President’s Day: a Celebration of American Agriculture

While many government offices, financial institutions and schools close annually on the third Monday of February, President’s Day seems to get little attention. Since this holiday began as a way to honor the life and work of our first U.S. president, it seems only fitting today on TheFieldPosition to highlight some of George Washington’s contributions to agriculture.

Washington was called the “foremost farmer.”  He began keeping records of his planting activities as early as 1760. In fact, precise records was one of his first steps on the path to agricultural improvement and innovation. Washington believed America should become a “granary to the world,” so he was interested in improving productivity. He pioneered many aspects of farming including advanced crop rotations, the use of fertilizers, crop experimentation, and farm equipment.

“Bad seed is robbery of the worst kind for your pocketbook not only suffers, but your preparations are lost and a season passes away unimproved,” said Washington.

At Latham Hi-Tech Seeds, we find this particular quote by Washington to be especially fitting for our business. We understand the hard work and hope that goes into the ground with each new crop year. As a third generation family-owned business – founded on what is today an Iowa Century farm – we understand the desire to create a legacy for future generations.

We’re proud to carry on the tradition of producing quality seed, which was started in 1947 by our founder Willard Latham. In fact, seed production is something we take so seriously that the word “quality” is stamped on every bag of Latham® soybeans. Our hands-on production process allows for less handling, which leads to higher germination rates.  Be assured there’s quality in the bag when you open a bag from Latham!