As a proud Iowa State University alum and a die-hard Cyclone fan, I couldn’t be happier about the huge win the Iowa State football team had last week over their ranked opponent, Texas. (In fact, one of the biggest wins in school history!)

Email blast that was sent out to Cyclone fans after the big victory at Texas.

John and I both graduated from the College of Agriculture at ISU and are proud to support our team in any way we can. One way we support the Cyclones is by sponsoring the Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds Locker Room Show, a post-game show where analysts, coaches and players share their thoughts about the game.

To keep the momentum going from the big win, you can vote for Coach Rhoads as Coach of the Year at www.coachoftheyear.com. (Note: You can vote daily!)

Cyclone fans will reunite this Saturday for ISU’s Homecoming. The Cyclones will be taking on Kansas with kickoff at 1 p.m. Be sure to tune in to Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds Locker Room Show following the big game! For a listing of which stations air the show, click here.

Which team will you be rooting for this weekend?  Go Cyclones!

After receiving frequent and sometimes heavy rainfall through the month of the September, many farmers today are receiving the first measurable rainfall in the month of October.  The warm, dry fall weather allowed many to finish harvesting all of their crops before they had even started harvesting corn in 2009.  But after nearly 30 straight days of long hours in the field, many farmers are welcoming this opportunity to tackle their “rainy day” lists. 

A very informal and unscientific survey that I conducted today reveals the following “top to dos” for farmers across Latham Country:

1. Repairing machinery;
2. Doing bookwork;
3. Napping;
4. Meeting with my Latham sales rep to finish crop plans; and
5. Ordering Latham® seeds for 2011 planting.

I can’t think of a better way to spend the day than meeting with your Latham rep to finish crop plans and getting your seed ordered while the supplies are good. (However, my opinion may be a bit biased!)  Anyone who has seen the great results from Latham® L2440R2 knows this brand is going to be in high demand.  One Latham customer near Odebolt figures this Latham® soybean brand will deliver $150 more per acre because it yielded 15 bushels better than his next best yielding variety.  He achieved whole-field averages of 77 bu/A on an 80-acre field, 76 bu/A on a 110-acre field and 72 bu/A on a 48-acre field.  Another Latham soybean brand, L2984R2, went 73 bu/A across a 142-acre field near Adel, Iowa, while Bob Quinn from WHO radio was riding in the combine. You can also check out other great soybean results online at https://www.lathamseeds.com/yield-results.cfm.

We’re also hearing some great reports on the performance of Latham® Hi‑Tech Hybrids.  Recently, I rode in two different combines in northeast Iowa where our hybrids beat the competition by 30 bushels an acre.  One Latham customer commented, “I just made an extra $200,000 with Latham.  How can I afford to plant anything else?” For corn yield results, visit www.lathamseeds.com/yield-results.cfm. 

What’s your favorite way to spend a rainy day?  I absolutely love baking on rainy days.  Stay tuned for my “Great Pumpkin” cookie recipe this Friday, along with some rainy day activities to keep little ones from getting bored when they’re cooped up inside.

Today one of the nation’s biggest events is happening right here in Iowa…  Iowa State University’s Annual Ag Career Day is being held today from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Lied Recreation Athletic Center.  It’s literally the “A to Z” of agriculture employers with more than 150 companies being represented from Accelerated Genetics to Ziegler Caterpillar.  And, in the middle of it all, will be Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds! 

Representatives from Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds will be on campus, recruiting for summer interns and full-time sales team members.  It’s always so much fun meeting top students, who are excited about careers in agriculture, as well as reconnecting with college friends, who are on campus recruiting for their respective companies. If you’ll be in the Lied today, we invite you to stop by our booth and say, “Hi.”

Not only is there great fun to be had today on campus, but I honestly can’t think of a more fun time to be engaged in agriculture and specifically with the seed business.  From new seed traits that are helping deliver 15 more bushels per acre to new mapping systems that are increasing productivity through variable rate planting, there is plenty to be excited about.  Helping our farmer-customers produce the highest yield potential on their acres is top priority for Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds, and we’re building a team to make that happen!  Feel free to pass our contact information along to any friends and colleagues you know who are interested in pursuing a career in the seed business.

This week over 1,000 foreign nationals and dignitaries from more than 65 countries are in Des Moines, Iowa, for this year’s World Food Prize international symposium. The focus of this year’s symposium is on the one billion small farmers worldwide who are struggling to feed their families on the small amount they can raise on just one or two acres of land while battling effects of drought, climate change, and lack of technology.

Iowa native Norman Borlaug, also known as the father of the “Green Revolution,” established the World Food Prize after he won the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize for helping increase food production in developing nations with high-yielding, disease-resistant wheat.

This week serves as a great reminder for those of us involved in food production to be “agvocates.” It’s the perfect time to promote the important role that American farmers play in feeding a growing world population. As primary producers of food for the world, it’s necessary that we promote advancements in agriculture for the world’s poorest who are struggling to feed their families. Agricultural growth brings the necessary tools to transform their communities with economic and educational opportunities.

What are your ideas to help improve global food security?  You never know – you could be the next World Food Prize winner!

For more about the World Food Prize, visit: http://www.worldfoodprize.org/.

With the sun shining warmly upon our faces and a gentle breeze blowing on our backs, John and I enjoyed a beautiful fall day while harvesting soybeans yesterday in south central Iowa near Adel with Latham® dealer Nick Dawes.  Black Baldy cattle were contentedly grazing in the rolling pasture on the farmstead, and I was wondering how life could get any better than this.

Then Nick graciously let 1040 WHO Radio’s Bob Quinn ride with him in the combine, and we saw just how much better the day could get!

Reports for “The Big Show” were broadcast live from the cab beginning at 11:30 a.m.  New blue-tooth technology allowed Bob to do live harvest reports with clarity.  Thankfully, there was great news to report yesterday since Bob was giving a play-by-play on what the yield monitor was showing.  The yield monitor consistently showed mid- to high 70s.

Even with a wet spot in field, Nick’s whole farm yield average was 73 bushels over 142 acres.  In spite of receiving nearly double the rainfall amount and overcast skies for a stretch in August plus other challenges throughout the 2010 growing season, Nick said Latham® 2948R2 produced some of the best yields he’s had in the past 10 years.  Latham genetics, combined with Genuity® Roundup Ready 2 Yield^TM technology, proved to be a winning combination.

A special thank you to Latham dealer Nick Dawes and Latham regional sales manager, Travis Slusher, for their help yesterday!

Because Iowa is the number one pork producing state in the nation, it seems especially fitting that we’d kick off National Pork Month by honoring an Iowa farm family with a proud tradition of raising quality pork.

Mike and Kaitlyn Bartling farm on the edge of Hardin and Franklin Counties with Mike’s older brother, Steve, and their dad, Jim. Bartling Land & Livestock always has been diversified with row crops, forage, cattle and hogs, but the family’s sow herd expanded after Mike graduated from Iowa State University and came home to farm. In 2007, their farrow-to-finish operation was awarded a Master Pork Producer Award.

Although Mike’s wife, Kaitlyn, works off the farm as foundation director for Ellsworth Community College, she is no stranger to the pork industry. Kaitlyn grew up on a northwest Iowa farm where pork was a major enterprise; she was active in 4-H & FFA swine projects.  She was also a county pork queen and the 1995 Iowa Pork Princess.

Mike and Kaitlyn are proud to raise their children, 6-year-old Emma and 22-month-old Gus, as the next generation of pork producers and agricultural entrepreneurs. “Agriculture and pork production have been a part of our families for generations,” says Kaitlyn.  “We can’t imagine not giving our children the gift of knowing how and where their food comes from.  We know we are instilling an appreciation for the hard work it takes to produce safe and nutritious food for the world to consume.”

Kaitlyn also happens to be one of the best cooks I know, and a trip to her kitchen is always a five-sensory experience!  One of her all-time favorite recipes is for Apple Stuffed Pork Chops.  Another one of her favorite pork recipes, Spicy Pork Calzones, is also included below.

What’s your favorite way to enjoy pork?

Spicy Pork Calzone

Ingredients:

• 1 loaf of frozen bread dough, defrosted or your favorite white bread dough
• 1 pound spicy Italian pork sausage
• 1 clove garlic minced fine
• 1 medium onion minced fine
• ¼ t red pepper flakes
• 2 C Shredded smoked provolone cheese
• 1 egg white beaten with 2T water
• Asiago or parmesan cheese shreds or poppy seeds

Directions:

1. Brown and drain pork sausage.
2. Sauté onion with the meat and add garlic just before adding the sauce and red pepper flakes; simmer gently for 10 minutes.
3. Roll bread dough out to ¼-inch thickness on an oiled cookie sheet.
4. Cover half of the dough with meat sauce and Provolone cheese.
5. Pull dough over the top and seal edges.
6. Brush with egg white mixture and sprinkle with cheese or poppy seeds if desired.
7. Bake at 350 until the bread is browned; let sit for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

When I first heard people saying the word, “Agvocate,” I tried repeating it and realized it’s not an easy word to say. But here’s the good news: it’s much harder to say “agvocate” than it is to be an agvocate. 

The word agvocate was coined by Mike Haley, a fifth generation Ohio farmer, and it’s become a movement that has been fun and inspiring to watch. It’s never been more important for those of us involved in food production to tell the story of modern agriculture – to remind people that a modern farm is still, almost always, a family farm. Greater understanding is accomplished when farmers share with their “urban neighbors” how food is grown, the number of hours it takes and the labor required, as well as the heart and soul that goes into producing food for the world.

Agvocating has been an amazing movement to watch thus far. If you’re ready to become a part of it, I urge you to get involved. Sign up for Twitter, share the story of your farm on a family blog, or simply remember to talk about the importance of modern day food production and agriculture with neighbors and community members.

Here’s a great resource for getting started: http://agchat.org/2010/09/why-would-a-farmer-want-to-blog.html.

Also, check out this link to a great video creating by the Ag Chat foundation that shares some interesting information about just how much agriculture does for our world today:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYoADgvJgE4

How are you agvocating?