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Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

How to Choose Corn Hybrids
Hybrid selection is a critical component to maximizing yields. Each year new trait options and different stacked products become available, making it more challenging to determine which hybrid is the right hybrid for each of your fields.

To make it easier, we’ve assembled a list of three key things to keep in mind as you choose hybrids for 2011 planting:
1. Mix up the maturity in your seed selection, which allows you to hedge against the effects of mid-summer heat during pollination and to capture genetic gain due to increased maturity.
2. Look at your seed portfolio the same way you look at your financial portfolio: shoot for balance. For instance, you wouldn’t want to place every penny you have in overseas stock accounts. You also don’t want to put all of your bets on one particular hybrid only because it’s known for high yields or on another hybrid because it’s known for root and stalk strength. Planting both defensive and offensive hybrids helps manage your risk and increase your overall yield potential.
3. It’s smart to have a portfolio that is diverse in genetic sourcing, so you can balance performance and help manage risk.
Overall, the best way to manage your risk is by planting more than one hybrid on your farm and by selecting more than one trait package to maximize overall yield.

It’s important to note that yield comes from genetics and traits help protect the plant against the presence of stress or pests. Without that pressure, however, non-traited varieties can also perform well. While traits are extremely important and heavily recommended, we consider it our responsibility to make the best recommendation for your soil and your business.

At Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds, we take pride in working with our customers to help them choose hybrids that will help maximize yields and increase profitability. If you have questions about what trait might be best for your soil, please contact us with a comment in the field below, send an email to service@lathamhybrids.com, or call
1-877-GO-LATHAM (1-877-465-2842).
Webspec Admin

November 17, 2010

Corn, Crop, General
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Prices Head North, Soybean Production Moves South

As farmers across the Midwest finalize their 2011 seed purchases, the decision of whether to plant more corn or soybeans is weighing heavily on their minds. It’s going to be an interesting acreage battle as U.S. farmers get ready to plant, according to an article posted today by Wallaces Farmer.

Chad Hart, grain marketing economist for Iowa State University stated in the article, “The 2010 crop is the third largest corn harvest in U.S. history. It’s the largest soybean crop the U.S. has ever had. However, demand has built up so much on these crops that it’s putting real pressure on prices to move upward.”

Market prices for soybeans are predicted to be $13 or higher and corn is predicted to be $6 as the new calendar year approaches. As grain prices go up, input costs tend to follow. Fertilizer prices have already started rising with demand for Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium (N,P and K) strong. Weather conditions allowed a lot of anhydrous ammonia to be applied across the Corn Belt this fall, indicating a lot of acres will be planted to corn next spring. With so many corn acres locked in for 2011, Hart says that some of the increase in soybean production will come from double-cropping in the southern areas of the Corn Belt and in southern states.

To read this article in its entirety, click here.

Regardless of whether farmers choose to plant hybrid seed corn or high-tech soybeans, Latham® has a full lineup of top-quality products. We take pride in working with our farmer-customers to help them choose the corn and soybean products that will help position them for increased profitability in 2011.

Team Latham

November 16, 2010

Agriculture, General, Industry News
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

ISU Publishes 2010 List of SCN-Resistant Soybeans

The #1 profit-reducing pest for U.S. soybean farmers is soybean cyst nematode (SCN). In years with adequate to excess rainfall, the short-term effect of SCN on soybean yields may only be a loss in a few bushels per acre. In hot, dry years, yield loss can be 50% or more.

At Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds, we know that SCN resistance is a primary concern for our customers. We’ve dedicated a lot of time, effort and resources toward developing SCN-resistant varieties. We have one of the industry’s largest lineups of cyst-resistant soybean brands. In fact, Latham Seeds was one of the first companies to breed its own lines of CystX.

SCN was first discovered in Iowa in the heart of Latham’s marketing territory in a field in Winnebago County in 1978. The surrounding counties (Kossuth, Humboldt, Webster, Wright, Hancock) have shown to be “hot spots” for SCN development over the years. Typically, the fields in these counties have soils that are classified as Clarion-Nicolet Webster. The cause is still unknown. However, the theory over the years is that because these soils are also prone to Iron Deficiency Chlorosis, they’re more susceptible to SCN.

Due to the microscopic size of soybean cyst nematodes, they’e easily spread. SCN has now been found in every county in Iowa and Illinois, the southern half of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan, the eastern half of Nebraska, southeastern part of South Dakota, western half of Ohio, northern half of Missouri and parts of most of the soybean-producing states throughout the South. It’s spread by wind and water erosion, farm equipment and all types of animals.

There have been a number of instances where fields in Nebraska, Iowa and Minnesota have been infected with SCN because of the migrating waterfowl. These birds start up north before winter from SCN-infested fields and bring mud on their feet and feathers. That small amount of mud can be loaded with SCN eggs and those eggs can then be deposited in fields as the birds continue their migration south.

As SCN populations have increased, so have the number of cyst-resistant soybean brands. Contact your Latham representative for Latham’s complete lineup of SCN-resistant soybean varieties. To help Iowa soybean growers know their options for SCN resistance, ISU Extension annually publishes a list of SCN-resistant soybean varieties in maturity groups, 0,1,2, and 3. Click here for the 2010 version.

(Source: Wallaces Farmer and Mark Grundmeier, Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds Product Manager)

Team Latham

November 15, 2010

Agronomics, Crop, General, Industry News, Insects, Seed Technology, Soybeans
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Gobble Up!
Did you know when you enjoy a turkey sandwich from SUBWAY® or Jimmy John’s®, it’s more than 80 percent likely the turkey in your sandwich came from Iowa? The Iowa turkey industry is incredibly important to our state, adding significant economic activity and creating employment in rural Iowa (www.iowaturkey.org).

As we work to honor farmers in our Friday family recipe posts, I couldn’t think of anyone more fitting to feature this month than the turkey producers who help feed our families and put a delicious turkey on the table at Thanksgiving.

Turkey is a fitting meal for just about any occasion and any day of the week. So now that the weather is getting a little cooler, I’m going to add Becke Dorenbush’s Southwestern Turkey Soup to my list of “go to” meals. My mouth was watering just looking over the ingredients, so I can’t wait to give it a try. Even better, it’s low in calories and fat (something I wish I could say for all of my favorite winter recipes). Becke also recommends this soup as a great dish to accompany football festivities, so perhaps this year I can serve it on Soup-er Bowl Sunday. (Hope you’ll forgive my bad pun here, but I couldn’t resist!)

I’m also looking forward to making Rich Hogrefe’s recipe, “Shoot the Turkey.” This recipe is named so because you inject the marinade to “shoot the turkey” with great flavor. With butter and garlic, it can’t help but be good!

Be sure to stay tuned for next Friday’s post when we feature more recipes from proud Iowa turkey farmers. A special thank you to the Iowa Turkey Federation for providing the following recipes submitted by their members. Bon appétit!

Southwestern Turkey Soup

Recipe from: Becke Dorenbush, Jewell, Iowa

Becke & Mark Dorenbush

Makes 10 servings.

Ingredients
- 6 cups turkey OR chicken broth
- 1 (14 ½ ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 (14 ½ ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 3 cups cubed cooked turkey
- 1 large onion chopped
- 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
- 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano leaves
- 2 to 3 cups frozen whole kernel corn
Directions

1. Wash hands.

2. In large Dutch oven combine all the ingredients except the frozen corn. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 1 hour.

3. Stir in frozen corn and return mixture to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes or until the corn is tender.

Serve with: coarsely crushed tortilla chips and Mexican shredded cheese over soup.

Some Fun Turkey Facts:
- Economic value per turkey is about $20.00. (Farm – processing)
- Yearly, all of Iowa’s turkeys will eat about 62,000 acres of corn and 69,000 acres of soybeans.
- A female turkey is called a hen and a male turkey is called a tom. Toms and hens are raised separately. Most Iowa turkey growers raise toms.
Team Latham

November 12, 2010

General, Poultry, Recipes
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

All a-Twitter over Combine Rides
Latham sales reps routinely spend time in the cabs of combines each fall, checking out yields and getting feedback directly from our farmer-customers. This year I said, “Why should sales reps have all the fun?” and climbed aboard a few combines myself!

My first CAT ride!

Thanks to all the customers who let me ride along. I felt like a kid on Christmas morning every time I climbed into a cab and saw the yield monitor climb, mainly because I knew that every extra bushel pulled was extra revenue for our customers – and that’s what we’re all about at Latham. But I’m not going to lie — seeing Latham hybrids out-yield our competitors by 20 bushels per acre or more didn’t hurt my feelings.

I was usually tweeting (sending out messages on Twitter) during my combine ride-alongs. Here’s just a sampling:
- Rode in the combine of another happy customer. His Latham corn went 10 bushels better than the competition, yielding 212 bu/A in c-on-c.
- I rode in the combine w/ a customer Fri. whose Latham RR2Y Soybeans averaged 77 bu/acre. That’s the kind of whole-field average we like 2 c!
- It’s 75 and beautiful and I’m on yet another farm visit for the day. I’m starting to feel a little bit guilty about calling this “work.”
- Driving to work today, I shared the road with farm equip., school buses and livestock trailers. I’ll take that over a traffic jam any day.
- It was the perfect day. Great customers and a lot of time in the combine. Okay and beating the competition by 20 bushels wasn’t bad either.
You can learn more about Twitter and sign up for a free account here. Follow us on Twitter at @LathamSeeds! If you already have a Twitter account, let us know your Twitter handle by commenting below and we’ll follow you!
Team Latham

November 11, 2010

Fall, General, Season
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Harvest is the Best Time of Year

Harvest is complete across Latham Country and what better way to wrap up the season than sharing the success of our customers? I always feel like harvest at Latham is a bit like Christmas: we eagerly wait results, but with the knowledge that no matter what the surprise will reveal, it’s going to be good.

Today I’m excited to introduce two new Latham radio commercials that highlight customers’ yield results from this season. I was surprised by how much fun I had stepping into the recording booth to create these commercials, but I wasn’t surprised at how much fun it was to read the success stories of our customers and hear the enthusiasm with which they shared their incredible yield results.

Take a minute to listen if you can and please let us know what you think!

Jencks’ Harvest Report

Kevin’s Harvest Report

We’d love to hear how Latham corn hybrids and soybean brands performed in your field. Feel free to comment below!

Team Latham

November 10, 2010

Fall, General, Season
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Festive Foods Make Entertaining Simply Delicious

Now that temperatures are cooler and we’ve turned the calendar pages to the festive month of November, I can’t help but think about warm, comfort foods and holiday entertaining.

As a working mom, I look for every opportunity to save time. That’s why I love crock pots and make-ahead salads! Since I’d be remiss not to “talk turkey” this month, below is one of my favorite turkey recipes to feed hungry groups with ease. I’m also including an easy-to-make cranberry jell-o salad recipe with Caramel Apple Cheesecake for dessert. Mash some real potatoes, open a can of green beans and call it good… Menu planning doesn’t get much easier than that!

Herbed Turkey Breast

Ingredients:
5 to 6 pound turkey breast, fresh or thawed
2 T. butter or margarine
1 T. soy sauce
1 T. fresh parsley, minced
¼ c. garden vegetable-flavored cream cheese
½ tsp. dry basil
½ tsp. rubbed sage
¼ tsp. ground black pepper
¼ tsp. garlic powder

Directions:
Place turkey in stoneware. Combine remaining ingredients and brush over turkey. Cover and cook on Low for 8 hours or High for 4 hours.

Cranberry Pineapple Salad

Ingredients:
2, small packages of cranberry (or raspberry) flavored gelatin
1 ¾ c. boiling water
1, 16-oz. can jellied cranberry sauce
1, 8-oz. can crushed pineapple, undrained
¾ c. orange juice
1 T. lemon juice
½ c. chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions:
Dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Then break up the cranberry sauce and stir it into the liquid gelatin. Add pineapple, orange juice and lemon juice. Chill until partially set. Stir in nuts. Pour into an 11x7x2 dish. Chill until firm; cut into squares. Serve on lettuce leave and top with a dollop of mayo.

NOTE: While this red salad looks pretty against a dark, green lettuce leaf, I rarely take the time to serve it this way. It just becomes so fancy! Perhaps I should try it this holiday season…

Team Latham

November 5, 2010

Desserts, General, Poultry, Recipes
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

No-Till Soybean Management

There are several factors to consider when managing soybean production in no-till conditions: variety selection, insect management, disease management, fertility management and weed management.

“Choosing a variety is the single most important decision a soybean producer can make to maximize yield,” says Aaron Saeugling, Iowa State University Extension Field Agronomist. He also recommends that growers choose varieties that have the ability to excel in a given environment because no-till varieties requires more than just picking the highest yield variety in a seed plot.

As for fertility management, Saeugling says fall is the best time to build your farm’s fertility program. You need a quality soil sample for the basis of fertilizer. Click here to read Tuesday’s blog post for soil sampling guidelines.

For more tips on no-till soybean management read the complete article here.

Source: Iowa Soybean Association’s E-Gold Standard Newsletter.

Team Latham

November 4, 2010

Agronomics, General, Soil
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

2010 Harvest Wraps Up
And now for the Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds Wrap-Up Show…

It feels like I’ve been giving a play-by-play account of growing conditions across Latham Country for the past six months. We’ve covered everything from seed bed prep to SDS detection and fall harvest results. Most farmers across our six-state marketing area are finishing fieldwork and, now that temperatures have dropped, are applying anhydrous.(http://www.iowaagriculture.gov/press/cropAndWeather.asp)

The time is also right to focus one’s attention on next year’s seed needs. The following reports by Latham’s regional sales managers offer tips and insights on product performance in their areas. To view yield results in your area, visit www.lathamseeds.com.

Northwest Iowa

With harvest complete and most field work and fertilizer applications done, the only thing left is anhydrous ammonia application in Northwest Iowa. Applicators will be in full force this week as the weather continues to be favorable. Now it’s time to turn your attention to next year’s seed needs. Genuity® Roundup® Ready 2 Yield Soybeans jumped ahead of the pack, proving themselves as “the bean” to plant next year. There are many different corn hybrid options to fit your farming operation with equaled success. Latham® Hi‑Tech Hybrids with Genuity® VT3 TriplePro^TM provide an excellent package with late-season insect control. Latham hybrids with Agrisure® 3000GT have come on strong as well, offering Ignite® as an option for weed control. Visit www.lathamseeds.com to review yield data in your area.

Central Iowa

Bart Peterson says field work is nearly complete across North Central Iowa and anhydrous applications will be complete by the middle of next week. Field work is about 50% done in West Central Iowa and farmers are just starting to apply anhydrous there. Now is a great time to get your seed ordered for 2011. Many Latham® products will be in demand, so order now while quantities are strong. Below are Bart’s “top picks” for hybrid seed corn and soybeans in his territory.

North Central Iowa
- “Super Six Picks” on hybrid seed corn: Latham® LH5033 3000GT, LH5228 VT3, LH5376 VT3, LH5494 3000GT, LH5585 SS, and LH5877 VT3.
- “Super Six Picks” on soybeans: Latham® L2084R2, L2085R, L2182R2, L2285R, L2440R2, and L2658R.
West Central Iowa
- “Super Six Picks” on hybrid seed corn: Latham® LH5376 VT3, LH5896 VT3, LH5877 VT3Pro, LH6032 RR, LH6057 SS, and LH6167 VT3Pro.
- “Super Six Picks” on soybeans: Latham® L2440R2, L2560R, L2658R, L2767R2, L2875R, and L3157R.
South Central Iowa

Harvest is pretty much complete in the northern and central parts of Travis Slusher’s area with some corn left to be harvested in the southern part. The fall weather has provided many producers great conditions for fall tillage, along with a lot of tiling and terrace and waterway work being done. Much of the fall fertilizer has been applied. Farmers are beginning to apply NH3 as temperatures have dropped.

Central Iowa

Harvest, for the most part, is complete across Kevin Meyer’s area. Producers have taken advantage of one of the nicest falls in recent memory by catching up with some items that didn’t get done a year ago. Now is a good time to study crop notes and finish building a crop plan for 2011. Strong performance and a diverse line-up of Latham® products offer some great options for next year’s plan.

Wisconsin

A few soil samples are being pulled to see what nutrients will be needed for next year, and Wisconsin farmers are now applying fall fertilizer. They’re also cleaning up the equipment used during harvest, says Steve Bailie. Last week’s winds, reaching 50 miles per hour, caused problems for fields of corn that had not yet been harvested. Many growers who have corn remaining in their fields will have a few problems getting the corn fed into the heads of their combine.

South Dakota

Bill Eichacker says corn harvest in South Dakota should rap up this week. Many farmers are completing field tillage and fertilizer application is going strong.
Team Latham

November 3, 2010

Fall, General, Season
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Fall Weather is Perfect for Soil Sampling
Now that fall harvest is complete, it’s the perfect time to take a walk in your fields. A recent Wallaces Farmer reminds readers to collect soil samples (1) to determine whether soybean cyst nematodes (SCN) are present, and (2) to develop management strategies to control nematode numbers in those fields that are infested.

“The key to profitable long-term soybean production in SCN-infested fields is to prevent SCN from increasing,” says Greg Tylka, Extension nematologist at Iowa State University. Taking soil samples this fall can help save you money in the long run.

Soil Sampling Guidelines
- The more soil cores collected and the smaller the area sampled, the more accurate the results will be.
- Soil cores should be from the upper eight inches of soil.
- If corn or some other non-host crop was last grown in the field, it doesn’t matter if soil cores are collected in the previous crop’s row.
Click here for the full list of soil sampling guidelines and to read the complete article.

(Source: Wallaces Farmer)
Team Latham

November 2, 2010

Agronomics, Fall, General, Season, Soil

Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

How to Choose Corn Hybrids

Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Prices Head North, Soybean Production Moves South

Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

ISU Publishes 2010 List of SCN-Resistant Soybeans

Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Gobble Up!

Southwestern Turkey Soup

Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

All a-Twitter over Combine Rides

Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Harvest is the Best Time of Year

Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Festive Foods Make Entertaining Simply Delicious

Herbed Turkey Breast

Cranberry Pineapple Salad

Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

No-Till Soybean Management

Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

2010 Harvest Wraps Up

Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Fall Weather is Perfect for Soil Sampling