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Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

From the Field Crop Report: August 30

Northeast Iowa & Southeast Minnesota

Craig Haaland

This week’s crop report is a “mixed bag.” The good news is we’ve received moisture, but temperatures have been cooler than normal. The month of August brought lots of cool temperatures, so let’s hope early September is usually warm!

Soybeans are looking pretty good, but they could really use some heat. This field of soybeans in Mitchell County was planted to our popular L 2084 R2. As you can see, there 4-bean pods in there.

Eastern Iowa

Jerry Broders

John McGillicuddy, independent agronomist, addresses the group at our South English, IA field day last night. Thanks John for coming to speak to our dealers and customers!

North Central Iowa & South Central Minnesota

Cory Greiman

Scouting crops all season long is especially important because different insect and disease pressures become evident at this time of year. Any type of stress greatly enhances the likelihood of opportunistic insects such as corn leaf aphids, European corn borer and army worm to feed upon plants. This week I noticed corn aphids in a field near Estherville.

Central Iowa

Bryan Rohe

It’s that time of year when farmers ask themselves what they can do differently to improve yield for the next season. Seed selection is certainly a major factor – some some might argue it’s the most important consideration – to increasing yield. Soil fertility and reducing weed pressure also are among the Top 10 Tips for increasing yield.

I am encouraging farms to look at hybrids that either have a strong drought score or to plant Genuity® DroughtGard® hybrids from Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds in 2018. The longer you can keep plants alive, the more ability they have to do their job. Health corn dies from the ground up, so I’m sure we’ll see an ROI on fungicides this year due to keeping plants health long enough to finish their jobs.

Good plant health is also key to increasing soybean yields. Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS) is starting to show up in Central Iowa soybean fields. The time is right to start watching any side by sides with ILevo and without ILevo. Also, it is a good time to make notes for future years seed treatment plans if SDS is showing up in your fields.

Soybean product selection is key. Prevention is the best defense against SDS. Soybean Cyst Nematodes (SCN) are associated with SDS. The best way to combat SCN is to plant resistant varieties or avoid susceptible varieties. Be sure to keep Latham IRONCLAD™ soybeans in mind when mapping out which varieties will be used on different fields for 2017.

The time is right to also start noting results from studies using ILeVO treated seed. Latham Seeds’ research staff to conduct 2016 studies using ILeVO treated seed side-by-side with seed that was not treated with ILeVO. We saw an average yield advantage of 3.64 bushels per acre across 26 plots, so ILeVO definitely provided a return on the investment.

West North Central Iowa

Bart Peterson

Silage harvest is underway near Alta, Iowa.

Producers often ask what the most important characteristics are when selecting corn hybrids for silage or grain. To pick the best hybrids for his situation a farmer should follow 3 basic steps: (1) Consider the end use first; (2) Keep crop rotation in mind; and (3) Minimize yield-limiting factors.

Click here for more silage selection details from Latham Forage Products Manager Corey Catt.

Northwest Iowa

Darin Chapman

Latham® Dealer Brian Schafer and his son, Adam, prepare for area farmers to show up to their Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds plot tour.

Everthing is looking good here in Northwest Iowa. The ear in the center is LH 5505 VT2 PRO, which has looked consistent in Latham’s SuperStrip plots all season long. I’m really looking forward to seeing yield results this fall!

Western Iowa & Eastern Nebraska

Larry Krapfl

Last silage crop of the year being harvested near Emerson, Nebraska. Click here if you would like tips for selection corn silage products for next year!

Southern Wisconsin

Greg Mair

The Latham Technology Tour stops in Platteville, Wisconsin tonight, Aug. 30. The plot is located at 3775 State Road 80 between Platteville and Cuba City. Tours are at 5:30 and 6 pm. We’re excited to offer our customers so many options in our lineup for 2018! We would love to see you there.

Despite not having the desired heat units, the corn is still moving along. LH 5245 VT2 PRO appears to have great yield. With ears of 16×33 and 16×36 planted at over 36,000 plants per acre (ppa), it’s sure to catch your eyes this fall.

Eastern North Dakota

Brian McNamee

Is this some new type of nurse crop?

This season, across my territory in North Dakota, I have been taken aback by the number of semi-resistant or fully-resistant weeds I have been seeing. I had no idea that marestail was as bad as it is and spread so far west. This particular field is the worst infestation I have ever seen. You can just barely make out the soybeans planted in this field.

A full grown marestail can have upwards of 200,000 seeds per plant. Just think of how many seeds are in this field… Crazy!

This year was the perfect storm for these issues to arise: pre-emergence not working; droughty conditions with slow and poor seed emergence; and periods of late-season rains that produced flushes of all weeds.

This now has the potential to be an epidemic problem not only for this farmer but all the adjacent landowners, as well. It’s going to be a challenge and will have to be monitored especially closely.

Herbicide rotation is important, but mixing herbicides with different sites of action makes weed resistance 83 times less likely to occur. Click here to learn more about weed management, including how and why herbicide resistance occurs.

Southeast North Dakota

Gary Geske

Despite very dry conditions on the Red River Valley, the corn and soybean plots we viewed at the plot day are still in good condition.

Northeast South Dakota

James Keltgen

Another widespread rain event this week will benefit the crops. Early corn is denting and converting to starch. Soybeans are filling pods. Early soybeans are beginning to yellow, signaling harvest just around the corner.

Southeast South Dakota

Ramie Coughlin

With all the rain we’ve been getting, growers are getting a nice 2nd and some 3rd cuttings of alfalfa and hay.

Northern Minnesota

Ken Highness

Congratulations to Latham rep Ryan Skaug of M&R Seed for hosting a successful plot day yesterday in Beltrami, Minnesota! The main topics of discussion among growers in attendance was weed management plus corn and soybean technologies.

Weed management is certainly more challenging! Plants that develop resistance to herbicides are simply following the age-old process of “survival of the fittest.” That’s why seed product selection and herbicide rotation are more important than ever.

Southern Minnesota

Brandon Wendlandt

Latham 2084 R2 is looking great in southern Minnesota! Now is a great time to scouting soybeans for things White Mold and Sudden Death Syndrome. The best defense is a great offense! Be sure to note problem areas and look at disease ratings when selecting future products. Also know that IRONCLAD soybean products are exclusively available from Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds.

Webspec Admin

August 29, 2017

Corn, Insects, Season, Summer
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Podcast: Latham On-Farm Research

Welcome back to our Ask the Agronomist podcast! This week, Phil and Kilah discuss on-farm research and provide a sneak-peak into the upcoming field days! Tune in for a 10-minute from the field agronomy update!

Submit your #crop17 growing questions to us on either Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat or Instagram. Thanks for tuning in!

Webspec Admin

August 10, 2017

#AskTheAgronomist, Agronomics, Podcast
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Weed Management, PART I: Learn from the Past, Look to the Future

My college professor in Principles of Plant Physiology said it quite simply, “A weed is a plant that is out of place.” I never thought to ask him just where he felt was the proper place for Waterhemp… or Kochia… or Palmer Amaranth.

Weeds have been a problem since the dawn of mankind. After Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden, God “cursed the ground” and told him that “thorns and thistles would be produced” because of what he did. (Genesis 3: 17-19)

Not only were thorns and thistles (i.e. weeds) produced, but they multiply rapidly. Did you know that Waterhemp produces as many as 1.5 times more seeds than most other pigweed species? Waterhemp plants generally produce about 250,000 seeds per plant. Some Waterhemp plants can produce 1 million or more seeds under optimal conditions in noncompetitive environments.

It’s no wonder weed management is such a challenge! During my presentation at the Latham® Dealer Kickoff meeting last month in Branson, I mentioned that a 90% weed kill rate used to be acceptable. Weed scientists today, however, say we should shoot for a 100% weed kill to prevent resistance.

Resistance to herbicides results when weeds get sprayed but live through the application. This might happen because of improper rates, improper timing or just due to natural selection. That’s why we must learn from the past to ensure success in the future.

Herbicides were introduced in the U.S. after WWII with the marketing of 2,4-D. Atrazine was first registered for use in 1959, followed by a succession of products designed to control weeds.

Farmers in the 1970s and ‘80s didn’t worry about weeds becoming resistant to herbicides being used because all they had to do was visit their local chemical retailer where they’d get the newest and greatest product to try.

The first herbicide in the U.S. that weeds developed resistance to was Atrazine in the early 70s. The alarm, however, didn’t really get sounded until resistance to Pursuit® and Scepter® occurred. These ALS herbicides were introduced in the mid-80s and weed resistance showed up very quickly.

When Roundup® (glyphosate)-tolerant soybeans were introduced in 1996, farmers believed they finally had the ultimate answer to weed control. Not only did this new system work, but it was very simple to use.

Roundup made good weed managers out of bad. Weeds too big before the field was sprayed? No problem… just add a little more! Don’t bother with any of those old herbicides… all you need is Roundup!

Sound familiar? We were assured weeds would NEVER develop resistance to glyphosate, but it happened. To make matters worse, the “endless supply” of new herbicide products stopped. The last new herbicide group of HPPD inhibitors was discovered in 1986.

There are 29 groups of herbicides, each with its own unique site of action, according to the Weed Science Society of America (WSSA). At the latest count, weeds have developed resistance to all but three of them.

It’s been well documented that weed resistance is a growing problem. In next month’s article, I’ll talk in more detail how weeds develop resistance to herbicides. The last article in this series will cover what (if anything) can be done.

This is the first article in a three-part series, focusing on how to deal with herbicide-resistant weeds. Click here to read PART II: The Hows and Whys of Herbicide Resistance.

Webspec Admin

August 8, 2017

Tech Tuesday, Weed Control
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Podcast: Herbicide Damage

Welcome back to our Ask the Agronomist podcast! This week, Phil discusses herbicide damage and helpful indicating symptoms. Tune in for a 10-minute from the field agronomy update!

Submit your #crop17 growing questions to us on either Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat or Instagram. Thanks for tuning in!

Webspec Admin

August 3, 2017

#AskTheAgronomist, Podcast, Weed Control
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

August is Key Time to Take Field Notes

August is a great month for walking field trials and plots. In fact, I believe August is one of the two most important times to take notes about your growing crops.

Shortly after emergence, you can see how the early growth and vigor of the young plants react under current growing conditions and by different soil types. Then in mid-August you can really start separating maturities on the hybrids. Much information can be gained by looking at hybrids now and noting stalk and root strength, plant and ear height, as well as kernel development.

Last month we had a chance to get together with Latham dealers from six states at our annual sales meeting, and it was exciting to hearhow well their Latham® brand products have been
performing! During that meeting, we let everyone in on a little secret… the new 2018 Seed Guide lists some limited-release products that are identified as “LR” instead of “LH.” Many of these LR products have been planted in our regional show plots, so take a look at them in a field near you!

Regional Seed-2-Soil® Technology Tours will be held in August and September throughout Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds’ marketing footprint. There will be in-depth training on new and existing corn and soybean varieties along with agronomic information on the newest industry traits and herbicide recommendations to reduce chances of weed resistance.

Each plot will showcase products that have been selected to perform best in that geography, which is another advantage of working with our independent and regional company. By attending one or more of these tours, you’ll gain more information about the diversity of our lineup. Latham has so many options for growers to choose, ranging from conventional corn to hybrids with SmartStax® technology and from Genuity® Roundup Ready 2 Yield® to Roundup Ready 2 Xtend® and LibertyLink® soybeans.

For exact locations locations, directions, and other information about our field days visit the Latham Facebook Page or call 1.877.GO.LATHAM!

Webspec Admin

August 1, 2017

Soil, Tech Tuesday
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Podcast: Corn Rootworm

Welcome back to our Ask the Agronomist podcast! This week, Phil and Kilah discuss corn rootworm and how scouting now can help you plan for #crop18. Tune in for a 10-minute from the field agronomy update!

Do you have #crop17 growing questions? Submit them to us on either Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Snapchat. Thanks for tuning in!

Webspec Admin

July 27, 2017

#AskTheAgronomist, Corn, Crop, General, Insects, Podcast
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Podcast: Corn Diseases

Welcome back to our Ask the Agronomist podcast! This week, Phil and Kilah discuss corn diseases and the need to scout now. Tune in for a 10-minute from the field agronomy update!

Do you have #crop17 growing questions? Submit them to us on either Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Snapchat. Thanks for tuning in!

Webspec Admin

July 20, 2017

#AskTheAgronomist, Corn, Disease, Podcast
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Win-Win: Precision Ag Technology Increases Farm Efficiency and Yield

Written by: Phil Long

Most U.S. farmers use some form of precision ag technology, and the majority of these farmers are looking for ways to use their data more efficiently. Organizing data and offering suggestions on how farmers can increase yield on a field-by-field basis is where Seed-2-Soil® services comes into play.

Technology in the tractor is one part of precision ag. Data that is recorded by the combine, planter or sprayer monitor requires another level of understanding. Here at Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds, we’re working to help farmers find the intersection between crop production and precision ag.

We believe this technology is a huge stepping stone in terms of efficiency and reaching that next level of production on your fields. Understanding the variability on each of your farms is Step One.

Our FieldXField^SM process focuses on placing hybrids/varieties according to yield-limiting factors combined with data from your yield monitor. We can define smaller “management or productivity zones” that will allow you to put Variable Rate (VR) technology to use on your farm.

Combining data such as soil samples, satellite or drone imagery, disease and insect scouting reports, and planter and sprayer applications gives you a much clearer picture of each field. Armed with this additional data, you can monitor and manage that field throughout the season.

There are many ways to incorporate precision ag technology on your farm. While not everyone will have every technology, using a few tools provides valuable information. For example, variable rate (VR) hybrid planting can provide a $20/acre benefit. We’re testing this technology on a farm in Northwest Iowa and are eager to see the results this fall.

Although most farmers don’t yet have the capability for VR hybrid planting, many have the ability to apply VR fertilizers. Studies show a $5-8/acre benefit from decreasing overapplication and underapplication to areas within a field. If your fields have a large amount of variability, you may reap even more revenue from VR technologies.

Variable rate seeding and applications are just one piece of the precision ag pie. We can work with you to make your data work for you and your operation. It’s our goal to work with farmers and add value regardless of where they are along the technology adoption spectrum.

One simple, but especially important detail, is naming your fields consistently from year to year. Also make sure your monitors and GPS receivers are communicating with one other. You may see a yield number on your monitor, but that doesn’t mean the GPS location and other information is running through your combine. The data coming out is only as good as the information going in! Calibration is key to getting useful results.

I’m looking forward to working with Latham dealers and customers to help bring more value from the combined use of seed and precision ag technologies. Feel free to contact me at 1.877.GO.LATHAM (1.877.465.2842) if you’d like to visit about how precision ag can benefit your operation!

Webspec Admin

July 11, 2017

Agronomics, Precision Ag, Tech Tuesday
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Podcast: Ask the Agronomist About IDC

Welcome back to our Ask the Agronomist! Today Phil talks about IDC in fields and how to plan for it next year. Tune in for some helpful hints and to learn more about IDC.

Webspec Admin

June 29, 2017

#AskTheAgronomist, Disease, Podcast, Soybeans
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Crop Scouting Can Lead to Seed Selection in 2018

While you may not get paid directly to walk your fields, I can say without a doubt that it will pay for itself. Mid-season crop scouting is important for two reasons: (1) different weed, insect and disease pressures become evident this time of year; and (2) summer months are a crucial time to decide which traits to implement when buying seed for the next crop year.

By walking fields, you can catch any type of stress early that enhances the likelihood of opportunistic insects such as corn leaf aphids, European corn borer and armyworms. High humidity and heavy dew creates ideal conditions for diseases like we saw last season with Northern Corn Leaf Blight (NCLB).

Black cutworm could be a larger problem this year as they’re known to cause more damage in fields where corn is planted later, and quite a few acres were replanted due to heavy spring rains and ponding. Fields of higher risk also include those that are poorly drained and low-lying; those next to areas of natural vegetation; and those that are weedy or have reduced tillage.

The wide variance in planting dates also may cause rootworm beetles to move between fields. A late-maturing corn field may attract large numbers of beetles if neighboring corn stopped producing pollen, for example. Rootworm beetles may also move into corn and/or soybean fields that have an abundance of pollen-producing weeds, including volunteer corn, ragweed or foxtails.

Controlling weeds will help control corn rootworm populations, as well as other insects like Two-spotted Spider Mites and aphids. Mites and aphids begin feeding along field edges, especially in weedy areas, before eventually developing into a field-wide infestation.

Noting weed infestations can provide you with an opportunity to discuss this with your Latham Dealer and allow them give you to suggestions to mix up modes of action when selecting next year’s seed products. Latham’s Regional Field Days display the trait options available for 2018 planting. Make plans now to attend one of these regional plot days and discover more about the options Latham has to offer next year! Stay tuned for updated information about field day dates and locations in the coming editions of TECHtuesday.

Webspec Admin

June 13, 2017

Corn, Insects, Tech Tuesday