This Could Be THE Year!

Posted By shannonlatham Vice President

Optimism and grit are two qualities every farmer I’ve ever met has in common.

Family, farming, food and faith are the four themes that kept emerging as Iowa author Darcy Maulsby wrote the book, Iowa Agriculture: A History of Farming, Family and Food.

“For generations, American farmers have lived by an unwritten code centered around hard work, courage, perseverance, teamwork, personal responsibility and concern for the community,” Maulsby says.

This unwritten code is also the Latham way. You’ll find the words “teamwork” and “community” hanging on the wall of our company’s conference room, which is in the former home of Latham Seeds’ founders Willard and Evelyn Latham. We’re proud that our company headquarters is located on the Latham family’s Iowa Century Farm in Franklin County. Our office is surrounded by crops, which are our products.

My husband John, my brother-in-law Chris, and I are proud to be the third generation to own and operate our family-owned seed business. Each year we enter the spring planting season filled with hope and optimism. Each spring John says – and truly means it – that he is more excited than ever to watch our products emerge from the ground and see the crop develop throughout the growing season.

Keep in mind that a seed company grows its products one year in advance. This year we announced our 2024 product lineup to our local Latham® dealers earlier than ever because we’re so excited! All growing season long, our dealers will help us take product notes and evaluate performance. Latham Product Manager Steve Sick will be traveling across the Upper Midwest, meeting with our dealers and taking more notes on our products throughout the growing season. Our product selection begins with YOU, the American farmer.

Print

From our family to yours, we wish you a safe planting season. To help you power through the long hours ahead, we’re sharing links to a few recipes that are easy to eat in the field or in the cab:

I’m also including a bonus recipe featuring pecans because today is National Pecan Day. Did you know a snack of one pecan serving (about 19 halves) provides loads of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals?

Carrot Cake Muffins

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups unsweetened applesauce
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded carrots (about 3 medium carrots)
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 T. ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp. ground cloves
  • 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
  • 1/2 cup raisins
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 °F.
  2. Line 18 muffins cups with cupcake liners.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk together: applesauce, shredded carrots, eggs and brown sugar.
  4. Next add flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg. Stir until combined. Then fold in raisins and pecans.
  5. Scoop batter into muffin cups. Bake for about 16 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

P.S. Top with Nutty Cream Cheese Frosting and call these muffins dessert instead of breakfast. Then again, I’m not opposed to eating dessert for breakfast!

Print Recipe
Desserts