Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Reduce Risk through Seed Selection

Shrinking grain markets, coupled with climate change, has more farmers than ever talking about risk management. We tend to associate “risk management” with crop insurance or financial portfolios, but there are some well-known ways to manage risk through seed selection.

Just like managing a stock portfolio, you must determine whether you have an aggressive or a more moderate management style. Selecting all racehorse corn products with the most trait protection might be considered aggressive. A more moderate approach might be selecting very consistent products that have performed year after year but have only the traits you believe are needed on a particular field.

Regardless of your risk management style, here are some ideas to help manage risk through product selection without making an additional cash investment:

Genetics – The conventional school of thought emphasizes planting several genetically unrelated products that works on your soils. Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds certainly endorses that practice, however, you might also want to consider another option. If you know a particular genetic family works well on your farm, selecting products with some of the same parentage but slightly different characteristics might also be a good fit.
Maturity – Spreading risk by planting different maturities is nothing new. However, planting products within the same genetic family in various maturities puts a much different twist on this risk management tactic. This stands in contrast to planting completely unrelated products in different maturities.
Pollination – If you’re concerned about pollination, spread risk by planting different maturities or products with the same maturity but different flowering dates. NOTE: Do not split your planter as that can be detrimental to pollination. Instead, plant these products on one side of a field or in a different field.
Ear Type – If you have a field that produces great crops but tends to dry out even in years with adequate rainfall, consider planting hybrids that produce a flex ear. A flex ear lets you

decrease the population somewhat and gives you a little more margin for error than a determinate-eared hybrid, which requires higher population for optimum yields.

Talk to your local Latham® representative about other risk management tools, including our signature Seed-2-Soil® program. Seed-2-Soil helps simplify the crop planning and seed selection processes plus maximize overall yield potential. It begins with a discussion with a farmer and his Latham® seed rep about all the variables that go into your farming practices each year. Then a scientific computer program helps fit the right seed to the field.

Research has shown that correct product placement leads to a 3-7% yield improvement. Contact Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds today, and harness the power of Seed-2-Soil and fall soil sampling!

Webspec Admin

August 14, 2014

Agronomics, Disease, General

Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Intensify Scouting Efforts to Stay Ahead of Aphids

More than 100 soybean aphids collect on the underside of a soybean leaf. Pest feeding can inhibit the plant's ability to make grain, or kill it outright. — More than 100 soybean aphids collect on the underside of a soybean leaf. Pest feeding can inhibit the plant’s ability to make grain, or kill it outright.

There are several yield-determining factors that are beyond a farmer’s control, but insect pressure can often be managed. Soybean fields are entering the critical reproductive stages and yields hang in the balance. Scout every field now to see if there is any type of pressure, and keep a watchful eye to see if conditions warrant treatment.

With the varying stages of soybean growth and development due to an extended planting season and many late replants, 2019 should prove to be an interesting aphid year. The varying soybean growth stages throughout the state – and even your neighbor’s field – could mean more than one application of insecticide will be necessary. It’s important to continue scouting past your first insecticide application. We recommend applying insecticide at a threshold of 250 aphids per plant. Start scouting at the top of the plant, as aphids gravitate towards new growth. Remember to check fields thoroughly and identify consistency of insect pressure.

Seed selection and soybean treatment are key to managing soybean aphids in the future. Our experience indicates that soybeans treated with Latham’s combined fungicide and insecticide seed treatment, SOYSHIELD^TM PLUS, has experienced lower aphid populations along with delayed infestations.

Talk with your local Latham® representative for more information about our products and services. Be sure to ask about our hallmark precision ag Seed-2-Soil® program that helps farmers determine the best products to place in their fields, as well as provides agronomic and management tips.

Webspec Admin

August 7, 2014

Agronomics, Crop, Insects, Soybeans

Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Prevent White Mold from Spreading

Last Thursday I posted a blog with tips to scout soybean fields for Sclerotia Stem Rot. Sclerotia, which encapsulate and protect the White Mold fungus, can lay dormant for years and then grow when the conditions are suitable. Keeping White Mold out of a field is the best way to prevent it from spreading.

Tips for managing White Mold follow:

If White Mold is restricted to a portion of the field, that restricted area should be harvested last and independently from the rest of the field.
Avoid harvesting disease-infested fields before harvesting healthy fields.
Clean your combine thoroughly after a field with White Mold is harvested.
Rotations of 2 to 3 years between soybean crops can help reduce the level of the fungus causing White Mold in certain fields.
Wider row spacing allows air to circulate to the soil surface while the crop is starting to flower. Circulating air promotes a drier soil surface and lower humidity around the base of the plants, which interferes with sclerotia development. However, rows wider than 30 inches may actually increase spore dispersal by allowing more air movement near the soil surface.
Seed selection is also important. Some soybean brands are better than others at resisting White Mold. Seed dealers provide ratings on the resistance levels, so be sure to check those ratings when making your soybean selections.

To help simply the seed selection process for farmers, Latham® gives the IRONCLAD™ designation to its most defensive soybean products. Each IRONCLAD soybean brand must be Soybean Cyst Nematode resistant and carry an Iron Deficiency Chlorosis rating of 2.2 or better. IRONCLAD brands also must protect against either White Mold or Sudden Death Syndrome with a rating of 2.2 or higher. Furthermore, these products must have strong defensive ratings against Phytophthora Root Rot and Brown Stem Rot.

Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds is featuring 15 soybean brands with the IRONCLAD designation in its 2015 seed guide. Be sure to talk to your local Latham® representative about them or call 1-877-GO-LATHAM (1.877.465.2842) for more information!

Webspec Admin

August 4, 2014

Agronomics, Crop, General, Soybeans

Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Soybean Scouting Tips for Sclerotinia Stem Rot

Weed seeds aren’t the only yield-robbers that can lurk below the soil surface and come back years later to haunt your fields. Sclerotia, which encapsulate and protect the White Mold fungus, can lay dormant for years and then grow when the conditions are suitable. Suitable conditions include cool, damp soils.

Cool and damp certainly is one way to explain this growing season, but weather isn’t the only factor affecting the likelihood of White Mold. Be sure to keep a close watch on fields with a history White Mold as it may be more severe this year with the current weather trend.

White Mold usually has a larger effect on a brand with a denser, faster-closing canopy. Symptomsappear as single soybean plants within a generally healthy canopy thatwilt and die rapidly – usually in July and August – when plants are in the early reproductive stages. The fluffy white mycelium of the fungus then forms on the stem and/or pods, giving it the name White Mold.

Applying Foliar Fungicide

Foliar fungicides may be applied when you see White Mold starting to attack. Wisconsin research data indicates that fungicides applied up to growth stage R3 (early pod) may have some effect on White Mold severity, but later applications will likely not be as effective. Once symptoms of white mold are evident, fungicides will have no effect on reducing the disease.

Only fungal pathogens can be controlled with a fungicide, so it’s important to first scout and determine the type of disease or diseases present in a field. Scouting should be done prior to the R3 growth stage of the soybean plants, especially if weather has been rainy and/or humid as these conditions favor foliar diseases.

Please note that you can’t do anything for the plants already infected with the White Mold fungus. Keeping the fungus from spreading is really the most effective defense against White Mold.

Webspec Admin

July 31, 2014

Agronomics, Crop, Disease, General, Soybeans

Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Quick Tips for Root Digs

Walking corn fields is not always enough. Sometimes you just have to do a little digging to discover the root of a problem in your corn field. Conducting root digs may sound like a lot of work, but the results are totally worth the effort.

Quick tips for conducting a root dig:

While digging roots, note:
- Insect pressure, in particular rootworm beetle feeding.
- Disease pressure, paying special attention to the leaves above ear leaf.
- Runt plants and uneven emergence.
- Make note of root structure after you wash off roots; notice any compacted zones and if there was any sidewall compaction during planting.
- Look at plant spacing.
You can’t always see feeding unless you actually wash off the roots. Look for bottle brushing and signs of root regrowth. Look for scarring and nodes that have been chewed. To use the interactive node-injury scale, click here.
Rootworms can have “hot pockets” in the field, so the more locations from which you dig samples, the better.

While you’re walking through fields, take a close look at leaves and ears for signs of disease. Also be on the lookout for insects like western corn rootworm beetles and Japanese beetles. Under the ground, look for signs of sidewall compaction and hard pans.

http://youtu.be/-5xVFhsGRrA

Webspec Admin

July 24, 2014

Agronomics, Corn, Crop, Disease, General, Insects

Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Seasonal Extremes Continue

The season of extremes continues. About 7 to 10 days ago, we experienced temperatures about 20° cooler than the normal as a Polar Vortex that moved into the Midwest. Earlier this week we experienced heat indices of more than 100 degrees. While corn can handle high daytime temperatures quite well, as long as moisture is adequate, high nighttime temps can have adverse effects. About six consecutive nights with temperatures in the 70s and 80s can lead to dark respiration, lower dry matter and result in lower yields.

Thankfully, the 5-day forecast for North Central Iowa calls for daytime highs near 85° and nighttime lows around 58° to 60°. That’s perfect crop growing weather! There’s even a chance of rain on Friday, which would be welcome since we haven’t received significant rainfall in about 10 days. To see how crops are faring across our six-state marketing territory, visit “From the Field” on TheFieldPosition.com and click on the drop-down menu.

Team Latham

July 23, 2014

Agronomics, General, Season, Summer

Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Stress Increases Pressure from Pests and Pathogens

Scouting was going to be critical throughout the growing season, even if we hadn’t received record-setting rains or devastating natural events including tornadoes and flooding. That’s because seed corn planted into wet soils is prone to problems throughout the growing season such as: stunted plant growth; slow infiltration of water and/or ponding; high surface runoff; poor root system development, or rootless corn; and even nutrient deficiency.

Recent rain events “add insult to injury” because plants that are stressed are more susceptible to additional injury from pests and pathogens. Lengthy periods of wet soils increase the likelihood of blight and disease like Crazy Top and Goss’ Wilt.

Warm, moist soils also are great breeding grounds for weeds. Crops have a better chance of reaching optimal yield when they’re not competing with weeds for sunlight, water and nutrients. The best management practice for achieving weed control is still a diversity of tactics: cultural, mechanical and herbicide. Research shows that weeds represent the most important and economic damaging pest that Iowa corn and soybean farmers face every year!

Webspec Admin

July 7, 2014

Agronomics, Corn, Crop, Fungicide, General, Insects

Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Ear Size and Number of Kernels Being Determined Now

Just as diet and nutrition play a key role in how well an athlete performs, corn plants need a well- balanced diet for optimal performance. We’re at a critical point in the growing season as ear size is being determined, so the slightest nutritional deficiency now can cost you yield in the end. Take a plant tissue analysis to assess where your fertility program is, and then make plans to protect your crop from in-season nitrate loss. In a wet spring like this one, it’s common for nitrate leaching to occur. However, there’s still time to remedy the situation. Nitrogen is a mobile nutrient, so the timing of fertilizer application is critical to meet a plant’s needs. Nitrogen management, spoon feeding the plant when it needs it, unquestionably affects total yield. Once you’ve fed the crop, you control weeds to maximize plant health. Early-season weeds rob yields you cannot see at harvest. Crops have a better chance of reaching optimal yield when they’re not competing with weeds for sunlight, water and nutrients. Weeds should be controlled with tillage, herbicides, or a combination of tactics so the crop can become well established under weed-free conditions. By following 5 small steps, farmers will make giant strides toward weed control:

Closely monitor problem areas for tough-to-control weeds.
Apply herbicides correctly. Follow guidelines for proper application methods and rates. And, remember, timing of application is critical.
Don’t be satisfied with “economic thresholds” for weed control. Remain vigilant in your fight against weeds all season long.
Clean your equipment to prevent the spread of weeds.
Lastly, surviving weeds must not be allowed to set seed.

Rotating between various herbicide traits is important from the standpoint of reducing weed resistance. Rotating traits, especially insect resistance traits in corn, is especially important for the same reasons – to decrease the risk of insects becoming resistant to those traits and also to improve overall trait performance. We need to be good stewards of these traits and rotate them whenever possible!

Webspec Admin

June 26, 2014

Agronomics, Corn, Crop, General, Growth Stages

Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Wicked Winds and Rain Wreak Havoc

Once again, this week we were reminded just how cruel Mother Nature can be! Crazy late-spring thunderstorms and tornados swept across Latham Country from eastern Nebraska through eastern Iowa on Monday evening. Heavy rains fell early this week across the Dakotas and into Minnesota and Wisconsin, too.

More than six inches of rain fell on Monday night in some areas of Franklin County, Iowa, with an additional 1.5 to 2 inches falling last night. Winds gusting at 70 miles per hour flattened crops, power lines and grain bins alike. The loss of property is disheartening, and our hearts go out to those who are trying to clean up and put the pieces together again. (Click here for tips on talking with consumers about storm damage.)

“The farmer has to be an optimist or he wouldn’t still be a farmer,” said Will Rogers, the cowboy entertainer who was known for his wit and wisdom. So today, we’re going to talk about the silver lining. Our crops needed moisture. Although they got more than they needed this week, the tile lines are running again. Moisture is building in the soil profile. With first crop hay baled, this rain will get the second cutting of alfalfa off to a good start. The warm temperatures and high humidity we’re experiencing will cause crops to grow like weeds!

Speaking of weeds, let’s hope the top soil dries enough soon for the corn and soybeans to get sprayed before they get too tall. Volunteer corn is prevalent in some areas this year, and volunteer corn must be treated as a weed. It not only competes with plants for moisture and nutrients, but volunteer corn is a food source for rootworm larvae. Volunteer corn that is not controlled by tasseling attracts corn rootworm beetles for egg laying.

It’s imperative that farmers continue scouting fields at least weekly to stay ahead of weed, insect and disease pressure. For an update on what Latham’s Regional Sales Managers are seeing in their territories, click on “From the Field” and choose a region from the drop-down box on the right-hand side.

Team Latham

June 18, 2014

Agronomics, Corn, Crop, General, Growth Stages, Rain, Season, Summer, Weather

Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Watch for Little Pests Doing big Damage

Cooler spring temperatures mean slower egg maturation in 2014 for corn rootworm. Last week Iowa State University entomologists reported the corn rootworm hatch is underway.

Blackcutworm moths migrate from the south in the spring and the moths lay eggs in grassy and broad-leaf weeds. Data from moth flight monitoring traps suggests that cutting activity from black cutworms might be noticeable around May 28 in northeast and north central Iowa.

Scout now for black cutworm, and be a vigilant scout from the time corn plants emerge until plants reach the 6-leaf stage.Newly hatched larvae will chew small, irregular holes in corn leaves. While this early injury does not damage plants significantly, it should be used as an early warning of possible black cutworm infestations. As larvae grow, they are capable of cutting the stems and stalks of corn plants and significantly reducing the stands.

Look for plants with wilting, leaf discoloration and damage, and those that are either missing or are cut off at the soil surface. Note areas with suspected damage and return later to assess further damage. A rescue treatment approach is the best strategy for dealing with this pest.

Another pest of concern is corn rootworm, which has earned the nickname the “billion-dollar bug.” The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimates damage caused by this pest and costs associated with controlling it typically total $1 billion annually!

Best management practices are key to effectively controlling black cutworm and corn rootworm populations: Manage weeds, Respect the refuge, Rotate rootworm-resistant traits and Practice crop rotation.

Webspec Admin

June 12, 2014

Agronomics, Corn, Crop, General, Insects