that Ryan Ohrtman of Albert Lea, Minnesota, joined Latham® Hi-Tech Seeds as a regional sales manager in southern Minnesota.
Click here to read the full article.
Globe Gazette Features Latham Freedom of Independence Ride
The Mason City Globe Gazette recently featured Latham's second annual Freedom of Independence Ride. Below is an excerpt from the write up.
The second annual Latham Freedom of Independence Ride will take off Monday, Aug. 30, in Ames. The 100-mile ride will feature four showcase plots including Latham Hi-Tech Hybrids and Latham Hi-Tech Soybeans with LibertyLink, Agrisure and the Genuity family of traits and technologies.
“We’re giving independent, free-spirited farmers an ‘excuse’ to get on the road and be a part of our unique field day,” said Shannon Latham, vice president, Latham Hi-Tech Seeds. “They can ride their motorcycles on a Monday and call it work.”
Click here for the full write up, or, click here for the Freedom of Independence Ride recap.
Latham Announces New Additions to its Seed Lineup for 2011
John Latham was recently interviewed by the Brownfield Network regarding new technologies that have been added to Latham's 2011 lineup. Below is a summary of the interview.
Latham Hi-Tech Seeds, headquartered in Alexander, Iowa, has announced the addition of 18 “breakthrough seed technologies” for the 2011 growing season. Latham president John Latham calls it “the broadest, deepest lineup of traits and technologies available in the seed industry.” He also discusses the advantages of being an independent seed company, which he says “allows us to offer growers more high-quality choices from leading global providers.”
Click here to listen to the broadcast.
Globe Gazette reports, Latham Seeds hosts ag fair
The Globe Gazette reported coverage of Latham Hi-Tech Seeds’ July 30 Country Fair in Alexander, Iowa. Below is an excerpt from the article.
Rain pushed the first Latham Country Fair indoors at Latham Hi-Tech Seeds.
No problemo.
Friday’s open house was a big success at the agri-business, established in 1947 by Willard Latham.
“We’re glad to see there was so much participation, that people came out in spite of the weather,” company Vice President Shannon Latham said.
“It’s really wonderful to see all the excitement around our product. And it’s nice to be able to kind of open the doors to the county and surrounding farmers, because even though we’ve been located here for that long, it seems like we’ve spent a lot of our efforts marketing outside our backyard,” she said.
Click here to read the full article.
The Messenger reports, Growing family's business
The Messenger in Fort Dodge, Iowa, reported Aug. 1 on what makes Latham Hi-Tech Seeds different from the competition. Below is an excerpt of the article.
"We believe farmers would rather do business with an independent seed company where we have the chance to offer them many options," Shannon Latham said. "You don't have to go big to yield big."
Some of those technologies that are new for the 2010 planting season include Genuity SmartStax, an all-in-one corn trait that, according to the company, controls the absolute broadest spectrum of above- and below-ground insects better than any other corn technology on the market.
Also new for 2010 is Genuity Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybeans.
These beans, according to the company, offers farmers the same flexible, dependable weed control as Roundup Ready soybeans, but with significantly higher yield potential.
In addition to some of their new products, Shannon Latham and John Latham agree it's the quality of their products that is the big benefit to their customers.
In keeping up with the tradition of "Quality in the Bag," Latham family members say they work to ensure that the seed which is brought to them is of high quality right out of the field, then carefully cleaned and bagged.
John Latham estimated the company contracts about 16,000 acres for soybean seed with 90 percent of those acres being within 30 minutes of the plant.
Some of these growers, John Latham said, are following in their families' traditions by raising Latham seeds like their fathers and grandfathers did for the company years ago.
Click here for the full article.
In the Highly-Competitive Seed Business, Latham Hi-Tech Seeds Maintains its Independent Streak
Iowa Farm Bureau Spokesman explained in its February 10, 2010 issue why Latham Hi-Tech Seeds takes their status as an independent seed company very seriously. Below is an excerpt from the article:
As an independent company, the Latham company is able to regionalize its products and offer technology that fits each area.
"We look for products that work best here. Our farmers want the products that work best for their farm, and we see our biggest service as advising them to find that best product," said John Latham.
The company's Seed2Soil consulting program works to help farmers match their soil's needs with the right seed. Before suggesting a specific seed variety, Latham's employees learn the farmer's decision-making process and his or her timetable.
Click here for the full article.