Ag Processing Inc. (AGP) has announced it will partner with soybean growers who are interested in producing Vistive^® soybeans and delivering them to one of four participating AGP processing facilities.

AGP plans to process Vistive beans at plant locations in Eagle Grove, Iowa; Manning, Iowa; Sergeant Bluff, Iowa; and Hastings, Neb. Growers can earn a premium of between 50 and 60 cents a bushel, depending on the delivery option they choose. 

Growers interested in Vistive contracts should consider these Latham^® soybean brands with the Vistive trait:

• L2735R2V – This 2.7 soybean contains the Genuity^® Roundup Ready 2 Yield^® technology with the Vistive low-linolenic trait.  It’s a fairy tall, tough line that performs well in lighter soils but also responds to higher fertility situations.  Its defensive package includes the C-gene for Phytophthora, good tolerance to Iron Chlorosis and very good tolerance to Sudden Death Syndrome.
• L3153R2V – This is a second generation Roundup Ready 2 & soybean line that combines that new high-yielding technology with the Vistive trait for low-linolenic oil production.  It carries the Rps1-c gene for Phytophthora and has very good tolerance to Iron Chlorosis.  Its excellent stress tolerance makes it ideally suited for tougher soils.

For the complete story on AGP’s announcement about Vistive contracts for 2011, click here.

You know what they say in show business, “The show must go on!”  And that was certainly the case yesterday afternoon when the 30-member cast took the stage at the Windsor Theatre in Hampton, Iowa, for the second and final performance of It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play.

It’s a Wonderful Life is a classic tale about a Christmas miracle in which the whole town unites to save George Bailey from personal and financial ruin.  Interestingly enough, the town of Hampton performed somewhat of a miracle yesterday when community members united to ensure the production would happen. 

Behind the scenes, people turned out in their Carhartts® and facemasks to blow snow.  Between  5 and 9 inches of snow fell across North Iowa on Saturday with wind gusts reported as high as 60 mph with sustained winds near 40 mph.   Overnight, wind chills dropped to 25 below zero.  Most businesses were closed on Sunday, and the majority of churches cancelled their morning services.

What a difference a few hours makes!  The snowplow cleared our road around noon, and I drove 35 miles per hour (mph) on my 12-mile trip to Hampton.  (I have a hard time keeping this speed even when I’m in a 30-mph zone, so the fact I drove this slowly is a true testament to the road conditions.)  Road conditions were extremely icy as it rained for hours on Saturday morning before it turned to snow.  Nonetheless, people made it to the theatre.  Tickets had sold out in advance for the Dec. 12^th performance, and all but a few seats were filled when the curtain went up that afternoon. 

The play ends as George Bailey, with his friends and family, all remember that life is really a gift to be cherished.  As the group sings “Auld Lang Syne”  George finds a note from his guardian angel that reads, “Dear George, remember no man is a failure who has friends.”

Thanks, friends, for allowing me to play a small role in this production.  Hats off to Leon Kuehner, who did an amazing job of directing and arranging music.  And I’d like to give a shout-out to the entire cast and crew, too.  It is a wonderful life, right here in Franklin County, Iowa!

Click here to listen to the Latham Seeds radio commercial.

Oscar Wilde is often quoted for saying, “Life imitates art,” but I beg to differ.  At least in this one instance, “art imitates life.” 

Yesterday I had the pleasure of playing “Mrs. Latham” in the Franklin County Players’ and the Franklin County Art Councils’ production of It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play.  Based on Frank Capra’s classic movie, this radio play takes place on Christmas Eve in the 1940s as the idealistic George Bailey considers ending his life.  Thanks to divine intervention – including an earthly visit from an angel named Clarence – Mr. Bailey comes to see how the world is a better place because he was born. 

The action takes place in one act with four commercial interludes.  And, yes, one of the commercials promotes Latham Seeds.  I had the pleasure of serving as “the voice” of Latham Seeds, which really took me back in time. 

It all started in 1947 when Willard Latham, my husband’s grandfather, founded Latham Seed Company and began producing seed oats for retail.  As business grew and the times changed, oats gave way to soybeans and the company evolved from a retail business to a dealer organization. 

The same values and principles on which Willard Latham founded the business more than six decades ago remain our guiding principles yet today: honesty, integrity and unsurpassed customer service.  As I say in our 1940-esque radio commercial, “Latham believes in the power of rural America and the independent spirit of the American farmer…  We sell only the highest quality corn, soybeans and alfalfa seed.  Our seed experts will help you select just the right seed to fit your needs.  Latham Seeds is located right here in Franklin County.  We’re family owned and operated, so we understand what you need to be successful.  Let the folks at Latham Seeds help you today!”

For nearly 30 years, the annual Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll has tracked changes in rural social networks.  This year’s Farm Poll introduced three sets of questions about agritourism, or the act of visiting a working farm or agribusiness for enjoyment, education or active involvement.  Although less than 1% of Iowa farmers currently host entertainment activities like festivals or corn mazes, 34% of respondents agree that Iowans should get more involved in agritourism.

Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds entered the agritourism arena this summer by hosting our first Latham Country Fair. Also, this summer I had the pleasure of touring Hansen Dairy, which makes a significant contribution to northeast Iowa through its agritourism activities.

Agritourism is a means to increase farm income and to expand tourism in rural areas, according to the 2010 Farm Poll.  And, several leaders in our area couldn’t agree more.  That’s why, beginning in January, I’ll be serving on a committee with the Hampton Chamber of Commerce that will explore how agricultural businesses can help expand tourism right here in Franklin County.

Exploring ideas that will provide entertainment, while educating the public about agriculture, truly fascinates me.  Rural Sociology courses were among my favorites in college, so it’s no wonder that I’m especially intrigued by the Farm & Rural Life.  If this topic also interests you, read more about results from the 2010 Farm Poll here:  http://www.soc.iastate.edu/extension/farmpoll.html.

Today I received an email from the American Soybean Association (ASA), asking soybean leaders and supporters to contact their elected representatives about estate tax reenactment and the biodiesel tax incentive. 

Tomorrow ASA farmer-leaders will be in Washington, D.C., participating in a press conference at the National Press Club about the need for Congress to enact estate tax legislation before Dec. 31.  If it’s not enacted by this date, the estate tax rate will revert to the 2001 rate of up to 55% with only a $1 million exclusion. This means it will be especially difficult to pass along farms, ranches and small businesses from one generation to the next.

Also tomorrow ASA members will participate in a biodiesel fly-in to urge members of Congress to extend the biodiesel tax incentive. Biodiesel is a key market for U.S. soybean oil and has been a key factor in supporting domestic soybean prices in recent years. It also reduces our dependence on petroleum and creates jobs.

If you’d like to contact your elected officials about either of these issues, click here.

(Source: American Soybean Association)

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.

The excitement continues for the Iowa State football team as the Cyclones captured another big “W” on Saturday against Kansas. It’s a great time to be a fan.

Last Thursday I posted about Latham’s sponsorship of the Locker Room Show. Hopefully, you got a chance to tune in after the game and listen to Coach Rhoads and the players recap their performance.

I was especially proud this season of ISU’s win over Texas. I can empathize with what it’s like to take the field as an underdog – at Latham, we compete against the “big dogs” every day. But just as ISU has proved, underdogs shouldn’t be underestimated. We continue to offer the broadest, deepest lineup of corn hybrids and soybean brands available in the marketplace. And that’s why the same sense of pride I had for ISU as they captured the win against the Longhorns is similar to the feeling I have when customers call in with winning results against our competition.

I’d like to invite you to check out our two new radio spots that aired last Saturday during the ISU Homecoming game. Hear how Latham is proving underdogs shouldn’t be underestimated and why we think this is the best time of year.