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Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Tips for Spring Planting Alfalfa

When it’s “go time,” you want to make sure that you have the best alfalfa to fit your field and your end use. Not all alfalfa is created equally, so it pays to give special attention to quality and yield.

Perform a soil test, so you know the soil’s pH, potassium and phosphorous levels. Sulfur and boron levels also factor into forage quality and yield. Alfalfa thrives in well-drained soils with a pH between 6.2 and 7.5. Avoid seeding alfalfa into soils that contain residual herbicides from a previous crop. Seeding alfalfa into existing alfalfa fields is discouraged.

Alfalfa seeding varies widely depending on your location. Seeding in the Upper Midwest can be done from mid-April through May. Seeding in June in the northernmost regions is not uncommon. Seeding early into soils that are too cold may result in delayed emergence, which can cause seedling rot and reduced stands. Planting too late may result in dry topsoil, which can also lead to reduced stands.

Precision planting is not just for corn and soybeans. Alfalfa should be seeded about three-eighths to one-half inch below the soil surface. The ideal stand establishment is between 30 and 35 plants per square foot.

Typical seeding rates for alfalfa seeded without a cover crop are between 12 to 15 pounds per acre. Alfalfa seedlings are very cold tolerant but cannot survive prolonged exposure to freezing temperatures.

High-quality seed is the best step you can take to ensure stand establishment! Look to your local Latham® dealer for help from the start.

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steve-sick

April 13, 2023

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

Mitigate Weather Risks with Best Management Practices
Weather concerns are top of mind as farmers across Latham Country look ahead to spring 2023 planting. Customers frequently ask us how to mitigate risk from the 2022 wet planting season.

While we want to maximize the yield potential of early planting, 2022 data shows us that delayed planting can result in very good yields — and better yields than planting when conditions are unfit.

Consider these factors to successfully mitigate potential risks of delayed planting:
1. Minimize compaction during field preparation.
  - A uniform seed bed creates the best opportunity to plant your crop with precision.
  - Minimize passes in the spring while creating a uniform seed bed.
  - Be careful not to cause sidewall compaction of seed trench at planting.
2. Plant your corn crop with precision. We want all plants to emerge within 72 hours. This creates the best root system to maximize water use through the entire growing season.
  - Plant a consistent seed depth.
  - Check for consistent seed spacing.
  - Ensure great seed-to-soil contact.
  - Delay planting if cold temps or cold rain is forecasted within 72 hours after planting.
3. Promote a healthy root system with fertility. Good fertility programs maintain a healthy, strong root system to effectively use available water.
  - Starter fertilizer gets corn plants off to the best start possible.
  - Side-dress Nitrogen in a timely manner to nurse optimum plant health.
  - Maintain a good fertility balance, using soil testing as a guide.
We suggest staying with a hybrid selection plan that does not vary significantly from previous years. A couple management changes at planting time to get your crop off to a great start will result in more success than totally changing your hybrid selection.

Remember, most corn yield is created in July and August. Get your plants off to the best start, so they can take advantage of that part of the growing season. Don’t get discouraged if you encounter a bit of a delay. Stick to the hybrids in your original plan through the end of May.

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Webspec Admin

February 14, 2023

Agronomics, Corn, Crop, Emergence, General, Growth Stages, Precision Ag, Season, Soil, Soybeans, Spring
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Success with Biologicals Starts with Optimizing Your Soil Fertility

Precision Agronomy Advisor, Phil Long

One reason Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds opened its Premier Agronomy Center on the Latham family’s Iowa Century farm was to collect data using real-world practices and to research solutions for real-world problems. More farmers are interested in biologicals to reduce fertilizer and other input costs and/or to build soil health.

A biological product, or biofertilizer, contains living microorganisms that promote fertilizer efficiency or plant growth. Most of these products are naturally occurring in the environment but likely do not occur in high amounts in your field.

At Latham’s Premier Agronomy Center in 2022, we used Pivot Bio PROVEN® and Azotic Envita® on corn. Both nitrogen-producing bacteria products were trialed on a large scale and applied in-furrow with LH 5245 VT2 PRO RIB. PROVEN yielded 213.1 bushels per acre (bu/A), and Envita yielded 208.1 bu/A while the untreated LH 5245 yielded 206.2 bu/A. (Also please note that I applied about 40 lbs per acre less nitrogen on all the biological products, so I saved about $20 to $30 per acre when accounting for the product cost.) We have seen similar past results with PROVEN on our farm despite the dry conditions we have had. Envita also may be sprayed over the crop in-season — a process that our team will try in 2023.

Another biological/foliar product that I’ve used on my own farm for soybeans is BW Advance from BW Fusion. This product has foliar nutrients plus biologicals. When applied around soybean reproduction time, it can help reduce flower and pod abortion plus reduce moisture loss during drought stress. It takes about a 1.5 bu/A yield increase to pay for the product at current soybean prices. In 2022, I saw an average of 2.3 bu/A advantage. Keep in mind, 2022 was very dry and this particular field has some underlying fertility issues.

If you are going to try biologicals, you must take care of pH and other soil fertility deficiencies. The microbes in your soil, especially bacteria and fungi, thrive based on proper pH and physical soil environment. For example, if you have a pH of 5.0 or heavily compacted soils, you’re not going to see a boost in soil life until you correct those issues.

This year I used two foliar/soil-applied products, Midwest Bio-Tech’s Chandler Soil and TerraMax’s Ag Soft. The goal of these products is for compaction alleviation and residue management. I’m using these products on our cover crop and no-till plots. During the next few years, I will share results and show any soil structure changes. We also use seed-applied products, including Talc U.S.A.’s Microsurge inoculant and Encompass, as well as TerraMax’s Vertex and Micro MX.

How will we know which products may benefit our farm the most? Our plan is to try them! I will share soil health tests and how they can aid us in continuing to decipher the complex world of biologicals.

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Phil Long

February 2, 2023

Agronomics, Corn, Crop, Fertility, From the Field, General, Growth Stages, Precision Ag, Soil
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Latham’s Premier Agronomy Center Opens for Tours

Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds’ Premier Agronomy Center at our company headquarters in North Iowa provides us with opportunities to collect data on real-world challenges. It also provides us with an opportunity to talk about the exciting new Latham® products, as well as management practices, that help you raise more bushels. This year we have 18 different plots (10 corn and 8 soybean) to demonstrate different techniques.

Interested in seeing Latham’s Premier Agronomy Center? Plan a visit! Latham Dealers are encouraged to make arrangements with their regional sales manager (RSM), so they can bring their customers throughout the growing season. We will be open for public tours on Thursday, Sept. 8, at 4 p.m.

Here’s what you can see inside Latham’s Premier Agronomy Center… As you drive west on 180th Street in Alexander, Iowa, you will see our Latham Showcase plots featuring our top corn and soybean products. Next to that are corn and soybean seed treatment demonstration plots. I also planted my hybrid stress research up front. Twenty different Latham hybrids were planted from 22,000 to 36,000 plants per acre, so we can pinpoint when each hybrid flexes and how we can better manage them in-season.

The second tier of plots contains high-yield plots (corn/beans) where we “throw the kitchen sink at it,” so to speak, to try to add some extra bushels. Our soybean Iron Deficiency Chlorosis (IDC) plot uses tactics like in-furrow chelated iron products with increasing population to overcome the challenges IDC can bring. We have a silage demonstration plot with a planting date demonstration. You’ll also see a sneak peak of Latham’s corn breeding program alongside some great observation plots featuring planting depth.

The third tier of plots are “long-term plots” that include cover crops, no-till and continuous corn. These practices come with many challenges, so we have several different products/treatments including in-furrow fertilizer, biologicals, in-furrow fungicide, and biological products for providing nitrogen to corn. We also have included herbicide demonstrations, showing how cover crops can increase water infiltration during pounding rains, as well as also reduce herbicide costs and improve weed control in soybeans.

All growing season long we’re providing opportunities to learn from our demonstrations in the Premier Agronomy Center. Follow @LathamSeeds on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. We share our weekly “Ask the Agronomist” videos, as well as season-specific information.

Phil Long

July 27, 2022

#FromTheField Crop Reports, Agronomics, Corn, Crop, Fertility, From the Field, Fungicide, General, Growth Stages, Insects, Precision Ag, Season, Seed Treatment, Soil, Soybeans, Summer, Weed Control
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Exploring new dishes before returning to family favorites

Many cooks enjoy exploring new recipes and styles of cooking, but they usually come back to familiar favorites. The pattern also holds for farm kids. Many like to explore new parts of the country and ways of life but eventually come back to the farm that has been in their families for generations.

Brothers Ross and Levi Brown of Dell Rapids, South Dakota, didn’t plan to take over the family farm from their parents, Kevin and Renee.

Ross graduated from Dell Rapids High School in 2005 and then went to basic training and Air Force technical training. In 2006, he started taking classes at South Dakota State University (SDSU) in Brookings where he majored in Aviation Management. He was deployed three times, ranging from two to four months each time.

After graduating from high school in 2008, Levi had intended to become an engineer. He enrolled in the School of Mines, but it only took him one semester to realize that that college wasn’t the best fit for him. The following semester he transferred to SDSU where he earned a bachelor’s degree by double-majoring in Agricultural Business and Finance with a minor in Economics. Due to Ross’s deployments, he and Levi graduated from SDSU on the same day.

Levi and Olivia Brown and Family

Levi met his future wife, Olivia, in Brookings. Olivia earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from SDSU and graduated in August 2019 with a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP). She currently practices at Avera Health. After working for a few years for a farmer in Mitchell, Levi and Olivia moved to a farmstead three miles northwest of the home place where they established their home. They are the proud parents of 5-year-old Cora and 10-month-old Griffin.

Ross returned to the family farm in 2012 after working a couple of years at Raven Industries. He spent a great deal of time traveling for his job and realized how much time he would be sacrificing away from family if he continued in aviation.

Ross and his wife, Jen, are the proud parents of nine-year-old Elsa, seven-year-old Joe, five-year-old Arlo, and 1-year-old Rollie. Jen teaches first grade in Sioux Falls and is dedicated to making a difference in her students’ lives. Ross continues to serve in the Air National Guard. His 20th year of service will be 2025. Ross and Jen and their family live across the section to the north from the home place.

Ross and Jen Brown and Family

“Ross and Levi have really embraced technology, and that’s helped the bottom line of the farm,” says Kevin. “Technology adds another level of management, so I’m turning the reins over to them. They order our seed, chemicals and fertilizer because they know the prescriptions for each farm.”

The Browns farm separately, yet together. They also have a Latham Seed’s dealership. In addition to raising crops, Kevin and Levi each finish feeder cattle. Ross also finishes feeder cattle and calves about 120 cows each spring.

Today the Browns are sharing a family favorite recipe that promotes the beef they raise.

Shannon Latham

April 21, 2022

Beef, Food & Family, General, Precision Ag, Recipes
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Try Something New!
Precision Agronomy Advisor, Phil Long

A common theme you will hear when listening to national corn/soybean contest winners is they always use a few acres to try something new. Latham’s Forage Products Manager, Corey Catt, has written numerous articles, encouraging growers to use a few acres to experiment on their own farms with products, seeding rates and management practices.

While third-party research plays an important role in helping us choose seed products, it’s also important to conduct your own on-farm research. Here are a few ideas to try this growing season. If you have acres that struggle with Sudden Death Syndrome, try treating a few soybean units with Latham® SoyShield^TM Plus with Saltro and run a side-by-side comparison. Another idea is to apply sulfur to soybeans and measure your results. Experiment on a few corn acres with Xyway® 3D in-furrow fungicide or try a phosphorus-enhancer, such as Encompass from TALC USA.

You could create quite a list of new products, different tillage/planting practices, in furrow fertilizers, or in-season practices that you could try to break your farm’s yield plateau. Here are some tips to make the most of your on-farm research efforts:
1. Use a decent farm, or part of a decent farm, to do your research. Use a farm that has soil types and drainage/topography characteristics that represent a lot of your acres. Don’t pick the less desirable ground in terms of fertility. If pH, phosphorus (P), and potassium (K), levels are wacky, you won’t learn much when trying a new in-furrow treatment, biological or fungicide. Basic needs must be taken care of before you can add more yield.
2. Keep it short and simple (K.I.S.S.). Weather and soil types cause enough variation in any research that you don’t need to add complexity. Try one thing at time, so you’re not adding multiple factors into the equation. For example, run a planter pass with Xyway mixed in your starter fertilizer and then shut it off the next pass. Do these two “treatments” at least three more times across your field to reduce the influence of soil types on your results.
3. Garbage in, garbage out. Make sure your monitors/globes/planting equipment have the latest update, so you can capture the data when it’s go time. Layout your research, so your combine can capture it. This is very important! For example, if you harvest with an 8-row head, change “treatments” on 20-foot increments.
Mapping what you do this spring will allow you to analyze it next fall. You will want to look at how that new product did in your heavy soils, lighter soils and whether it is worth expanding on more acres next year. Every year is different, so keep weather in mind as it is usually the #1 influencing factor. Start small to find out what works best on your farm. I am happy to help you figure out what new thing to try on a few acres. Give me a call and we can chat more about it at: 641-692-0370.
Phil Long

April 21, 2022

Agronomics, Alfalfa, Corn, Corn Silage, Cover Crops, Crop, Disease, Emergence, Fertility, Fungicide, General, Precision Ag, Season, Seed Treatment, Soil, Soybeans, Spring
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).
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
Phil Long

March 9, 2022

Agronomics, Corn, Crop, Emergence, General, Growth Stages, Precision Ag, Season, Soil, Soybeans, Spring
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Start the Season Right by Planting the Right Genetics
With the 2022 planting season right around the corner, it’s time to focus on the one thing that will help you capture the most ROI in each field.

Field-by-field product placement is key to maximizing yield – and in turn – profit. Research shows plant genetics account for a 20% difference in yield. This means you could raise 12 more bushels of soybeans and 40 more bushels of corn PER ACRE simply by paying closer attention to your crop placement.

Below are three factors to consider when double-checking your crop placement for 2022:
- Study Field x Field® Ratings. Look at the Field x Field Ratings in the Latham® Product Guide for corn and soybeans. These charts simplify where you should place hybrids and varieties. A “1” rating means it’s a great fit for a particular environment; a “3” rating means you should not plant that product if your field conditions match that description. Your Latham Dealer has seen most of our products in environments, so call him or her if you have additional questions about where to place a particular product.
- Stick to the plan. If your seed dealer has provided you with a Field x Field plan, organize your seed shed so you can stick to the plan. Subscribers to Latham Seeds’ Data Forward® program receive a crop plan book, which you can keep in your planter tractor. It’s a good practice to double check that the right seed gets in the planter. If planting conditions change in a particular field, then take the time to move products. It will be worth an hour of your time to capture the extra $150 to 200 per acre in profit potential.
- Match Genetics to Management. If a certain corn product is described as “likes high management,” then you should not place that product in a field with poor fertility levels. Your seed dealer may not know your fields’ fertility levels unless you share it. That information is critical for accurate product placement as some genetics can handle tough fertility situations and others will fall apart in those environments. Also make sure you aren’t overplanting or underplanting each hybrid. Look at the “suggested populations” in our Product Guide, as well as the “Ear Type” rating and our stress wheel poster. We want to help you capture yield!
If you’re planting soybeans early or at the same time your planting corn, treat the seed with SoyShield® to protect it from early season fungal diseases. Seed treatment also gives seedings an early advantage. Even when using a quality seed treatment, plant fields with the heavy soils that remain wet and cold last or at least the soils have warmed. This will help your soybeans better ward off root diseases all season long.

A successful 2022 crop year begins with having a plan and sticking to it! Take the time now to double-check that you properly matched plant genetics with soil conditions. Our dealers are also happy to talk through field placement as well. If you have further questions or want to chat with our agronomists call: 1.877.GO.LATHAM (1.877.465.2842).
Phil Long

February 9, 2022

Agronomics, Alfalfa, Corn, Corn Silage, Cover Crops, Crop, Disease, Emergence, Fertility, General, Precision Ag, Seed Technology, Seed Treatment, Soil, Soybeans
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

3 Ways to Maximize Soil Tests
To save the most money on inputs, we must plan earlier and earlier every year. A current soil test is the best way to evaluate your fertility and ultimately your yield potential. Besides the normal evaluation of the main nutrients, a soil test pays for itself.

Let’s look at three ways to use your soil test to its full potential:
1. Soil pH matters in more ways than lime. We typically look at pH maps to understand nutrient availability, but let’s think in terms of input planning. Take soybeans and a pH map, for example. By looking at this one map you will better understand the areas of high pH, so you can select a Latham® IRONCLAD^TMvariety to stand up to challenges from Iron Deficiency Chlorosis (IDC). Another great use for this map is herbicide applications. Herbicide carryover in high pH spots can impact soybean yields. This map potentially can help make the decision to change a crop rotation or herbicide program to save yield losses.
2. Organic Matter is king. Do you have organic matter (OM) readings higher than 5% and below 2% in the same field? Couple this with yield and this is a great start to help apply nitrogen more accurately. Another great combination is OM beside soil type map. Look at Latham Seeds’ product guide while you’re looking at these maps to quickly determine what percent of each field would benefit more from defensive traits or offensive traits. Really high OM soils typically hold more water and have challenges like flooding and higher disease potential. Also notice how much higher your potassium (P) and phosphorus (K) levels are in these spots.
3. When phosphorus levels are high, other nutrients are lacking. Many farmers use animal manure as a source of fertilizer. This is great because it provides most of the essential nutrients our crops need, however, manure can have higher levels of some nutrients including phosphorus. If your soil potassium levels are climbing, move manure applications to another field. Also pay attention to other nutrients that suffer when potassium increase. If you notice your P levels are high, then Sulfur (S) and Zinc (Zn) could be at a disadvantage. Both S and Zn can be less available to the plant as P levels climb. This may not be visually noticeable at first, but it will show up in growth and yield if you do a side by side with S and Zn fertilizer.
These comparisons and maps can be done in Latham’s Data Forward^TM app with a simple soil sample taken and yield map to start seeing value out of the information that you capture every year. If you’d like to learn how to start putting these things to work on your farm give me a call!
Phil Long

November 4, 2021

Agronomics, Corn, Crop, Precision Ag, Soil, Soybeans
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Can You Cut Fertility Costs Without Cutting Yield?
You could lose more than you save if you cut costs in the wrong places.

Some farmers are thinking about cutting back on their fertility program for 2022 crops because fertilizer costs are increasing and pre-order prices aren’t guaranteed into next spring. I understand that price hikes cause uncertainty. As someone who also farms, I feel the same way. What I’ve learned is that fertility is the foundation to keeping a crop healthy all season. Top-performing hybrids need food to fuel their growth.

Below are three questions to ask yourself as you plan your 2022 fertility program:
1. Are you keeping potassium levels up? Potassium (K) is critical for handling drought stress and late-season stalk health. Depending on cation exchange capacity (CEC), you want to see K levels of 150 to 220 parts per million (ppm) on your soil test. North Dakota State University (NDSU) research reveals the type of clay soil (high vs. low shrink swell clay) is key to fertilization. High shrink swell clay soils must be kept at that 200-ppm threshold. When these soils dry out, they hold the K between clay layers much tighter. On soils with low shrink swell potential, the 150-ppm threshold will provide enough K throughout the season. Have you ever noticed how some soils are more forgiving after you accidently cut ruts when it’s a little wet? Note those soils because they hold K tighter, prohibiting your crop from using it.
1. Thinking about cutting back on nitrogen? Nitrogen is more closely tied to yield than any other nutrient. Corn takes up approximately 150 to 300 pounds of nitrogen (N) to reach its full yield potential, but this doesn’t have to all go down as commercial fertilizer. Nitrogen needs depend on several factors including crop rotation, manure application, green manure, and residue management. Consider applying nitrogen in the spring with a nitrification inhibitor on lower CEC soils or if it’s a wet spring. The best practice in the fall is to wait until soil temps are below 50 degrees before applying nitrogen.
1. How are you valuing manure? When comparing fields where manure was applied to fields that only get commercial fertilizer, you realize fertilizer is worth the additional hassle to apply. Microbes in the manure and the biology that feeds on it can build nutrient levels much faster in the soil as compared to commercial fertilizer. It’s important to have a representative manure analysis to know what you are applying.
Remember, every 100 pounds of nitrogen applied requires about 500 pounds of lime to offset the acidity created by the nitrogen conversion process. Make sure your pH is correct, so all the nutrients in your soil are available to your growing crop. Correct soil pH before you try to build your P, K or micronutrients.

Feel free to call me if you have any questions about how Data Forward can help you collect and store information that can lead to more profitable farm management decisions.
Phil Long

October 29, 2021

Agronomics, Corn, Crop, Fertility, General, Precision Ag, Soil