Ask the Agronomist: Latham’s Seed-2-Soil Program
Thanks for tuning into Week Seven of our “Ask the Agronomist” Audiocasts. To listen to Mark’s response to questions about Latham’s Seed-2-Soil program, play the audio file below.
Q: What are we seeing out in the fields this week, especially with the wet conditions we’ve had this season?
A: We’re starting to see a lot of yellow corn show up and most corn is at the point where it’s starting the rapid growth phase where deficiencies are beginning to appear in the plants. Soils remained wet for an extended period of time and corn that’s yellow is stunted. It’s hard to tell what the cause is of some issues that are appearing. These issues could be caused by water stress or roots not being able to reach the Nitrogen. I believe a lot of it is due to the excess water and compaction issues, but some could be from lack of Nitrogen supply.
Q: Is there anything we can do to remedy the situation?
A: Light cultivation can help aerate the root zones that are having compacted soil problems from the rain. Side dressing with Nitrogen can help as well. With most corn entering into the rapid growth phase, now is the time to get the plant growing. Controlled release Nitrogen applications and in-season fungicide applications can be combined to create an overall fertility plan. We’re not suggesting that this is a good substitute for a soil-applied fertility program, but if you’re facing a Nitrogen-deficiency situation and you’re applying a fungicide it makes sense to combine them both. This is where the Latham Seed-2-Soil° program comes into play.
Q: What is the Latham Seed-2-Soil° program?
A: Seed-2-Soil is Latham’s trademark system of agronomic tools designed to help simplify crop planning and seed selection. Growers choose their desired level of involvement, and we help them maximize a particular field’s yield potential by helping them focus on four key areas offered through Seed-2-Soil:
- Crop Planning
- Nutrient Management
- Seed Treatments
- Agronomic Support
Best of all, farmers own all data that is generated by the Seed-2-Soil program. Anything that’s given to them is theirs and theirs alone.
Q: Can you break down those four components, one-by-one?
A: Crop Planning. There is more to picking out seed than maturity and trait packages. This is why Latham works with farmers to understand each individual’s management style, equipment capability and practices. We pair that information with our genetic and yield research for each product that we have. The result is a tailored crop plan with accurate product placement to decrease risk, increase profits and save time.
Q: How do you provide farmers with that agronomic information through the Seed-2-Soil program?
A: The best way is The Field Position blog that is updated every week day. Each Wednesday it is updated with region-specific crop reports from across our six-state territory. Thursday’s we provide agronomic tips and information like how to take stand-counts or scout for pests. On our website farmers can find companion product recommendations, yield data and technology updates for every product in the Latham Line-Up.
Q: Seed treatment is another component, and in recent years it’s become a hot topic in the industry. Why is that?
A: Some farmers have been hesitant about spending extra money on seed treatments, especially this spring when we were expecting a dry spring. When it turned out to be wet and cool, the farmers who did invest in seed treatments were very glad their crops had extra protection. Research shows that seed treatment is the best defense against disease. Choose a treatment like Latham’s SoyShield fungicide or SoyShield Plus that is a fungicide-insecticide combination to help protect early-planted seed against the unexpected.
Q: Nutrient Management is another topic in the Seed-2-Soil program. Can you discuss that with us?
A: Nutrient Management has been getting a lot of attention lately, and with good reason. Research shows that fertility programs influence plant performance and yield by as much as 60%. Most farmers are already on a good pathway to production, but with a little fine-tuning we can help them continue to refine the process. Think of nutrient management as a car tire. A car can run on a low tire, but it doesn’t run as efficiently as it could.
If you have a question about what you’re seeing in the fields, feel free to ask! Send your questions via Twitter to @LathamSeeds, in a private message on Facebook or call our office at 1-877-GO-LATHAM (1.877.465.2842).
Also be sure to check out TheFieldPosition.com for timely agronomic information. New articles are posted each week day on our blog. You can even search for “topics” by simply typing key words into the search bar on the upper right-hand corner.
Thanks for tuning in to this week’s Ask the Agronomist. We’ll be back again next week to field all of your questions during the 2016 growing season.
