Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

More Tonnage on Less Acres… What’s Your Blueprint?

Striving for tonnage and quality has never been more important than now with high cost of inputs and high commodity prices. More tonnage on less acres could mean more #2 yellow at a good price. Additionally, maximizing quality means more protein, more starch, more digestibility and greater feed efficiency.

What’s your blueprint to success for 2022? Here are a few things to consider:

Hybrid Selection for Corn Silage: Review of Latham’s 2021 Wisconsin corn silage trials results = WOW. This summary reveals the incredible tonnage some of our hybrids showed in the trials, blowing past the competition. We have many winning dual-purpose hybrids highlighted in our product guide, as well as our silage specific leafy hybrids. Check out these top-performing Latham® hybrid product numbers: 4937, 5245, 5742, 5965, 6285, 6477. Access to tonnage starts with hybrids that have historically had evidence of strong, known performance. Using trusted genetics has never been more important.

Seed Placement: Latham Seeds’ product guide provides specific placement details to help you achieve the best performance. Key in on the plant population for soil type, especially with the leafy hybrids. Leafy hybrids are massive plants, so they require a lot of in-row room to grow. To maximize leafy tonnage and starch, ensure proper seed depth. It’s important to promote the development of a superior nodal root system to hold up the large plant, as well as to bring in essential water and nutrients.

Nutrients: With a high premium on nitrogen, use in-season tissue and soil testing to determine whether the plant needs supplemental nutrition. Additionally, think about booking fungicides early to make sure you have them. High input investment coupled with high value commodity means many farmers will protect the plant with fungicides, so book early to ensure you have access to them! It seems a lot of helpful inputs are short supply, and fungicides like Headline AMP® have shown to produce 2 to 3 more tons/acre average. This is a very valuable consideration. When corn is $6/bushel, corn silage is about $60/ton. Adding 2 or 3 tons is about $120-$160/acre. A healthy corn plant adds more quality, as well as helps mitigate the expensive risk of mold and mycotoxins.

Know and Maximize Manure and Alfalfa Credits: The adage “think outside the box” recommends that we think freely and openly, so that we’re not bound by old, nonfunctional, or limiting rules or practices. While I believe there is a time and a place for this type of thinking, today I’m suggesting that we think “inside the box.” We can leverage what we already have.

What do you have on hand that can help reduce your expenses and minimize financial exposure?

Because the 2022 crop cycle is likely to set a record for the highest input investment crop, many farmers are scrutinizing every input. They’re leveraging what is on hand or readily available, so manure has become a highly sought-after resource. Manure also is proving to be effective. These manure credit charts give an idea of some “inside the box” considerations of nitrogen sources.

Additionally, corn planted on rotated alfalfa crop can yield as much as 20% more, especially in combination with manure. Applying manure requires some extra work and planning, here’s an online calculator to help you decide what manure is worth to your farm. Remember the intangibles. Manure provides the soil with needed nutrients, plus it unfolds a world of the living microbes.

Every growing season starts with a custom tailored blueprint. Consider how powerful genetics and some “inside the box” thinking can help you create more tons from less acres this season!

March 16, 2022

Agronomics, Corn Silage, Crop, Fungicide, General, Seed Treatment, Soil, Tech Tuesday

Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Planter Upgrades with Quick ROI

Your planter is the most important piece of equipment because it has the largest impact from emergence to final yield. Making these three upgrades will provide a return on your investment (ROI).

Closing Wheels in No-Till or Limited-Till Conditions. Closing wheels on a planter ensure the furrow is closed and there is adequate seed-to-soil contact. In a dry spring, this can be the difference as to whether the seed can pull enough water to germinate. If there are air pockets around the seed, it either won’t germinate or it will rot trying. There are many different types of closing wheels and closing wheel systems. Look at your management style and determine if you need spiked wheels to help crumble the furrow wall in tough soil conditions or if you need more aggressive closing action. Then look at the closing wheel systems or one with a walking axle on it. If you conventionally till all your fields in the spring before planting, you likely don’t need this upgrade.
Floating Row Cleaners. Rigid or pin adjust row cleaners have been the standard for many years and can perform well in certain circumstances. However, their limitation is not being able to adjust for changing terrain. Any tillage situation that leaves some residue on top of the soil can benefit from a residue cleaner. Consider switching from fixed to floating if you have been noticing uneven emergence in spots of the field as you roll across different terrain. The row cleaner could be riding high and not clearing a path, resulting in hair pinning, uneven planting depth and residue in the furrow.
Downforce Adjustment. On-the-go downforce adjustments is not the easiest upgrade, but it will likely provide the best ROI in any tillage situation. This upgrade can keep your planter units riding smoother, so more uniform depth is achieved. Depth robs more yield than spacing. Having too little downforce means the unit could be riding up and not getting the seed placed where it should. If conditions are wet, you don’t need as much weight on the unit. Wet conditions or too much weight compact the furrow walls, causing root and early season growth issues. A study done by Agco in 2017 revealed on-the-go downforce adjustments had a 20 bushel per acre (Bu/A) advantage in situations when the down pressure was too light and 6 Bu/A advantage over too much down pressure.

Remember, your operation is not the same as your neighbors’. Be sure to align these planter upgrades with your specific soils and management practices, and they will provide a return for your operation.

Team Latham

March 9, 2022

Agronomics, Corn, Crop, Emergence, General, Growth Stages, Precision Ag, Season, Soil, Soybeans, Spring

Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

#AsktheAgronomist – Latham Adds Vayantis

Latham Seeds adds new Vayantis® to SoyShield® Plus! On this week’s #AsktheAgronomist, Phil Long, precision agronomy advisor, and Matt Moore, soybean product manager, discuss soybean treatments and how the addition of Vayantis is really exciting going into the 2022 planting season! Learn more about Vayantis fungicide.

March 8, 2022

#AskTheAgronomist, Agronomics, Corn, Crop, Disease, Fungicide, General, Industry News, Seed Technology, Seed Treatment, Soybeans

Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

#AsktheAgronomist – Dicamba Tips

Phil Long, precision agronomy advisor, dives into Dicamba and highlights ways it can be affective in your herbicide regime.

March 8, 2022

#AskTheAgronomist, Agronomics, Corn, Crop, Disease, Herbicide Technology, Soybeans, Weed Control

Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

#AsktheAgronomist – Dicamba Tips

Phil Long, precision agronomy advisor, dives into Dicamba and highlights ways it can be affective in your herbicide regime. Subscribe to our YouTube channel and stay up-to-date with agronomy news in the industry.

March 1, 2022

#AskTheAgronomist, Agronomics, General, Herbicide Technology, Soybeans, Weed Control

Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

#AsktheAgronomist- 2022 Soybean Considerations

Ask the agronomist soybean considerations

What are the top three challenges facing soybeans this year? Precision Agronomy Advisor, Phil Long, addresses planting, weeds and Soybean Cyst Nematode issues in Latham Country. Check out our #AsktheAgronomist series to learn more about industry news and agronomy.

Shannon Latham

February 24, 2022

#AskTheAgronomist, Agronomics, Crop, Emergence, Insects, Soybeans, Weed Control

Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

With Fertilizer Prices Rising, Nitrogen Credits are Golden

Fertilizer prices have put a lot of pressure on farmers to find creative ways to navigate the nutritional demands for the upcoming corn crop. Depending on the alfalfa stand health, farmers could capture 100 pounds of nitrogen per acre. That’s why many are considering an early rotation of alfalfa fields in 2022.

Farmers who raise alfalfa have an opportunity to capture nitrogen credits and to also capture more yield. Research shows a 20% increase in yields for the subsequent crop planted onto those acres. A mature alfalfa tap root can grow down 20 feet, creating a channel that allows the newly developing root to easily access critical moisture.

With commodity prices increasing, the goal should be to leave no yield in the field. Focusing on high-yielding alfalfa will vastly improve the productivity of all crops. It raises the yield ceiling of corn and soybeans in the traditional corn-soybean rotation upwards of 20% while improving the soil.

Alfalfa Seeding Establishment

Reviewing stand establishment details are important for the success of your alfalfa crop:

Soil pH. Soil pH is important to quickly establish the nitrogen-fixation bacteria. For best performance, try to maintain a soil pH of 6.8 to 7.2.
Seeding Rate. Although alfalfa is typically seeded at a rate of 16 to 20 pounds per acre, I encourage farmers to experiment on their farm. Simply double seed during one or two passes. More seed equals more plants. To run a successful trial, remember to apply a bit more fertilizer where plant populations are higher. You likely will be surprised with the life of stand. Latham Seeds has partnered with some innovative farmers to conduct replicated seeding rate trials on their farms, and results have been impressive! We have seen a multi-year yield advantage for higher seeding rates. During the first seeding year, our growers have seen an advantage of one-half dry matter (DM) ton and almost one full DM ton advantage in the second year. One ton of high-quality alfalfa is the Midwest is currently valued at $300.
Seed Bed/Seed Depth: A firm seed bed is critical to properly placing alfalfa seed at ¼ inch and no deeper than ½ inch.
Companion Crop: Use caution when seeding alfalfa with a companion crop. The key is to not plant companion crops so thick that they actually compete for the critical soil moisture the alfalfa seedling desperately needs. I like a lower to medium rate of oats, say 1 to 1.5 bushels, depending on soil type. Oats emerge quickly, which helps shield the delicate little alfalfa seedling from the intense spring sun. The oat roots also help hold soil in place during intense spring rains. In addition, oats tend to help reduce weed pressure.

Including high-yielding Latham brand alfalfa in your crop rotation is using a new interstate to increase soil biology and help meet nutrient demands of rotational crops. Research has shown that corn planted on rotated alfalfa can help unleash more of the genetic potential yield.

Want to chat more about adding alfalfa into your rotation? Reach out to your dealer or reach out to me, Corey Catt, forage product manager, at coreyc@lathamseeds.com.

February 24, 2022

Agronomics, Alfalfa, Crop, Fertility, From the Field, General, Tech Tuesday

Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

#AsktheAgronomist – Why are Chelated Fertilizers Important

On this week’s #AsktheAgronomist, Phil Long, precision agronomy advisor, unpacks chelated fertilizers and why they are important. Learn how they are absorbed and how it can benefit soils with high pH in Latham Country.

Team Latham

February 18, 2022

#AskTheAgronomist, Agronomics, Corn, General, Soybeans

Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

2021 Research Trials Show Seed Treatment Pays

Advertisements and magazine headlines tout the opportunity to enhance yields through plant protection and the use of biologicals or naturals, but does it pay to use these products? Our research once again confirms that seed treatments are an investment that provides a return.

Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds expanded its 2021 research trials to include seed treatments and biologicals. We wanted to determine whether the performance of the seed products we offer could be improved by seed protection and biologicals. Soybeans treated with Latham brand SoyShield® Plus had a 2.38-bushel yield advantage over untreated seed and a 1.2-bushel advantage over other leading fungicide and insecticide (F&I) seed treatments.

Latham Seeds’ signature SoyShield Plus seed treatment is effective in protecting seedlings from early plant diseases for approximately 30 days, which is a longer window of protection than most seed treatments offered. SoyShield Plus includes an exclusive fungicide combination that provides excellent protection against seed and soil borne diseases including: Pythium, Phytophthora, Fusarium and Rhizoctonia.

The addition of Saltro to SoyShield Plus increased protection against Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS) and soybean cyst nematodes. In fact, this treatment combination produced the highest yield in research trials across seven locations in multiple states. The SoyShield Plus / Saltro treatment had a 5.25-bushel yield advantage over untreated seed and provides Best-in-Class protection across environments. Soybean cyst nematodes are one of the largest yield-robbing pests and SDS is a growing concern for more areas, so it makes sense to order the Latham SoyShield+ / Saltro combination for 2022.

Inoculants with biologicals continue to show increased yields over inoculants alone. Latham SoyShield Plus with Talc USA’s MicroSurge had a 2.83-bushel per acre advantage over untreated seed and more than one bushel per acre advantage over other premium inoculants.

Corn trials conducted at six locations in multiple states also showed significant yield increases over the base seed treatments with various applications of seed applied or planter box treatments. Talc USA’s MicroSurge dry corn inoculant is easy to apply with talc. With two strains of Azospirillum, MicroSurge produced a 4.7-bushel yield advantage over the base seed treatment.

Encompass also was tested as a planter box treatment. It contains nitrogen-fixing microbials and helps mobilize phosphorous in the soils for easier nutrient uptake into the plant. Encompass showed an 8.5-bushel increase over base treatments in our 2021 trials. Now that’s a return on investment!

Contact your local Latham rep for more information about these and other products to protect your seeds and seedlings, so you can improve yields in your fields in 2022.

bonnie-harris

February 16, 2022

Agronomics, Corn, Disease, Emergence, General, Industry News, Seed Technology, Seed Treatment, Soybeans, Tech Tuesday

Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

#AsktheAgronomist – Can I Lower Soil pH?

Precision Agronomy Advisor, Phil Long, breaks down soil pH levels and highlights best practices to work with mother nature on managing them. Check out some new ideas as we head into the spring.

Shannon Latham

February 9, 2022

#AskTheAgronomist, Soil