Farmers Feed Us is offering people the chance to win a year of free groceries at www.farmersfeedus.org. The prize, estimated at a $5,000 value, is all part of an overall initiative to build consumer awareness of modern agriculture and the hard work and dedication of America’s farm families.

The Farmers Feed Us program allows consumers the opportunity to meet and engage with farmers who grow their food. They have the opportunity to tour farms, read producer testimonials about animal care and food production and create recipes using the healthy products farmers produce. The program is currently active in Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri and Ohio.

Take a few minutes today to learn more about our nation’s farm families and register to win. Good luck!

To learn more about the Farmers Feed Us initiative, watch the campaign overview video.

The USDA recently released the annual crop production summary. Following are highlights that were reported on Corn and Soybean Digest’s website.

Corn: U.S. grain for corn production reached a record 12.3 billion bushels, up 2% from the Nov. 1 forecast, and 1% above the previous record of 13.0 billion bushels that was set in 2007.

Estimated yields reached record high levels across much of the Corn Belt, Great Plains and Ohio Valley. Mild temperatures and adequate soil moisture contributed to yield growth. Record yields were also estimated for much of the upper Rocky Mountain Region, as well as the Pacific Northwest.

 Soybeans: Production in 2009 totaled 3.36 billion bushels, up 1% from the Nov. 1 forecast and 13% from 2008. U.S. production is the largest on record. Average yield per acre was estimated at 44 bushels, 0.7 bushels above the November forecast and 4.3 bushels above last year’s yield. Acres planted were up 2% from 2008, totaling 77.5 acres.

Yields increased or were maintained in all states except Arkansas, Illinois, Mississippi, New York and South Carolina. Good growing conditions with ample moisture attributed to higher yields.

Click here to view the full report.

MaxYield Cooperative featured Latham in a recent issue of My Solutions with an article titled Latham Seeds Declares Its Independence: Locally-Owned Business Offers Options for Area Growers.

We were pleased with the write up because it highlighted those things we think best define Latham: truly local service, dedication to innovation, and high quality products. Below are two quotes that I pulled from the article that show how, through our independence, we’re able to offer customers the best products for their land.

“Because Latham is independent, I look to them as a gauge to determine which companies offer the best technology,” said Greg Sweeney, a MaxYield seed solutions specialist, who noted that Latham seeds are bred for the high-pH, poorly drained soils common throughout MaxYield’s trade territory. “In a business where every company claims to offer the best products, Latham offers a fresh opinion to help us determine which seed genetics fit each operation best.”

“You get one chance to get it right at planting, and I have a lot of respect for the track record Latham has with MaxYield,” said Kurt Metzger, a MaxYield seed solutions specialist who has worked with Latham for more than 25 years. “Seed is not a commodity like DAP or potash, and it’s so important to plan the right seed on the right soil.”

Click here to read the full article.

Bill Latham was honored with the Industry Service Award yesterday at the annual Independent Professional Seed Association (IPSA) Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana. The award was presented by Skype. (How’s that for our industry embracing innovation and technological advancement?)

The IPSA also presented Bill –  a die-hard Iowa State fan – with an ISU Cyclones ball signed by Iowa State University’s football coach, Paul Rhoads; men’s basketball coach, Greg McDermott; athletic director, Jamie Pollard; and women’s basketball coach, Bill Fennelly.

Bill, we’re so proud of your accomplishments and your dedication to our industry. Congratulations on IPSA’s recognition!  John Latham, Bill’s oldest son, is shown below accepting the award on Bill’s behalf.  Also shown in the photo is Lou Schweigert, IPSA President from Grow Alliance Seed (left) and Greg Ruehle, CEO of IPSA (right).

About IPSA

The IPSA is dedicated to independent seed companies worldwide. Created in 1989, IPSA represents approximately 135 seed companies from more than 25 states and Canada, who produce approximately 30 percent of the corn, soybeans, and small grain and forage seeds marketed annually.

To learn more about the Independent Professional Seed Association, click here.

Before Iowa State University (ISU) takes on Minnesota in the Insight Bowl tonight, we wanted to wish all of the players and coaches good luck!

John and I both graduated from the College of Ag at ISU.  Because we’re die-hard Cyclone fans, we’re proud to support our team at every opportunity. One way we support the Cyclones is by sponsoring the Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds Locker Room Show, a post-game show during which analysts, coaches and players share their thoughts. Since we help provide inside information after the game, we thought you might be interested in a little inside information before the game, too. Click here to see how the Cyclones are preparing for tonight’s match-up.

Please join us and cheer for the Cyclones as they pair up against the Minnesota Gophers in the Sun Devil Stadium at 4 p.m. Mountain Time. And, be sure to tune in to the Latham Locker Room Show following the game. For a listing of which stations air the Latham Locker Room, click here.

(P.S. Don’t worry, Latham products work for Iowa fans, too).

At left: Jesse Smith autographs a football for Ian Latham after ISU defeated Colorado to become “bowl eligible,” 11-26-2009.

The future of agriculture looks bright as the enrollment in ag-related bachelor’s degrees has increased substantially in the past few years. A growing number of students are being drawn to ag schools around the country, not necessarily because they grew up on a farm or want to farm land, but because of the science programs within ag and the job opportunities it brings.  

Enrollment in bachelor’s degree programs in agriculture across the country grew by 21.8 percent from 2005 to 2008, from about 58,300 students to nearly 71,000, according to surveys conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. And the numbers are likely higher as not all schools responded to the survey.

National enrollment figures for 2009 aren’t yet available from all schools, but numbers from major schools make clear the trend continues: The University of California-Davis has more than 5,490 students enrolled in agricultural majors — a jump of 210 from a year before. Purdue University has 2,575 ag students this fall, up 40 from last year.  

Keeping with the trend, Iowa State University saw nearly a 21 percent increase in enrollment in agriculture between 2005 and 2008.

The growing numbers are coming at a time in our history when it couldn’t be more important – United Nations reports an expected population of 9 billion in 2050, a population that will need advancements in agriculture and technology more than ever before. 

Have you noticed an increase in students choosing ag-related fields in your area?

We recently hosted a media day at Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds, and we were so happy to have Jerry Passer with the Brownfield Network attend.

Jerry wrote a wonderful post on the Brownfield blog about his visit to Alexander and what he learned about Latham’s product line offerings:

My purpose on this trip was a media day at Latham High Tech Seeds just south of the village of Alexander. John Latham is President and his wife Shannon is Vice President of this family-owned seed business started by John’s grandfather, Willard Latham in 1947. Latham’s headquarters is located in the Heartland of the Midwest in a farm setting.

John Latham and representatives of Monsanto introduced their new product lineup that combines high performing Latham seed genetics with the latest Genuity brand biotechnology traits from Monsanto Company.

To read the full article, click here.

We will be attending the Nebraska Power and Farming Show Dec. 9-10 in Lincoln, Neb., at the Lancaster Event Center. We would love to see you there. Visitors to our booth, #317, will have the chance to win prizes, as well as learn more about our new products and high-yielding seed technologies. For more information about the show, visit http://www.nebraskapowershow.com/.

Iowa Farmer Today recently posted an article written by Steven Bohr about the dire need for producers to have a good plan in place for transition of their farmland.

In the article, Bohr provided more than a few frightening statistics about current land ownership and what it could mean for the future of agriculture. Among them were the following:

1) The age of the landowner is the oldest it has been in history. In 2007, people over the age of 55 owned 78 percent of the land in Iowa. Fifty-five percent is owned by people over the age of 65, compared with 29 percent in 1982.

2) In 2008, 73 percent of farms sold were purchased by existing land owners, 3 percent by new owners and 24 percent by off-farm investors.

3) The appraised value of the land is as high as it’s ever been in history.

Bohr urges producers to begin planning for their farm’s inevitable transition now to eliminate the uncertainty of the farm-continuation process.