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Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Aphids have arrived!

It’s time to scout for Soybean Aphids as our agronomists and sales team have already seen some this season in Iowa, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Minnesota. It’s important to check fields early and often. Take aphid counts every 7 to 10 days to get a good idea of what the population is doing. Take counts at several locations throughout the field and count 20 to 50 plants per location. The economic threshold for aphids is 250 per plant.

For more information, contact the Latham office at 1-877-GO-LATHAM, or your local Latham representative. Additional information can be found at www.extension.iastate.edu.

Larry Sailer, Musings of a Pig Farmer

July 7, 2009

Agronomics, Insects
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Update on soybean rust

There are a number of online sources starting to report that conditions may be favorable for soybean rust to hit Midwestern fields this season. Iowa State University Extension runs a site called The Rust Report. A recent posting on June 17 reported that “…Alabama’s extension soybean pathologist said that soybean rust was 3-4 weeks ‘ahead of schedule,’ and it is farther north than in previous years. Georgia’s soybean pathologists said that ‘these early finds mean that soybean rust could be a real threat to the soybean crop if the disease continues to progress.’”

As Daren Mueller, a member of ISU’s soybean rust team, reports, ag specialists in the south earlier in the year were seeing soybean rust appear on kudzu. Kudzu is a vine plant that is loved and hated in Georgia and Alabama. It’s a pest plant that proliferates around abandoned buildings, yet can also be fed as temporary, high-quality forage that cattle tend to like. Earlier this month, some low level rust was found in a kudzu patch in Georgia. That finding has now been updated to include some rust found on southern soybeans. Weather conditions may be favorable for the rust to spread in the Southeastern states. That means we should be on the lookout in the Midwest as growing season progresses.

The Rust Report provides a lot of helpful information on management of soybean rust, how to spot it, how to make sure it’s rust and not a look-alike disease, and many other tips.

According to Stop Soybean Rust.com, “the main effects (of rust) on the soybean plant are destruction of photosynthetic tissue, which in turn causes premature defoliation, early maturation, and severe yield reductions through reduction in the number of pods and seeds, and decreased seed weight.” So close monitoring and information sharing is essential as rust moves out of the South.

Be assured we’ll keep you updated on any notable developments.

Webspec Admin

June 23, 2009

Agronomics, Crop, Soybeans
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Black Cutworm Alert – Scout Your Fields

Latham is a partner in the Iowa State University Extension Corn and Soybean Initiative. That means we get timely alerts when any farming condition emerges that could impact a number of growers.

We recently received an alert about possible emergence of black cutworm in Iowa. The alert is reproduced below. Also, we have a simple spreadsheet calculator available for estimating stand-loss threshold of black cutworm as insecticide is applied.

Just give me a call at 1-800-798-3258 or email me at mark@lathamhybrids.com and I’ll be glad to send you the calculator document and explain it to you. For example, one simple calculation on the spreadsheet shows a corn stand planted at 32K plants per acre with an expected yield of 200 bu/acre at a market price of $6 per bushel and receiving insecticide application at a cost of $15/acre could realize an estimated loss of 400 plants per acre, or 1.25%.

Black cutworm to start cutting May 24: scouting is advised

From Iowa State University Extension Corn and Soybean Initiative

Black cutworms could start cutting corn May 24-26 in the southern two-thirds of Iowa, and the first week of June in the northern three tiers of counties. Growers should scout for cutworms as soon as corn emerges, paying special attention to late-planted or weedy fields.

Most at-risk fields:

• Late-planted
• Reduced tillage
• High weed populations – especially of winter annuals
• Near natural vegetation areas
• Poorly drained or low-lying, such as in the floodplain of a stream or river.

Damage signs
• Small, irregular holes in leaves (from young, above-ground larvae feeding)
• Cut stems or clipped leaves (from older larvae, in 4-6 instar – usually feed underground at night)

When scouting

• Examine 250 plants (50 plants in five locations) weekly until corn reaches V5.
• Check for wilted, discolored or damaged leaves and missing plants.
• If damaged leaves are found: dig around the base of the plant and look for larvae. If soils are dry or crusted, larvae may burrow to moist soil and move to new plants.
• Flag suspected “hot spots” and monitor larval feeding (or lack of it) for a few days.

Economic Threshold & Treatment Options
•Economic thresholds for black cutworm were adjusted last year due to higher crop value and corn stands.
•A tool to calculate treatment thresholds for stand loss will be published in ICM News next week.

To tell black from dingy cutworm larvae

Both feed on corn, but dingy cutworms rarely cut leaves. Black cutworms have two prominent tubercles (dark bumps) of differing sizes on each body segment; dingy cutworms have two of the same size.

Long story short: Black cutworms may start cutting corn May 24 in the southern two-thirds of Iowa. Scout for corn as soon as it emerges, especially in late-planted, weedy or reduced tillage fields. Use the attached threshold calculator to determine the best treatment for your fields.

Source: Erin Hodgson and Jon Tollefson, ISU Department of Entomology

Webspec Admin

May 27, 2009

Agronomics, Insects
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Insects and Pests – Watch them perish right here.

OK, so maybe this isn’t as advanced as the biotechnology in our Latham seed brands. But if you’ve ever wanted to play the role of a bug trying to survive, you can do it right here. Click below to start your game of Bug on a Wire.

It’s not quite YieldGard, Agrisure or CystX, but this will give you something to do while waiting for the snow to melt and planting season to arrive.

Team Latham

March 9, 2009

Agronomics, Insects
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Matching Seed to Soil: How it all Works

Plant breeders with whom I work estimate that 75% of seed varieties fall short of their yield potential because they’re planted in the wrong soil. Despite today’s amazing seed technology, a hybrid planted in the wrong soil wastes a good portion of the seed’s value. So when we begin talking with a farmer about using our Seed2Soil consulting program, we make sure he or she knows there are no shortcuts.

First, we clearly explain our consulting program and ask if it fits within our customer’s decision-making process and timetable. Next, we review the customers crop management practices to identify the exact hybrid features providing the best chance for success. Then we identify soil types and how they might impact seed performance. We want to pinpoint the seed features that best match soil characteristics. After than we write a crop recommendation suggesting the specific seed variety for each field. Finally we meet with the farmer again for a pre-planting review, making sure nothing’s been overlooked.

Unfortunately, many farmers don’t have the time needed to invest in developing a plan to place products in each field relative to soil types and crop management practices. Admittedly, if they do make an effort, it’s often done at the last minute with little opportunity for analysis.

Unlike others, Latham’s Seed2Soil program is thorough, detailed and not quick. But in the words of author and artist William A. Foster, “Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction and skillful execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives.” My thoughts exactly!

John Latham, President

February 16, 2009

Agronomics, Precision Ag
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Complete The Earnings Equation

Do more with less. It’s the mantra of most businesses these days, including farming. Each week I visit with more and more farmers who are working hard to cut input costs and bolster earnings.

But cost is just half the equation. The other half is revenue. Since many farmers have already locked in input costs this year, the question becomes: how do I grow more bushels per acre to ratchet up revenue earnings?

One way to increase earnings is by taking advantage of Latham Hi‑Tech Hybrids Seed2Soil consulting program. Launched two years ago, the Seed2Soil program has successfully helped increase growers’ yields and revenues, acre by acre. Our seed experts sit down with farmers to understand factors affecting yield. And because factors can vary from field to field, they develop customized recommendations for each farm and field.

Our experience with individual farmers tells the story. Time spent matching seed traits with soil and input qualities makes a difference, sometimes as much as 20-30 bushels per acre. With high input costs such as yield variation is significant.

Farmers have to be good at finding cost savings; however, to effectively improve profit you must consider revenue. The beauty of modern crop farming is that input volumes don’t have to increase to boost yield. Therefore, any extra yield produced within a fixed cost structure goes right to the bottom line.

Let Latham Hi‑Tech Hybrids Seed2Soil help chart the plan to improve the revenue side of the earnings equation.

John Latham, President

January 19, 2009

Agronomics, Precision Ag
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

The Real Price of Ignoring Quality
Not only is Latham the best industry source for the latest technologies, our team exhaustively searches every avenue seeking the best genetics to go with these technologies. If a product has earned the right to be in a Latham bag, rest assured the seed is the “cream of the crop”.

Growers are still weighing the best options for spring. Facing high fertilizer prices and lower-than-expected commodity prices means some options, which may seem more appealing at the time, are actually poor choices in the long run. While it may be tempting to purchase seed purely on price alone, other factors should be taken into consideration. A issue of SeedWorld magazine provides a couple examples:
1. Buying an inexpensive, unproven corn seed could mean giving up 10 bushels in a crop at $3.50 per bushel. For illustration purposes, planting 32,000 corn seeds per acre at $87.50 per bag on 1,000 acres could result in a loss of $87,500.
2. The same scenario is true for soybeans. An 11 percent lower yielding soybean could mean a difference of up to 6.5 bushels less yield per acre. With soybeans near $9, that is a whopping $58.50 per acre each grower is giving up by not planting the highest yielding soybeans.
Someone once said that paying for quality means you only have to wince once. Fortunately with Latham, you don’t have to wince at all. The technology and performance record behind your investment, coupled with our agronomic consulting expertise and our Farm Plan financing access, assures a confident, satisfying experience from start to finish.
John Latham, President

January 16, 2009

Agronomics, Corn, Crop, Industry News, Season, Seed Technology, Soybeans, Spring, Tech Tuesday, Winter
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Increase Seed Rates to Achieve Optimal Plant Population in Final Stands

Today’s biotech corn hybrids combine elite genetics with high-performing traits that better handle stress and actually thrive in high planting populations. University corn specialists across the Corn Belt recommend that growers increase seeding rates by 5% to 10% to achieve optimal plant population in final stands.

Recent surveys indicate that many growers have not increased seeding rates to accommodate these high tech hybrids. In fact, 9 out of 10 growers surveyed plant rootworm-resistant corn hybrids at the same rate as traditional non-rootworm corn.

It’s time to optimize seeding rates. On productive soils, with consistent performance records, final stands of more than 30,000 plants per acre may be necessary to maximize yield potential. In less productive soils, droughty areas, or if late planting is necessary, final stands should be in the mid-20,000 range.

It is important to understand the relationship between seeding rates and final stand. To achieve optimized plant populations, you may need to increase your seeding rate 15% to 20% above your targeted final stand plant population. The higher rates will make up for unavoidable losses due to seasonal situations and planting conditions.

One of your first steps should be increasing seeding rates for the biotech hybrids you plant next season. At Latham Hybrids, we are focusing on planting populations in several research plots throughout the area. For results on those trials, check with your local Latham Seed2Soil specialist.

Have you tried any increased seeding rates in your fields? Seen any university research trials on plant populations? What were the results? We’d love to hear your story! Share it with us in the comment box below.

John Latham, President

November 13, 2008

Agronomics, Corn, Crop
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Weak Stalks and Stalk Lodging

I am beginning to get reports that corn is lodging this year. What is particularly alarming is that stalk lodging is occurring in fields with hybrids that typically have very strong stalks. And, even more perplexing, when stalks are split open, they appear to look healthy however the pith is gone right above the node where the stalk lodged over. Many farmers are asking how this can happen.

Typically, weaker stalks result from smaller root systems. This leads to less nutrients going into the plant to satisfy the high demand for carbohydrates of the grain. If the roots bring in less nutrients than the demand of the grain then the grain will pull the carbohydrates it requires from the leaves and stalk. This creates hollowed out pockets above the nodes, which weaken the stalk, and predispose stalks to lodging whenever we get strong winds.

Below, I have put together some talking points that can be helpful in diagnosing weak stalks that may be found in your fields this harvest season.

The most effective management practice at this point in the season is to monitor fields and determine the level of weak stalks in the field. Randomly walk each field and test stalk strength of 50-100 plants by squeezing the stalk at the lower two internodes. If the stalk collapses between the thumb and forefinger of 25 or more plants, weak stalks have advanced to problem levels. These fields are at high risk to wind damage and should be harvested first to decrease lost yield from unharvestable ears.

#1 Wet Spring (late planting, small roots, side-wall compaction, N loss, and poor potassium uptake)
Corn plants have smaller than normal root systems this year. Later planting did not allow the plants time to generate roots that will reach water deep in the soil profile. In addition, when soils are wet, sidewall compaction at planting time can cause nutrient deficiencies later in the season, particularly nitrogen and potassium. We probably lost some applied nitrogen due to wet conditions early. In essence, the plant will do all it can to “pump” carbohydrates into the kernels, sometimes at the expense of the health and maintenance of other plant parts including the roots and lower stalk.

#2 Dry periods (drought) during grain fill
Fields subjected to several weeks without rain will stress the plant and cause the plant to move nutients from the stalk into the ear to fill the grain. This weakens the plant to the point that lodging can occur. Additionally, pathogens can invade and infect the plant causing premature plant death, dropped ears, lightweight grain and encourage the development of stalk rot.

#3 Cooler temperatures and cloudy conditions during grain fill
Cooler temperatures and cloudy days during grain fill can reduce sunlight to the leaf area that provides carbohydrates to the developing kernels. As a result, the corn plant draws reserves from the stalk tissue. The mobilization of nutrients our of the stalk creates hollowed out pockets which weaken stalks and can predispose the plant to stalk rot diseases.

John Latham, President

October 6, 2008

Agronomics, Corn, Crop, Disease
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Premature Plant Death May Prompt New Harvest Strategy

Harvest is drawing near, and I’m optimistic that we will see some great yields. I can’t help but think that we’ll also see more stalk rot and premature plant death due to wet planting conditions, severe storms throughout the growing season, and low rainfall periods in July.

We expect corn plants to begin maturing this time of year, but you may notice that some areas of fields are maturing more quickly. Other areas may even die early. When corn plants don’t live for the full season, they don’t achieve maximum potential yields. Even though the kernels on “prematurely dead plants” display a black layer, the lack of kernel size indicates they reached this stage too soon.

Why do plants and areas of the fields die prematurely this year? While every field is a little different, there is almost always more than one factor involved. Reasons for premature death that I have witnessed this year include: moisture stress, nitrogen loss, anthracnose top-dieback, stalk rot, and wind/hail damage.

Moisture Stress. Generally, corn root development was not good this year because of early season wetness over an extended period. During grain fill, a plant needs a lot of water. Shallow, poorly developed and partially decayed root systems can’t provide enough moisture to keep the plant going especially during hot summer days. This scenario is particularly noticeable in places where there was standing water earlier in the season.

Nitrogen loss. Some plants are showing significant signs of nitrogen deficiency before they die. Wet conditions early in the season have resulted in the loss of nitrogen in many fields or parts of fields, and plants prematurely die because of a severe nitrogen deficiency.

Anthracnose top-dieback. This phase of the anthracnose disease is less common than the typical stalk rot that occurs at the stalk base. With top-dieback, the plant dies from the top down. The upper leaves turn yellow or reddish purple, then dry out. The fungus usually infects through the whorl earlier in the season and remains dormant in the stalks until late in the season. Late-season stress triggers the development of disease symptoms.

Sighting of a yellowed, or purple flag leaf on the corn plant is a key symptom of anthracnose top-dieback. (above). Another key sign will appear during wet conditions. A pink substance will be observed on the stalk (below). Photos courtesy of Iowa State University.

Stalk rot. Some plants might die because the base of their stalk is rotted by Gibberella or Fusarium. The onset of these stalk rots is also stress related. When the stalk base is rotted, the whole plant wilts and dies rather suddenly. To see the symptoms, you may need to split the stalk all the way up the base, from below the soil line.

Wind/hail damage. Plants that were damaged by wind and hail earlier in the season are vulnerable to a number of problems that may show up now. Because of the physical damage to leaves, stalks, and roots, these plants are especially likely to suffer from stalk rot or a moisture-stress-related death.

To summarize, all of the stresses have likely contributed to the overall rapid shutdown of photosynthetic leaf area. Given the importance of live, viable leaves and their contribution to the grain filling process, the rapid leaf senescence evident in corn fields this year will likely shave some bushels off the upper limit of yield. Plants suffering from such stress struggle to complete grain fill before they die. As plants stuggle, they often resort to cannibalizing the carbohydrates and nutrients from the leaves and stalks in order to fill the grain. This leads to root and stalk rots.

Obviously there is nothing that can be done now to prevent premature death. However, growers should walk these fields during the next few weeks, monitor the stalk health, and adjust harvest strategies accordingly to manage fields where stalk lodging may be a big problem.

John Latham, President

September 14, 2008

Agronomics, Corn, Crop, Disease, General

Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Aphids have arrived!

Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Update on soybean rust

Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Black Cutworm Alert – Scout Your Fields

Black cutworm to start cutting May 24: scouting is advised

Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Insects and Pests – Watch them perish right here.

Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Matching Seed to Soil: How it all Works

Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Complete The Earnings Equation

Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

The Real Price of Ignoring Quality

Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Increase Seed Rates to Achieve Optimal Plant Population in Final Stands

Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Weak Stalks and Stalk Lodging

Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Premature Plant Death May Prompt New Harvest Strategy