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Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Our “Secret Sauce” is Saltro® Fungicide

One of the reasons we use Saltro is because it protects early-season plant health, plus protects plants against Soybean Cyst Nematode (SCN) and Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS). Soybeans treated with Saltro have strong emergence, better stands, healthier leaves and develop more robust early-season root mass. As a result, soybean plants treated with Saltro can reach their full genetic and yield potential.

Saltro also doesn’t cause additional plant stress, like the halo effect we’ve seen with older chemistries. Soybeans can outgrow the side effects from early-season, above-ground stress, but they may not fully recover from the lower yield potential caused by below-ground stress.

While touring the Syngenta Seedcare Institute in Minnesota, a group of Latham representatives were told Saltro is safer and more effective than the current standard seed treatment. More than three years of research shows that soybeans treated with Saltro have a 3-bushel per acre yield advantage over the leading SDS competitor in heavy SDS pressure and a 1.8-bushel yield improvement under low SDS pressure.

Another advantage we saw first-hand on our tour is that Saltro has 22% better wet seed flow than its leading competitor. Saltro has a much lower use rate. In addition, the leading competitor creates 63% more buildup and 100% more dust than Saltro.

Improved handling and treatment efficiency, higher yields, no plant stress, as well as superior SDS and SCN protection are the reasons why Latham Seeds is making our unique Saltro blend available for the products we’re selling for next planting season. Ask your Latham® representative for more information!

Mark Grundmeier, Product Manager

September 17, 2019

Agronomics, Cover Crops, Crop, Season, Seed Treatment, Spring, Tech Tuesday, Winter
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Product Observations Can Identify Seed Needs

Latham product team members have been busy traveling to our SuperStrip™ and other research plot locations across the Upper Midwest.

It’s our job to take notes to help our company offer the best possible product lineup, as well as to assist our customers in choosing the best products for their given situations.

We also encourage you to take notes on your own fields to help identify your seed needs for next year. We recommend keeping an eye out for the following:

Physoderma in corn: While this isn’t a new disease, it’s been getting more publicity recently because some fields have suffered economic damage. Physoderma is a soil-borne fungus that seems to surface when there are warm early season temperatures followed by rainy periods, causing water to sit in the whorls during the v5 to v9 stage. Sporangia release huge amounts of zoospores that can literally swim their way to attack plant cells. Leaf symptoms include yellow-to-brown spots on the leaves and dark purple oval spots along the midrib. The real damage happens on the lower nodes of the plant that become weak and thus susceptible to breakage. Look for a brown to black ring of decay around the node. I’ve heard reports of fields in Illinois where 75% of the plants have broken. While physoderma seems to be more of a problem on the eastern side of our area, it has been identified in Nebraska.

Soybean Gall Midge: This insect pest is so new that entomologists aren’t entirely certain what species it is. It was reported in Nebraska in 2011 and South Dakota in 2015. Just last fall SGM was recorded in 69 counties of Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota and South Dakota.

Sudden Death Syndrome and White Mold: Scout your fields all the way to maturity, So you don’t have any big surprises come harvest. Also remember to plant Latham® IRONCLAD™ products in these affected areas in the future. I’ve heard of some areas In southern Iowa and northern Illinois that are showing signs of Frogeye Leaf Spot, but I haven’t seen any of those myself – yet!

Weed resistance continues to be a growing issue. Last year I noticed serious problem fields in Wisconsin. Previously, Wisconsin farmers controlled weeds with glyphosate and some tank mix combinations. It’s becoming very obvious that weed resistance in Wisconsin is catching up quickly with the rest of the Upper Midwest. Exercise your weed control options in 2019 with Independent Latham Hi-tech Seeds.

Mark Grundmeier, Product Manager

September 8, 2019

Agronomics, Corn, Crop, Disease, Fungicide, Insects, Soybeans, Tech Tuesday
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Reducing Harvest Loss Begins at the Header
Half of corn harvest loss and a whopping 80% of soybean harvest loss can occur at the header. It’s easy to overlook adjustments to the header because there aren’t any sensors to tell us what’s wrong. That’s why a relatively quick inspection is well worth your time.

A combine performs five key operations during harvest: cuts the crop; threshes the crop (first part of the rotor); separates the grain from the chaff (back part of the rotor); cleans the grain with fans and the cleaning shoe; and handles the crop to move it through the combine and into the grain cart or wagon. We all do our best to adjust our combines for each of these five areas.

Harvest loss can add up in a hurry as 1 bushel/acre of harvest loss is only 2 kernels of corn or just 4 soybeans per square foot.

Be sure to check the following two areas, which are often overlooked when making adjustments at harvest time:
- Reel speed is typically set automatically based on tire speed in modern combines. However, you can adjust reel speed on-the-go and stop loss due to changing field conditions. The reel should be hitting soybeans about one-half to 3/4 of the way up the plant and at a speed that lays them back onto the platform. If your reel speed is too fast, it will cause premature shatter losses.
- Corn harvest loss typically comes from whole ear loss or “butt-shelling” at the deck plates. Whole ear loss can be minimized by installing different things like ear savers for over the throat and at the front of the gathering chains. Upgrades that extend the height of each end of the header help when corn is down. “Butt-shelling” should be adjusted for by adjusting deck plates to stalk size and by making sure there is not extra wear where the ears continually snap.
Adjusting monitors in your combine cab is another area that can have a significant impact on your data collection. Following are a few noteworthy areas for your consideration:
- Don’t lag behind. Inaccurate Flow Delay is the most common issue with yield mapping. Are you noticing red streaks or a gap at the beginning and ending of each pass? This means the flow delay is not set appropriately. The delay is typically between 10 and 20 seconds. If you see lots of red as you start a pass, increase that time. If you see a gap of data points between the end of a pass and the headlands, you need to decrease the delay.
- Calibrate. Yield monitors can be off as much as 100%. Even if you diligently calibrated your monitor in corn last year, you must calibrate it again this year in corn. Make sure the moisture sensor is accurate because that calibration also impacts yield calibration. Electronic sensors are especially prone to needing adjustments.
- Do you run Auto Steer? If you don’t run auto-steer on your combine, you’ll need to adjust the swath width for soybeans if you’re running at an angle or harvesting drilled beans. For example, if you’re leaving about a two-foot gap on a 35-foot header, your swath width should be changed to 33 feet.
Focus on making the adjustments that can have a significant impact on the quality of your data, but don’t sweat the small stuff. For example, if you must stop on a dime for a tile blowout that would swallow your combine or if you skirt around a waterway, that data can be cleaned up later. Feel free to call me if you have any questions or need assistance.
Phil Long

September 3, 2019

Agronomics, Corn, Crop, Fall, Precision Ag, Season, Soybeans, Tech Tuesday
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

#AskTheAgronomist: Fall Seeding Cover Crops

Phil Long shares information on fall seeding cover crops and the benefits associated with this practice.

0:30 – Crop report update
1:42 – Cover crop topic introduction
2:42 – Fall seeding options
4:08 – What’s your goal?
4:45 – Rye benefits
7:45 – Weed suppression
11:48 – Herbicides effect on cover crops
12:32 – Field Day Preview

Laura Cunningham

August 29, 2019

#AskTheAgronomist, Agronomics, Cover Crops, Crop, Soil
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

#AskTheAgronomist: Corn Pollination

Tune in as Phil Long discusses the current state of pollination in the field.

00:20 – Topic Introduction: Pollination Failure
1:02 – How much yield is left on the table?
2:47 – Percent of yield left in the field in correlation to the stage of the corn plant
6:32 – How to protect the final 40% of yield in the field
8:07 – Prioritize fields for harvest
9:27 – Remember to plan for 2020!
10:46 – Identifying 3 types of pollination failures

Laura Cunningham

August 22, 2019

#AskTheAgronomist, Agronomics, Corn, Crop, Growth Stages, Season, Summer
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Scout for Soybean Gall Midge

Gall midge larvae and damage under the soybean stem epidermis. Photo by Dr. Bruce Potter, University of Minnesota

Soybean Gall Midge (SGM) caused extensive damage in 2018. It already has been reported in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska and South Dakota this season.

Scout around the edges of your soybean fields, especially those areas that are closest to fields where SGM was spotted last year. The adult stage of this pest is a fly from the genus Resseliella. The adult insects are so small that they go unnoticed in everyday scouting activities. Other midge flies are the Hessian Fly and the Wheat Blossom Midge.

The SGM may be spotted in the larval stages as they feed on a variety of items like decaying organic matter, fungi and, of course, galls on the stems of plants. Affected plants will appear wilted and eventually die.

Wilting also is symptom of Phytophthora Root Rot and Fusarium Wilt, so you’ll need to split the base of the soybean stem to know if the problem is an insect or disease. Once you split the stem, look for orange or white larvae.

You can see in this photo by Dr. Bruce Potter from the University of Minnesota that the larvae look like maggots. If find larvae, contact your local Extension Service immediately! While SGM larvae are almost impossible to control once they have colonized plants, Extension personnel want to learn more about this pest’s lifecycle. Any information you can give on how your field may have been infested will help all of us combat this pest in future years.

Because so many soybeans across Latham Country were planted later this spring than in 2018, the concern is SGM might be even more problematic this year. Last fall SGM was recorded in 69 counties of Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota and South Dakota.

Very little is known about the biology of the Soybean Gall Midge and even less is known about methods to control it. With your help, we can begin to know and understand more about this potential threat to soybean production.

Mark Grundmeier, Product Manager

August 13, 2019

Agronomics, Crop, Insects, Season, Soybeans, Summer, Tech Tuesday
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

#AskTheAgronomist: Fungicide & Insecticide Application Thresholds

What is the threshold for applying fungicide on your corn? Tune in for discussion on mid-season fungicide and insecticide application with Phil Long! #AskTheAgronomist

Laura Cunningham

August 1, 2019

#AskTheAgronomist, Agronomics, Corn, Crop, Fungicide, Insects
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Mid-Season Foliar Fungicide Application

With the hot, humid weather that has made its way into Latham Country this summer, conditions are prime for foliar diseases. Fields considered to be high risk are continuous corn fields, fields with conservation tillage and susceptible hybrids. Watch for Gray Leaf Spot, Southern Rust, Common Rust, Northern Leaf Blight, Goss’s Wilt, Tarspot and Eyespot.

When it comes to weighing the costs and benefits of fungicide, there are many factors to consider. Price of corn, product, application and drying cost can all seem like daunting costs that would scare any farmer away from going the extra mile. However, investing in a fungicide could be a small tradeoff when it comes to protecting your yield potential. When scouting, look for disease on the third leaf below the ear. If 50 percent or more of the field is infected at tassel, we recommend spraying fungicide.

The highest return on investment is going to be around VT to R2 time period because you will be able to suppress diseases that may be present on the leaves and protect them for a few weeks of any diseases trying to get into the plant. Corn is also done putting on new leaves at this point. Typically, a 5-8 bu/A yield increase will pay for the investment depending on grain price and application costs. If you are facing heavy disease pressure, be sure to select the right fungicide for the diseases you have. Fungicides with dual modes of action in the Group 3 (Triazoles) and 11 (QoI) will provide suppression and some lasting protection. Look for the active ingredients that end in “ole” (Triozoles) and “in” (QoI).

We recommend doing your homework before applying fungicide. Scout fields to determine disease pressure, consider high susceptibility hybrids and the disease history of the field.

Shown above is common rust. To identify this in your fields, look for raised, brick-red pustules.

Phil Long

July 29, 2019

Agronomics, Corn, Crop, Fungicide, Season, Summer, Tech Tuesday
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

#AskTheAgronomist: Greensnap & Root Lodging

What is cause and effect of greensnap? Tune in to hear from Phil Long!#AsktheAgronomist

0:15 – Updated Across Latham® Country

1:25 – Why does greensnap happen?

3:30 – Growth regulator herbicides & the relation to greensnap

4:20 – Root lodging yield loss

6:15 – Location of corn stalk snap & yield loss

9:35 – Select the appropriate plant characteristics

10:50 – Disease potential

Laura Cunningham

July 25, 2019

#AskTheAgronomist, Agronomics, Corn, Crop, Growth Stages, Season, Summer
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

The Cause & Effect of Greensnap
Greensnap can occur during two of the most rapid vegetative growth stages of corn from V5 to V8 and from V12 to R1. During a corn’s rapid growth stage, internodes elongate and become susceptible to breaking off. From V12 to R1, a corn plant can grow up to 4 inches per day!

When greensnap occurs, it happens at the primary ear node which is detrimental to corn yield in the fall. Aside from high winds, other factors can include planting conditions, farm management practices and genetics of the corn plant.

When corn plants are in their first stage of rapid growth from V5 to V8, post-emergence herbicide is often applied. Growth-regulator herbicides can play a negative role in the integrity of the plant structure for short time after application. This combined with rapid plant growth weakens plant structure leaving it susceptible to greensnap.

Here are three suggestions to manage for greensnap in future crop years:
1. Choose hybrids that have strong plant characteristics. We suggest selecting hybrids with above average root strength, stalk strength and disease resistance.
2. Take a second look at your herbicide management plan, specifically time of application or reduction of growth regulator herbicides.
3. Set your corn crop up for success from the beginning of the season by planting into a favorable seed bed at the appropriate seed depth. Give the seed a chance to establish a strong nodal root system to help withstand harsh weather through the growing season.
If you have questions on selecting the right hybrid for your field, let us know. We can connect you with one of our product specialists to ensure the right seed is placed on the right acre. This is the first step you can do to protect your corn crop from greensnap.
Laura Cunningham

July 23, 2019

Agronomics, Corn, Crop, Growth Stages, Season, Summer, Tech Tuesday