Weed resistance is a growing problem for farmers in the Upper Midwest.  From Giant Ragweed and Waterhemp, to Giant Marestail and Johnsongrass, we all need to do our part to help keep resistant weeds in check.

Many growers are getting ahead of the game by integrating a herbicide rotation into their long-term crop plans.  To provide growers with an alternative, Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds offers several soybean products with the LibertyLink® trait:

• L1773L – New LibertyLink® soybean with exceptional yield and very good defensive traits.
• L2058L – Solid SCN line with a good defensive package.
• L2383L – Tall plant with very good stress tolerance.  Plant it on those tougher soils.
• L2686L – Medium, bush-type plant with excellent tolerance to White Mold and Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS).
• L2987L –Fairly tall, bushier soybean line with excellent SDS and stress tolerance.
• L3287L – Very tall plant with good tolerance to White Mold and SDS.

Here’s a video feature on our LibertyLink lineup from Latham Product Manager Mark Grundmeier.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKWVJSR85aA[/youtube]

It really does pay to “link up” with LibertyLink® soybeans from Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds.  Growers who order a minimum of 250 acres worth of LibertyLink® soybeans from Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds are eligible to receive a $2/acre* rebate from Bayer Crop Science.  NOTE:  Seed must be ordered before February 1, 2012. (*Based on seeding rates of 1 acre/unit of soybean seed.)

Contact your Latham representative for more information on this offer and LibertyLink® soybean options from Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds.

There’s big news across the seed industry!  Genuity® VT Double PRO® RIB Complete™ recently received registration from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 

This is great news for Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds customers as they will have another true, single-bag refuge option (RIB) for managing above-ground pests.  Genuity VT2 PRO RIB Complete, as well as Genuity® SmartStax® RIB Complete, will be broadly available to farmers in 2012. 

Latham’s Genuity VT2 PRO RIB Complete is a blend of 95% Genuity VT Double Pro and 5% refuge (non-BT) seed, delivering the lowest refuge in the corn growing area for above ground pests.  VT2 PRO is actually a triple-stack product as it contains two traits for above-ground protection of pests like European Corn Borer, Corn Earworm and Fall Armyworm, in addition to the Roundup Ready trait.  I look at this product as a different kind of triple stack, one that is specifically made for rotated ground and not for corn-on-corn situations. 
Contact your local Latham® dealer or call our office at 1-877-GO-LATHAM to order your Latham Genuity VT2 PRO today!  

The following Latham hybrids are still available as Latham Genuity VT Double Pro RIB Complete: LH 3557 VT2 PRO, LH 4227 VT2 PRO, LH 5465 VT2 PRO and LH 5875 VT2 PRO.  All four of these products are tremendous new genetics that offer fantastic top-end yields in rotated ground.

For years, the word “refuge” could bring on an unwelcome headache to corn growers. Determining how many units of a refuge hybrid were needed and in which configuration to plant them was confusing.  Now Latham’s Refuge in a Bag (RIB) is making the complex world of refuge simple.

The RIB concept involves mixing refuge seed with both the corn borer and rootworm insect protected corn seed, so growers have everything they need to be refuge compliant in just one bag.  Growers are no longer required to weigh adjacent versus in-field configurations; they can simply open the bag and pour.

At Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds, growers will be able to purchase the first single-bag RIB solution for the 2012 season: Genuity® SmartStax® RIB Complete™ Corn, a blend of 95% traited seed and 5% refuge seed.  When growers begin looking to plant RIB products, it’s important to remember that yield comes first.  Growers shouldn’t have to plant a product that may have yield drag in order to receive all of the other great benefits that come with RIB.  We’ve found 5% products provide the simplicity wanted without sacrificing yield.  Be aware, however, not all RIB products are created equal.

Whether you’re making decisions on traits and genetics or weighing RIB products, the focus should remain on what will always be most important.  Genetics make yield; traits protect yield.
At the end of the day, the product needs to be the right fit for a grower’s farm.

For more tips on selecting the right seed for your situation, visit www.thefieldposition.com.

“Rootworm Damage to Bt Corn” has been making the headlines ever since word got out about research findings, documenting corn rootworm injury to Bt corn.  Iowa State University (ISU) researchers published findings on July 29; the University of Illinois issued a press release Sept. 23.

Researchers say “growers should be careful not to jump to the conclusion that fields with severe rootworm injury are supporting a resistant western corn rootworm population.”  In fact, university research data confirms that the real strategy for dealing with high corn rootworm pressure is to use rootworm-traited genetics in addition to other strategies.  Additional management strategies against rootworm may include the return to the use of insecticides, crop rotation, changing which Bt trait is used from year to year and the use of hybrids that contain multiple traits for rootworm resistance (i.e. SmartStax).

These research findings suggest that improvements in resistance management and a more integrated approach to the use of Bt crops is necessary.  Discovering resistance in a limited geography is a great reminder to “respect the refuge” and preserve the widespread use of the Cry3Bb1 protein.  The Cry3Bb1 protein is found in many top-selling corn hybrids throughout the industry and remains an important component of a farmer’s corn rootworm strategy

Iowa will be front and center today as Des Moines is hosting the National 140 Character Conference.  This conference is so named to reflect the number of characters (i.e. numbers, letters and spaces) that a person has to Tweet, or to communicate a message via Twitter.com.

Yours truly will be presenting at 10 a.m.  If you aren’t able to join us for the event in the Stoner Theatre, you can join us online.  All presentations will be streamed from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.

When Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds began blogging in 2008, many people questioned why we would devote marketing funds to communication tools that none of our current customers were using.  (SIDE BAR:  Remember the fax machine?  Despite little initial demand, it became main stream in the 1980s.  What about the automobile… why drive a Ford Model T when you could take a horse and buggy?)

Just as the fax machine helped us transmit exact copies of documents faster than standard mail and the automobile allowed us to travel greater distances in less time, new communications technology (a.k.a. “now technology”) allows us to have more frequent conversations in a more cost-effective way.

Our blog, TheFieldPosition.com, allows us to communicate agronomic information and publicize events in a more timely manner than traditional newsletters and invitations.  Twitter and Facebook help us promote what we’re covering on the blog, plus they allow us to share what we’re seeing and doing in real time.  In addition, our Facebook and Twitter accounts have connected us to many like-minded individuals who share our passion for “feeding and fueling world.”  These communications allow us to talk daily – sometimes several times a day – with our customers and friends.

If you’re already comfortable with blogging or posting messages on Twitter and Facebook, you’re probably nodding your head in agreement as you read this article.  If you’re not using “now technology,” give it a try today.

You’ll never know what you’re missing unless you try it!  We hope you’ll follow us on Twitter @LathamSeeds, befriend us on Facebook and/or visit us at TheFieldPosition.com.  C U online soon! 🙂