It’s no secret that one of my great loves is travel.  Nothing gets my heartbeat pumping like an opportunity to see new things, experience new adventures and taste new foods.

Last week our family had the opportunity to do “all the above” when we traveled to Washington, D.C., for the 129^th annual summer convention of the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA).  We arrived at our hotel about 7 p.m. on Monday, June 18.  We grabbed a burger at the Cadillac Grill and called it an early night.

It’s a good thing we were well rested because “Day 1” was packed full of activities and fun memories!  We left our hotel by 6:30 a.m. for the White House, where we were scheduled for a 7:30 a.m. tour of the White House.  (Remember, this early hour felt like 5:30 a.m. since D.C. is in the Eastern Time Zone and we live in the Central Zone.)

Our kids greatly enjoyed the White House tour and were eager to see more of the city.  Our next stop was the Newseum, or the Museum of News.  This is probably my favorite museum of all time.  As a journalism major, I could’ve spent a couple more hours there.  (Well, maybe even the day!)  This museum was fun for the whole family because it was so interactive.  We got to try our hand at reporting the news live, complete with a teleprompter and microphone.  We saw pieces of the Berlin Wall, watched an emotionally griping movie about the journalists who covered 9/11, and peeked Inside Tim Russert’s office.  Our kids greatly enjoyed the 4-D Time Travel Experience.

Unfortunately, we didn’t have a chance to visit all Top 10 Things to See at the Newseum because we had scheduled a mid-afternoon tour of the U.S. Capitol.  Lucky for us, our Capitol Hill tour was filled with great suprises.  As we were walking through the halls of the Senate, The Honorable John McCain stepped through the chamber doors.  He took time to talk with us and even posed for a picture.  (This was a true “wow” experience for our 11-year-old son.)  After such an event-filled day, we spent a low-key evening in our hotel.

“Day 2” of our trip marked the first day of the ASTA convention, so John was tied up in business meetings and general sessions all day.  I opted to “take a vacation day” and joined our kids for an ASTA-sponsored spouse’s / children’s trip to the International Spy Museum and the Smithsonian.  I’m so glad that I went on this tour as the live-action spy adventure is a must-do for anyone who meets the age requirements.  Here’s how it’s described online:

Think of it as a live-action spy adventure. Only you’re the spy. This one-hour-adrenaline-fueled fest is no exhibit. It’s simple, really. You have to locate a missing nuclear trigger before it ends up in the wrong hands. No pressure. Just crack a few safes, decode some messages, and interrogate a suspect double agent.

Our adrenaline was pumping.  Our imaginations were running wild. And our creative juices were flowing.  It was a fun time for our entire ASTA group.  After we “captured the double agent,” we toured the museum where we learned about buttonhole cameras and lipstick pistols.  It was crazy stuff – just perfect to hold the attention of my two pre-teens.  That afternoon we toured the National Museum of Natural History.  My kids expected it to look like scenes from A Night at the Museum.  Although it didn’t really resemble the movie, they couldn’t have had a better time looking at all the unique animals.  They had fun with the computerized cameras, one which shows how you would’ve looked as a homo sapiens in prehistoric times.  (Personally, I found my prehistoric photo to be frightening! But, I greatly enjoyed getting a glimpse of the Hope diamond.)

“Day 3” included a water taxi ride to Mount Vernon, which includes a beautiful mansion overlooking the beautiful Potomac River.  This 50-acre estate, formerly the home of George and Martha Washington, also includes fruit and vegetable gardens, a pioneer farm site and even a distillery and gristmill.  Even though I have visited Mount Vernon at least three times previously, there is still more that I’d like to see on my next visit.  Someday I’d love to attend an Independence Day Celebration at Mount Vernon to watch as costumed staff make one of George Washington’s favorite desserts.

To celebrate the Fourth of July “Washington style” in the Midwest, click here for Martha Washington’s Great Cake recipe.  NOTE:  This recipe makes enough to feed an army.  Other recipes are featured in the book, Dining with the Washingtons.  Someday I think it would be fun to make some of these dishes and host my own 1776 dinner party.

Speaking of trying new foods…  I’d like to take a minute to share with you the sweet treat we enjoyed while visiting Georgetown area last Saturday night.  Have you heard of Georgetown Cupcakes?   You might know it better as TLC’s hit new show, DC Cupcakes.  As their site states:

DC Cupcakes is about Georgetown Cupcake, a cupcake shop in Washington, D.C., owned by a sister duo! They traded careers in fashion to pursue something a little different. They’re both lifelong bakers inspired by their grandmothers. They opened their shop on Valentine’s Day 2008, the first cupcakery in D.C.!

It pays to be first as these ladies literally have a corner on the market.  We waited in line for 45-minutes for a taste of these famous cupcakes, and we all thought it was worth the wait as soon as we took our first bite.  While I was surfing their site, I was drawn to the link, “Holiday Cupcake Ideas.”  Take a look at the “cool” idea I found under July 4^th Cupcakes.  SnoCones and cupcakes are always a hit with kids, so I can only imagine how much my kids will delight in SnoCone Cupcakes this Fourth of July.

Sorry, Martha Washington – You’re cake will just have to wait.  This Independence Day I’m baking up some SnoCone Cupcakes.  Click here to try a batch yourself.

Today I’m also including a recipe for Crab Cakes with Lemon Dill Sauce because “crab cakes” are synonymous with “D.C.” in my book.  I always eat crab cakes at least once whenever I’m in Washington, but I have yet to try making them at home.  Let me know if you make this recipe.  I’d appreciate any “cook’s tips” you’re willing to offer.

Last Friday, my 11-year-old granddaughter Carlie said she wanted to be my office manager for the day. She took over my chair and I had to find another seat! It wasn’t long before she took over my computer and began researching “corn.” I’m guessing Carlie overheard me talking about some negative remarks that others had made about corn on Facebook and decided to check it out for herself. I promise you that I did not prod Carlie to gather these facts or turn them into a blog post. It was her idea to research the facts on my computer and then write a report.

The Importance of Corn

Corn is the second most plentiful cereal grown for human consumption, and many cultures around the world have lived on this grain. Corn is a versatile crop, and everything on a corn plant is useable. No part of the corn is wasted. The husk of the corn is traditionally used in making tamales. The kernels are ground into food. The stalks become animal food and the corn silks are used for medicinal teas.

Food products made from corn include corn oil, corn meal, corn syrup and even bourbon. The most important refined corn products are corn sweeteners, which last year accounted for more than 56% of the national nutritive sweeteners market. One cup of raw white corn has about 130 calories, 2 grams of fat, 5 grams of protein, 29 grams of carbohydrates and 4 grams of fiber with no cholesterol.

These “everyday things” are made with corn: protective sealing bands, gypsum dry wall, warmish, spark plugs, adhesives, toothpaste, aspirin, diapers, coated paper products and more. Scientists continue to find more uses for corn including fuel-efficient tires, food and beverage containers, carpet tiles and candy wrappers.

Corn Facts

• An ear of corn averages 800 kernels in 16 rows.
• A pound of corn consists of approximately 1,300 kernels.
• 100 bushels of corn products approximately 7,280,000 kernels.
• In the U.S., corn production measures more than 2 times any other crop.
• Each year, a single U.S. farmer provides food and fiber for 129 people – 97 in the U.S. and 32 overseas
• Over 55% of Iowa’s corn goes to foreign markets. The rest is used in other parts of the United States.

Admittedly, I’m one proud grandpa! Carlie did a great job showing how different our world would be without corn. Her actions confirm my desire to promote what farming is truly about, especially through fact-based educational programs like Ag in the Classroom. There are too many other groups with hidden agendas spouting the wrong information.

The living museum of corn planted at Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds’ headquarters is growing! Teosinte and Green & Golden Dent varieties required replanting on June 5 due to a lack of moisture and emergence issues. After a much needed 0.9” of an inch of rain in Alexander on June 15, the Genetic Garden is rejuvenated and well on its way!

Wild teosinte the oldest ancestor of corn originated from what is now Mexico and Central America. This corn has very small seeds that were hand planted because of their delicate size. The seeds are prism shaped with a flat bottom

that lays tight to the other seeds to make a cob. The color of the seed is dark brown and this is thought to help disguise them from predators that would eat the seeds. The wild teosinte accession planted in the genetic garden is growing very well; this plant is delicate and resembles more of a grass type plant.

Corey Catt, Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds Forage Products Manager, and I had the privilege of meeting Mark Millard, Geneticist/Maize Curator at the North Central Regional Plant Introduction Station(NCRPIS) in Ames, Iowa. We were given a tour of the facilities including the seed storage facilities. More than 20,000 accessions of zea maize are in cold storage where they can be kept viable for around 30 years. Accessions of maize are regenerated in order to keep supply available for researchers and educators across the world. Along with the collections of maize, varieties of ornamental plants, vegetables, oilseed crops, amaranth and other few other miscellaneous crops are stored at NCRPIS.

I am looking forward to seeing the continued growth of our Genetic Garden and learning more about each variety. In the coming weeks, we’ll begin researching and building a walking museum at the plot. Look for more updates on the Genetic Garden on TheFieldPosition.com. We’d also like to invite you to see it for yourself! Take a walk through our “living museum of corn” on Saturday, Aug. 25, during the Latham Country Fair.

“Though I do not believe that a plant will spring up where no seed has been,
I have great faith in a seed. Convince me that you have a seed there,
and I am prepared to expect wonders.”
– Henry David Thoreau

Most people don’t fully understand what it takes to put in a crop every year. Farmers like me, who invest several hundred thousand dollars each year, must have faith that the seed will grow into a crop.

There are more than 1,000 variables that affect a growing crop each season. I have been reminded of these variables – most of which are beyond my control – time and again! My crops suffered extreme hail damage during three of the first five years of the 1980s. That many years of crop loss certainly made a bad situation worse.

Weather can be a blessing or a curse, according to Dr. Fred Below, Professor of Plant Physiology at the University of Illinois. His research reveals the seven most important factors to achieve the highest possible corn yields. Weather ranks #1, accounting for 70 bushels or more per acre or 27% of total yield! (Now you might have a better understanding of why farmers talk almost obsessively about the weather.)

Rain can certainly make or break a crop. All seeds need water and warmth to germinate. Once the seedlings emerge from the soil, timely rains are needed for plant and crop development. Timely rains have been hard to come by this spring in North Central Iowa. A lack of rainfall caused crop conditions to decline for three straight weeks. Thankfully, we finally received some rain at the end of last week. These rains helped stabilize crop conditions, but we’re not out of the woods yet. Although topsoil moisture levels improved, 54% still remains short to very short. Subsoil moisture declined slightly over the past week with 61% short to very short. Bottom line: parts of Iowa are still suffering drought.

In addition to weather, another hot topic of conversation for farmers is the 2012 Farm Bill. Last Wednesday I was featured in an interview with NPR where I voiced my opinion that corn and soybean farmers still need federal crop insurance in case of natural disasters and revenue assurances to protect them from a market collapse. Farmers Split Over Subsidies As Senate Farm Bill Debate Begins. I shared a link to this NPR report on my Facebook page and ended up taking it down because it sparked such a heated online argument. Apparently, farmers aren’t the only ones interested in this debate! Guess this really isn’t too surprising given that 80% of the 2012 Farm Bill is non-farm related.

A Dad is…
respected because he gives his children leadership.
appreciated because he gives his children care.
valued because he gives his children time.
loved because he gives his children the one thing they treasure most – himself.
~ Author Unknown

The third Sunday of June is a time when Americans traditionally honor their fathers.  This father’s day – in honor of the 65^th anniversary of Latham Seeds – we’re paying tribute to the man who started it all.

Willard Latham is perhaps best known as a leader in the seed industry, but he was a farmer first and foremost.  Willard earned a bachelor’s degree in Dairy Husbandry from Iowa State, and then returned to Alexander where he joined his father in the dairy operation.

An insatiable appetite for learning and an uncanny ability to solve nearly any problem led Willard to found Latham Seeds in 1947.  At that time, the oat crop in North Central Iowa was affected by smut.   Willard retrofitted a piece of equipment that helped clean and preserve the local oats crop.  Cleaning oats soon evolved into producing seed for retail sales.  The seed business grew as Willard and his loving wife and devoted life partner, Evelyn, worked together.

Today Willard and Evelyn’s five sons share lessons they learned about life and business from their father.

Bill Latham:

“Dad thought it was a good idea for all of us to get some other experience before returning to the family business. We followed that advice and encouraged our children in the same way. He knew his association with Iowa State and relationships with organizations such as the Iowa Seed Association, and all the other groups he was active in, were important to keep up with new technologies and best practices. He provided us with a great learning environment and experiences.”

Bob Latham:

“I remember Dad and his identical twin brother, Wilbur, sitting around the table talking, giving and taking advice, enjoying one another’s company. They maintained a close relationship all their lives. It was a good example for us. To this day, I’m involved with my brothers –– we have good, healthy relationships from growing up and working together in the family business. Dad really understood the benefits of good relations in family and business. He taught us that lesson well.”

Jim Latham:

“My father really worked hard. This was during and after World War II. Frankly, a terrible era war-wise but a wonderful era character-wise. Dad belonged to a generation that together they could get things done. There was a belief that if you worked hard enough, paid attention to the rules, treated your neighbor right – treated everybody right – then you’re going to succeed, That’s what my father, and many people believed, and they made it a wonderful era.”

Don Latham:

“We really learned lessons of integrity from Dad. His friend, Harold Folkerts, had a seed business about 50 miles east of us. During spring season, they’d trade loads of oats, say Cherokee for Goodland, to meet customer orders for specific seed. They kept track of transactions but never talked price. It never was a factor. At the end of the season, Harold would come out and sit at the table with Dad and say that the oats he got in trade were better than the ones he traded. Dad would say it was the other way around. They’d literally argue the other fellow’s position every time. It was a philosophy that you never wanted to take advantage of someone else. You always wanted to be fair and honest. Those were lessons we always went with: integrity and doing the right thing pays dividends in the long run.”

Tom Latham:

“Dad taught us how very important it was to work hard and to be extremely honest – to be straightforward. If something wasn’t right, you fixed it. Your word is your bond, and that’s really what a family business is all about. Dad would take great pride that the company is still family-owned and carries on those traditions that were very important to both him and Mom.”

After posting a blog on June 5 about some of the conservation efforts that I’ve implemented on my farm, that afternoon I decided to start a Facebook conversation about sustainable agriculture.  I posted this comment in my Facebook status: “Sustainable…  Tell me what you think this should mean to my farm.”

Keep in mind that I have a variety of friends on Facebook, but the conversation started with mostly farmers and ranchers telling me “sustainable” meant to them.  Here’s one response from a friend of mine whose family operates a Discovery Farm in Arkansas:

I think sustainable doesn’t mean you can’t evolve. What my in-laws have done has sustained their farm for over 100 years. My family farm has been sustained for over 63 years. Our farming practices, which include a lot of new technology, should sustain our farms definitely for our children who farm with us now as well as their children and grandchildren. We work every day for sustenance. Without it, we have no tomorrow. The land is our livelihood. Why would we not want sustainable Ag? It’s just OUR definition!

Because I really wanted to hear from what I know can be a very vocal group of people not directly involved with farming, I specifically reached out to some of my urban friends.  One such response follows:

I think sustainable is a literal definition. What does the farmer have to do, not only to sustain the growing capacity of the piece of farmland, but to NOT adversely affect the water? If the land is pumping out crop after crop, but is also rendering the community’s water undrinkable, that is not sustainable. Something has to give. Also, the attitude that the “farmer should decide” everything that goes on his land, yet still receive federal dollars no matter what, is ridiculous. Like it or not, our society works with carrots and sticks. We reward good behavior and punish bad behavior. Farmers are not immune to that formula.

Did you notice the first thing my city friend hit me with was “to sustain the growing capacity of the piece of farmland, but to NOT adversely affect the water”?  I could not possibly agree with her more!  Most farmers know that they must take care of the land and water to keep farming.  They genuinely want to be good stewards of the land.  Many of them are interested in taking care of their land in order to pass it on to the next generation.

My urban friend also said that farmers should expect to give us some autonomy when making decisions if they receive Federal dollars.  Her comment reflects the viewpoint of many who believe crop insurance should be tied to conservation.  This topic is getting a lot of discussion, but I believe there are many reasons why crop insurance should not be tied to conservation.  First of all, what if something like a flood happens?  A natural disaster like this would knock the farmer out of compliance, and it’s possible he or she would also not have insurance coverage.  A double disaster!  I would rather see a stand-alone bill drafted to keep “bad players” in line.

The debate on whether to tie conservation to crop insurance continues, but it’s just one issue of contention.  About 80% of the  2012 Farm Bill is non-farm related.  Ironic, huh?  With such a complex document (980 pages already), the Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act of 2012 will undoubtedly be swamped with amendments.

All anyone can do is give his/her input to our elected officials.  Make your voice heard, and get involved in the bill-making process.  If you sit back and watch, you really have no right to complain about the outcome!

Musings of a Pig Farmer by Larry Sailer

The Conservation Title of the U.S. Farm Bill has “come under the microscope” as lawmakers look for ways to reduce federal government spending without sacrificing outcomes. Because many existing programs help prevent soil erosion and the excessive runoff of nutrients, special interest groups are interested in preserving these programs. Other groups question the necessity of certain programs like Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and are advocating reducing the CRP program in favor of Environmental Quality Incentive Programs (EQIP). Still others question the wisdom of paying farmers annually for farm management practices they have in place to protect the land and watersheds.

Unless they have a strong interest in agricultural or environmental issues, most Americans probably aren’t keeping up with the ensuing debate. Many Americans probably don’t even realize what these types of conservation programs entail or how they can affect farm management decisions.

Today I want to show you some of the conservation programs that I’ve implemented on my own farm:

• Wildlife habitat – Trees, shrubs and other plants provide shelter and food for wildlife. In my case, a drainage creek cut off the corn of my home farm. I used to farm this 5-acre parcel, but it was always difficult to manage all of the point rows. So, I decided to plant these five acres to trees and bushes for wildlife habitat.
• Buffer strips – I installed a buffer strip on the south side of my wildlife habitat, so that no soil can wash into the creek. Buffer strips, which are often planted to grasses, slow water runoff and trap sediment. They also provide food, nesting cover and shelter for many wildlife. species.
• Minimum tillage – Disturbing the soil as little as possible with tillage equipment helps reduce erosion. I like to leave ground cover (i.e. last year’s corn stalks or bean stubble). In the field I’ve pictured, natural fertilizer (pig manure) was injected into the soil last fall by a tank spread. Because of this fertilizer application, I lightly tilled the soil before planting this spring.

I have not received government money for any of these projects. Because I take my responsibility as a steward of the land seriously, I believed these actions were needed to help preserve water quality and to create natural habitat for deer and pheasants. I believe most farmers share this same mind-set: saving our resources is just the right thing to do.

Click Here to Register for the 4th Annual Freedom Ride. Sign up before August 1 and receive a complimentary do-rag or commemorative t-shirt. Also, in conjunction with the Freedom Ride, the Latham Country Fair will also be held a the Latham Headquarters. Click Here for more information on the events going on there.