Get your motor runnin’
Head out on the highway
Lookin’ for adventure
And whatever comes our way…

Like the lyrics to Steppenwolf’s “Born to Be Wild,” more than 120 vehicles got their motors runnin’ on Saturday, Aug. 31, and headed out on U.S. Highway 71 from Okoboji, Iowa, for the inaugural Latham Freedom of Independence Ride.

We wanted to celebrate the independent American spirit, and what better way to do so than a road trip featuring motorcycles, cars and trucks?

The first of five groups left Arnold’s Park at 12:30 p.m. and merged onto Highway 9 for a 23-mile trip to Estherville. Just north of town, we made our first field stop where company president John Latham gave a brief recount of his family’s business, started 62-years ago by John’s grandfather, Willard Latham. Willard started it all in 1947 by custom cleaning oats for area farmers. During the 1960s, the business evolved into soybean production. CystX® soybean breeding for resistance to soybean cyst nematode (SCN) began in 1990, and Latham® soybeans with the Roundup Ready technology were introduced in 1996. The company added corn hybrids to its product offering in 2004 and further expanded its product offering in 2008 with hybrid alfalfa.

From a discussion of Latham history, we headed our to learn about the Latham of today and tomorrow. Leg 2 of the Freedom of Independence Ride was a 41-mile trek from Estherville to Whittemore where MaxYield Co-op presented a Latham® Showcase. It was a chance for riders to get up close and personal with many Latham products in the field. Mark Grundmeier, product manager, also talked about the exciting new additions to the 2010 Latham Hi‑Tech Soybean lineup: Genuity™ Roundup Ready 2 Yield™ with yields that are 7 to 11% better than the original Roundup Ready soybean technology, which had set the standard for more than a decade. Also at this stop, riders learned about Latham soybeans with the LibertyLink® technology, which is the only nonselective alternative to the Roundup Ready system. LibertyLink beans have no yield drag and are tolerant to the new Ignite® herbicide.

Having covered Latham past, present and future, it was time to put crop talk on hold for Leg 3 of the journey, which took us about 10 miles south to enjoy the serenity of the Grotto of Redemption in West Bend. It’s composed of nine separate grottos, each portraying a scene from the life of Christ. With the largest collection of precious stones and gems found anywhere in one location, the Grotto is truly a miracle in stone. Work on the Grotto began in 1912 and followed for 42 years.

Leg 4 involved a 43-mile route from West Bend to Lost Island Lake in Ruthven where riders heard a brief presentation from Jim Heckman, national sales manager. Heckman told the crowd that Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds offers a broader and deeper lineup of traits and technologies than any other company. Our 2010 lineup includes: corn hybrids with YieldGard VT Triple®, Genuity™ SmartStax™, Herculex® XTRA, Agrisure® 3000GT; and soybeans with Roundup® Ready, Genuity™ Roundup Ready 2 Yield™, CystX®, Vistive™ and LibertyLink®.

What’s the point of being at the lake without a fishing pole? When corn talk was done, everyone took their best shot at a casting contest. Anyone who could land their cast inside the floating target would win an LCD TV. Congratulations to Scott Heetland, who was the only one to hit the bull’s-eye with one try!

The final leg of the journey, a 26-mile stretch from Ruthven to Arnolds Park, brought us full circle. After an afternoon filled with adventure and cool, fresh air, we were ready for the hog roast. The pork loin, grilled by Scott Nasers of Bigelow, MN, was fork-tender, juicy and succulent. After the roast, Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds sponsored a live concert by The Magnificent Board of Directors who took the stage in Preservation Plaza at 7:30 p.m.

“We’re pleased that as an independent, family-owned company we can hold these types of events so our customers can experience the Latham brand difference,” said John Latham. “It was wonderful weather and a great day to be out in rural America. Thank you to everyone who came out and made the event a success.”

Latham^® is a registered trademark of Latham Hi‑Tech Hybrids, Inc.Ignite® and LibertyLink^® are registered trademarks of Bayer CropScience AG.
YieldGard VT Triple^®, Genuity^TM SmartStax^TM, Roundup^® Ready, Genuity^TM Roundup Ready 2 Yield™ and Vistive^® are trademarks of Monsanto Technology LLC.
Herculex^® is a registered trademark of Dow AgroSciences LLC.
Agrisure^® is a registered trademark of a Syngenta Group Company.

More than 100 dealers and customers tailgated in Ames on Thursday, Sept. 3, to celebrate the seasonal debut of the Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds Locker Room Show.  Thanks to all of you who attended our event, showing support to both Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds and the ISU Cyclones!

With clear skies, sunshine and temperatures in the low 70s at 4 p.m., our tailgate provided a great start to a perfect evening.

Kickoff was 7 p.m., and the Cyclones got off to a fast start by scoring their first touchdown within the first four minutes of the game.  When the game clock played out in Jack Trice Stadium, the ISU Cyclones were victorious over the North Dakota State Bison.   The 34-17 win began a new era of football under the leadership of Head Coach Paul Rhoads.

For complete game coverage, check out http://www.cyclones.com/ViewArticle.dbml?&ATCLID=204786816&DB_OEM_ID=10700.

Another season of Iowa State football means another season for the Latham Locker Room Show. The Latham Locker Room Show airs during every football broadcast on the state-wide Cyclone Radio Network. This segment airs following the play-by-play and includes exclusive “locker room” interviews with players and coaches.

A game schedule is posted at www.cyclones.com. You can listen on the following stations in the Cyclone Radio Network:

Albia KIIC – FM 96.7

Algona – KLGA-FM 92.7

Ames – KASI-AM 1430

Ames – KCCQ-FM 105.1

Atlantic – KSOM-FM 96.5

Boone – KWBG-AM 1590

Carroll – KCIM-AM 1380

Cedar Falls – KCNZ-AM 1650

Cedar Rapids – KGYM-AM 1600

Cherokee – KCHE-FM 92.1

Creston – KSIB-AM 1520

Davenport/ – KJOC-AM 1170

Quad Cities

Denison – KDSN-FM 107.1 (HD)

Des Moines – KDRB-FM 100.3 (HD)

Des Moines – KXNO-AM 1460

Fairfield – KMCD-AM 1570

Forest City/ – KIOW-FM 107.3

Mason City

Fort Dodge – KWMT-AM 540

Fort Madison – KBKB-AM 1360

Hampton – KLMJ-FM 104.9

Humboldt – KHBT-FM 97.7

Marshalltown – KXIA-FM 101.1

Mt. Pleasant – KILJ-AM 1130

New Hampton/ – KCZE-FM 95.1

Charles City

Perry – KDLS-AM 1310

Ottumwa – KLEE-AM 1480

Shenandoah – KMA-AM 960

Sioux City – KKYY-FM 101.3

Spencer – KICD-FM 107.7

Webster City – KQWC-FM 95.7

No trip to the Iowa State Fair is complete without a visit to the Agriculture Building and a look at the Butter Cow, featuring 600 pounds of low-moisture, pure cream Iowa butter. And right across from the Butter Cow, 2009 fairg goers will see Latham Hi‑Tech Hybrids corn plants on display in the Iowa Corn Growers exhibit featuring a flex-fuel vehicle.  Latham Hi‑Tech is proud to help promote Ethanol and processor-preferred hybrids.

Also to promote flex-fuel vehicles and ethanol-blended fuel up to E85, Iowa Corn is sponsoring the GameDay DriveAway. The grand prize is a victory red, 2009 Chevy Silverado fueled by Iowa’s corn growers and running on E85 or Super Unleaded. Plus, two lucky winners will receive ethanol for a year!

The Iowa Corn Fed GameDay DriveAway is part of a GameDay partnership that includes the Iowa and Iowa State football, basketball, and wrestling seasons. You can enter the drawing once each month from July 10 through Nov. 21 online at www.iacornfed.com, or you can sign up in person at Cyclone Fan Fest on Aug. 23, and the Iowa and Iowa State football game on Sept. 12.

Weekly winners will be given free game tickets and other prizes. The ethanol prizes will be given away at the Iowa and Iowa State women’s basketball game and the wrestling match up in December. Ten lucky winners will attend the Iowa and Iowa State men’s basketball  game on Dec. 11 to try their luck at opening the door of the GameDay DriveAway Chevy Silverado.

The ACRE program (Average Crop Revenue Election) is coming into focus now, and Aug. 14 is the election deadline for farms to declare their participation. Dan Looker of Successful Farming magazine, gives a brief video overview below of ACRE through MarketEye, a market news service on SF’s Agriculture.com. One Kansas State University educational webinar  he mentions has been held, however, an archive of the web program can be purchased beginning Aug. 7.  Just visit KSU’s ag management web site (www.agmanager.info) An updated financial analysis on the program will also be available on the site Aug. 12.

Also, more information from USDA is here.

Anyone watching this Kossuth County, Iowa parade may have spotted one of our newest Latham dealers pulling his rig through the parade.  Tom Price of Lakota, Iowa has joined the Latham team this year in place of John and Connie Pedersen of Ledyard, Iowa.  John and Connie are retiring after 25 years in the seed business selling Latham products.  Tom Price may be a new dealer, but he is no newbie to the agriculture industry.  Tom has a wealth of experience in agriculture and customers in the Kossuth County area can count on him to bring them the latest and greatest in seed technology.  Tom carries a custom hauling business alongside his seed dealership, so be on the lookout for “TAPRICE INC.” on the roads this fall bringing in the harvest.  Tom is excited to start his new business and continue serving customers in the same way the Pedersen’s have for years.  Here are a couple photos of Tom and his rig in the parade showcasing his dealership and the Freedom of Independence ride on August 29th.