SuperStrip Cooperators Play Key Role in Latham Research

Every planting season has its challenges and this year was no exception. After fit planting conditions early in the spring, North Iowa faced extremely wet and cold soil conditions. Nearly 17 inches of precipitation fell from the beginning of the year through the month of May, which is about double our average precipitation.

You can imagine how eager farmers were to resume planting! To compound the situation, we were waiting for a few new products to arrive on a slow boat from the winter nurseries so we could test them in our SuperStrip plots.

SuperStrips are an integral part of Latham’s research program as the same group of products is planted within a given maturity range, including: products currently being offered; products we plan to add to next year’s lineup; and “experimentals” that are being tested to see if they meet our standards.

This same group of corn and soybean products is tested on several farms throughout Latham Country in the same year. We collect data on how they perform by soil type and under various environmental conditions. Hybrids and varieties are evaluated throughout the growing season for their overall characteristics and then taken to yield at harvest as a final comparison.

Watch for growing season updates on TheFieldPosition.com blog. Harvest results will be posted this fall at lathamseeds.com. I’m positive the information we will gain from our research plots will reap big rewards for our product portfolio now and in the future!