“I have enjoyed working with everyone at Latham Seeds,” says Steve Bruns, who’s been a contract grower of Latham® seed beans since 1999. While he was in high school, Steve worked on weekends and during the summer for Latham grower Hugh Porterfield. Steve later custom-farmed Hugh’s ground for 20 years.

“The people I work with at Latham are the ones I’ve known since grade school,” adds Steve, who grew up northeast of Alexander, Iowa, on a farm his grandfather purchased in 1949.

Finding Farming Again

Like many young people, Steve left the area for a few years before he decided to choose farming as his livelihood. Sadly, Steve’s father developed cancer around that same time.

“I had to quickly take over the farm, right in the middle of the Farm Crisis,” says Steve, whose father, Dean, was just 44 years old when he passed. “Luckily, I didn’t have the chance to accumulate a lot of debt, which forced a lot of our farmers out of business during those turbulent years.”

What’s Next for Pork Producers

During the 1980s and 1990s, the pork industry changed a lot. Contracts to hog producers allowed for a steady income and took away the market swings. Steve got back into the pork industry in 2000 and operated a 4,000-head site for 20 years. As a top Iowa pork producer, his family’s photo was displayed outside the Animal Learning Center at the Iowa State Fair in 2005.

Although he’s no longer producing pork, Steve uses hog manure for fertilizer on as many acres as he can.

“Hog manure gives an extra yield bump if conditions are right when it’s applied,” he says. “We’ve seen a 10- to 20-bushel yield bump when manure has been applied under the right conditions.”

The Bruns Family

Now that he has retired from pork production, Steve hopes to have more time for golfing, fishing and hunting. Karen retired from the postal service after 21 years. She enjoys sewing, walking, gardening, traveling and spending time with family. The couple has three grown children: Eric, Jami and Lindsey.

The Bruns family enjoys gathering at the farm for great meals like this Ground Pork Casserole, a recipe passed down by Steve’s grandmother Elsie.

“I have enjoyed working with everyone at Latham Seeds,” says Steve Bruns, who’s been a contract grower of Latham® seed beans since 1999. While he was in high school, Steve worked on weekends and during the summer for Latham grower Hugh Porterfield. Steve later custom-farmed Hugh’s ground for 20 years.

“The people I work with at Latham are the ones I’ve known since grade school,” adds Steve, who grew up northeast of Alexander, Iowa, on a farm his grandfather purchased in 1949.

Finding Farming Again

Like many young people, Steve left the area for a few years before he decided to choose farming as his livelihood. Sadly, Steve’s father developed cancer around that same time.

“I had to quickly take over the farm, right in the middle of the Farm Crisis,” says Steve, whose father, Dean, was just 44 years old when he passed. “Luckily, I didn’t have the chance to accumulate a lot of debt, which forced a lot of our farmers out of business during those turbulent years.”

What’s Next for Pork Producers

During the 1980s and 1990s, the pork industry changed a lot. Contracts to hog producers allowed for a steady income and took away the market swings. Steve got back into the pork industry in 2000 and operated a 4,000-head site for 20 years. As a top Iowa pork producer, his family’s photo was displayed outside the Animal Learning Center at the Iowa State Fair in 2005.

Although he’s no longer producing pork, Steve uses hog manure for fertilizer on as many acres as he can.

“Hog manure gives an extra yield bump if conditions are right when it’s applied,” he says. “We’ve seen a 10- to 20-bushel yield bump when manure has been applied under the right conditions.”

The Bruns Family

Now that he has retired from pork production, Steve hopes to have more time for golfing, fishing and hunting. Karen retired from the postal service after 21 years. She enjoys sewing, walking, gardening, traveling and spending time with family. The couple has three grown children: Eric, Jami and Lindsey.

The Bruns family enjoys gathering at the farm for great meals like this Ground Pork Casserole, a recipe passed down by Steve’s grandmother Elsie.

Interested in seeing Latham’s Premier Agronomy Center? Plan a visit! Latham Dealers are encouraged to make arrangements with their regional sales manager (RSM), so they can bring their customers throughout the growing season. We will be open for public tours on Thursday, Sept. 8, at 4 p.m.

Here’s what you can see inside Latham’s Premier Agronomy Center… As you drive west on 180th Street in Alexander, Iowa, you will see our Latham Showcase plots featuring our top corn and soybean products. Next to that are corn and soybean seed treatment demonstration plots. I also planted my hybrid stress research up front. Twenty different Latham hybrids were planted from 22,000 to 36,000 plants per acre, so we can pinpoint when each hybrid flexes and how we can better manage them in-season.

The second tier of plots contains high-yield plots (corn/beans) where we “throw the kitchen sink at it,” so to speak, to try to add some extra bushels. Our soybean Iron Deficiency Chlorosis (IDC) plot uses tactics like in-furrow chelated iron products with increasing population to overcome the challenges IDC can bring. We have a silage demonstration plot with a planting date demonstration. You’ll also see a sneak peak of Latham’s corn breeding program alongside some great observation plots featuring planting depth.

The third tier of plots are “long-term plots” that include cover crops, no-till and continuous corn. These practices come with many challenges, so we have several different products/treatments including in-furrow fertilizer, biologicals, in-furrow fungicide, and biological products for providing nitrogen to corn. We also have included herbicide demonstrations, showing how cover crops can increase water infiltration during pounding rains, as well as also reduce herbicide costs and improve weed control in soybeans.

All growing season long we’re providing opportunities to learn from our demonstrations in the Premier Agronomy Center. Follow @LathamSeeds on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. We share our weekly “Ask the Agronomist” videos, as well as season-specific information.

Just as Latham Seeds is a multi-generational, family-owned business, growing our high-quality soybeans has become a legacy for many North Central Iowa farm families.

“I have enjoyed working with everyone at Latham Seeds,” says Steve Bruns. Steve has been a contract grower of Latham® seed beans since 1999, but he has many more years of experience. While he was in high school, Steve worked on weekends and during the summer for Latham grower Hugh Porterfield. Steve later custom farmed Hugh’s ground for 20 years.

“The people I work with at Latham are the ones I’ve known since grade school,” adds Steve, who grew up northeast of Alexander, Iowa, on a farm his grandfather purchased in 1949. He and his wife, Karen, raised their three children in the same house where Steve was raised. “We go to church together. We’ve sat on bleachers watching our kids play. We are all community!”

Like many young people, Steve left the area for a few years before he decided to choose farming as his livelihood.

“Farming is the last thing I wanted to do when I went off to college,” says Steve, who graduated in Commercial Arts. “I worked in advertising for a few years and decided it wasn’t for me, so in 1980 I moved back to the area and started farming.”

Sadly, Steve’s father developed cancer around that same time.

“I had to quickly take over the farm, right in the middle of the Farm Crisis,” says Steve, whose father, Dean, was just 44 years old when he passed. “Luckily, I didn’t have the chance to accumulate a lot of debt, which forced a lot of out farmers out of business during those turbulent years.”

During the 1980s and 1990s, the pork industry changed a lot.

“Contracts to hog producers allowed for a steady income and took away the market swings, so I got back into the pork industry in 2000,” says Steve, who operated a 4,000-head site for 20 years. Steve and his family were recognized in 2005 as one of Christensen Farm’s top producers, so their photo hung outside the Animal Learning Center at the Iowa State Fair. “The most enjoyable part of hog production was the people I worked with from service managers to load crews to truckers and repairmen. Everyone was working together to raise a quality product.”

Although he’s no longer producing pork, Steve uses hog manure for fertilizer on as many acres as he can.

“Hog manure gives an extra yield bump if conditions are right when it’s applied. We’ve seen a 10- to 20-bushel yield bump when manure has been applied under the right conditions,” says Steve.

Now that he has retired from pork production, Steve hopes to have more time for golfing, fishing and hunting. Karen worked 21 years for the postal service and retired in 2014 after serving the last eight years as postmaster. She enjoys spending time sewing, walking, gardening, traveling and spending time with family.

“Karen helps a lot on the farm. She keeps this place looking great. She also does most of the ripping in the fall and field cultivating in the spring, and she still finds the time to make sure we all have a full lunch cooler to take with us to the field every day,” says Steve. “A few years ago, we had some volunteer corn escapes in a field of seed beans. She cleaned up the entire 200-acre field by herself while we combined other fields.  I’m sure they wouldn’t have made the grade if she hadn’t done such a great job.”

Taking pride in a job well done runs in the family. Eric is proud to be a sixth generation Iowa farmer. Eric and Steve farm some acres 50:50, and they also run some of their own acres. In addition, Eric has been a contract grower for Latham Seeds since 2010. A graduate of the University of Iowa, Eric also works as an insurance agent. His wife, Traci, earned a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln. She also earned a master’s degree in Education and is an ESL teacher. They live in Latimer with their children, Haidyn and Hudson. The Bruns’ oldest daughter, Jami and her husband, Adam, both graduated from Iowa State University. Jami is an interior design strategist. Adam has an MBA and is a vice president of product for Denim Social. They live in Huxley with their three children, Anea, Cale and Drew. The Bruns’ youngest daughter, Lindsey, and her husband, Zeb, graduated from Coe College. They live in West Des Moines where Lindsey is a nurse anesthetist, and Zeb is a salesman.

The Bruns family enjoys gathering at the farm for great meals like pork casserole, a recipe passed down by Steve’s grandmother Elsie.

Welcome to 2020! The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic has forced businesses around the globe to deliver information using technology like Zoom, Facebook Live and YouTube. Although we prefer to meet with farmers in person, our team of industry experts has developed some interesting and informative content for you. We hope you enjoy it and find it of value!

Below is a recap of our 2020 Latham® Virtual Field Day with links, so you can watch agronomic presentations from the comfort of your office or the cab of your tractor or combine:

• Fortunately, weather events did not affect our production fields. It looks to be another banner year for Latham seed production! You’re invited to join us for this 40-minute industry roundtable with Latham’s Product Team.
• In this “challenges of harvest” roundtable hosted by Bob Foley, farmers from across the Upper Midwest tell us how they’re managing harvest in not-so-ideal conditions.
• Put products and practices to the test on your on farm! Precision Agronomy Advisor Darin Chapman discusses on-farm research and the benefits. He covers how you can use “small data” to work on your own farm.
• Soybean Product Manager Mark Grundmeier provides tips for Selecting Soybean Products that are Built for Battle. Did you know farmers don’t have to give up yield when planting defensive soybeans? Mark talks about how Latham’s exclusive IRONCLAD^TM products are bred to combat local diseases.
• Latham’s Northern Product Manager Gary Geske explains how seed treatment helps maximize yield potential. He explains what makes Latham Seeds’ SoyShield® so unique, so elite and so effective.
• Latham Corn Product Manager, Lyle Marcus, shares how to maximize performance and reduce risk with Latham® corn hybrids in 2021. He also introduces eight new hybrids for spring planting.
• In this 20-minute workshop on seed placement and performance, Precision Agronomy Advisor Phil Long explains how to use Latham’s product guide to choose seed products for 2021. Did you know that placement can affect yield by up to 20 percent? That’s a 20- to 50-bushel yield swing! Phil walks us through how to match management style to product characteristics for best placement and performance.

One of the things we enjoy most about hosting field days is sitting at the table with Latham® dealers and customers. We always enjoy hearing about our customers’ families and learning more about farming operations. If you attend a Latham Seeds’ event, you can count on great conversation and a wonderful meal.

In true field day fashion, we are sharing with you a typical field day menu. Below are links to some of our favorite fall recipes:

• Harvest BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches, a recipe shared by Iowa’s Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Julie Kenney
• Sweet & Spicy Baked Beans
• Cranberry Waldorf Salad (Although this recipe isn’t from “The Field Position” blog, it’s a hit every time I make it for a group that visits Enchanted Acres pumpkin patch.)
• Apple Crisp

With the cool fall weather this week, we thought it would be the perfect time to share a new crockpot dish.  Scroll down to find a recipe for Slow Cooker Cajun Chicken Fettuccine. Recipe and image sourced here.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2020: KICKOFF TO LATHAM’S VIRTUAL FIELD TOUR WEEK 2020

Watch on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2668478816588211&extid=ca2iM5vffbodkI4Y

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/O8FHM7ESu9M

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2020: MAXIMIZING YOUR 40 CHANCES

Join us for a 35 minute segment as farmers tell all about managing no-so-ideal harvest scenarios hosted by Bob Foley.

• Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/wapZOMosW9w
• Watch on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2769613716607152&extid=qtyQfwe76nz099nQ 

Join us as Precision Agronomy Advisor Darin Chapman discusses on-farm research and the benefits of testing ideas for the future.

• Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/dQGiV3n9SwQ
• Watch on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=230182775092324&extid=2gNkqUOjZDfEUmW4

Join us as Corn Product Manager, Lyle Marcus, discusses how to maximize performance and reduce risk with Latham® corn hybrids in 2021.

• Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/TqU1IGTj-VU
• Watch on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=313068009801743&extid=LSYK1tpv18TZXFtt

SPECIAL FEATURE! 20 Minute Workshop hosted by Precision Agronomy Advisor Phil Long. Did you know that placement can affect yield by up to 20%? That’s a 20-50 bushel yield swing! Phil will walk through how to match management style to product characteristics for best placement and performance.

• Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/3GijMR2w6nw
• Watch on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=887477738448432&extid=vfxO7xfB1W1Jr5XH

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2020: MANAGING SOYBEANS ON OFFENSE AND DEFENSE

• Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/_EGw1UA4-b4
• Watch on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1233891166969244&extid=LS56ewVr5vxXKVKA

• Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/mNxBtFDryHk 
• Watch on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1945198385604293&extid=9ycIGoHLwzgBYFjq 

• Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Q9I5hS-y8fU
• Watch on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1233891166969244&extid=LS56ewVr5vxXKVKA

Gary Geske

Much cooler temps this week is allowing the flex head to slide over the ice. so the combine head is not scooping up water anymore. Many soybean acres were harvested this week, so corn harvest will soon begin.

Northeast South Dakota

James Keltgen

Cooler weather this past week has brought soil temperatures below freezing. The ground has firmed up, allowing farmers to worry less about getting stuck. Soybean harvest has progressed. Earlier soybean moistures were ranging between 16 and 17 percent. Now moisture is down around 13 percent. Yields are still variable as excess moisture was the theme all summer long.

Some corn has been combined. Moistures are still 20 to 28 percent, depending on maturity and planting date.

Doug Abeln Seed Co. harvested a soybean plot. Yields ranged from 55 to 65 bushels.

Southeast South Dakota

Ramie Coughlin

Harvest is officially here. With a much needed dry stretch, many farmers were able to finally harvest. Soybeans have been coming out at much higher yields than anticipated. I’m hearing many yield reports around 40 to 55 bushels per acre, but even 70-bushel beans have been reported. Good harvest weather is forecast for the next week, so it’s full speed ahead here in South Dakota.

Northern Minnesota

Ken Highness

Harvest is like nothing we’ve ever seen before in this region. Area farmers are fighting mud at every turn. Farm equipment has been stuck right up to the axle. We’re harvesting through standing water and combine headers are filling with mud. The picture taken from the cab provides s bird’s eye view of what 90% of the fields look like in my region. The second picture is creativity at it best. This grower near Grand Forks, ND is mounting tractor lug tires on the drive axle of his semi. This is working very well because the lugs don’t hold mud like conventional tires plus they very well on the highway.

Southern Minnesota

Justin Prokosch

Last week started slow as we experienced ample amounts of rain. After a couple days of letting things dry off, farmers were able to back in the fields. Most soybeans have been taken out, and corn has been going at a good clip. We took out our last Latham® soybean plot for this region late the night, so I was able to capture a nice sunset.

Northern Wisconsin 

Joe Salter

These photos were taken as we harvested a Latham® SuperStrip plot in southern Wisconsin.  We are still recovering from all the rain that has fallen the past few weeks. Many farmers were able to run this week. Soybean harvest has been very slow, but we’re finally making progress. Grain corn is still very wet, so the corn driers will be running non-stop this season.

North Central Iowa

Cory Greiman

The weather once again has caused a delay in the harvest progress. Snow fall totals this week ranged from little to none in the western two-thirds of my territory to two inches in the eastern third of my territory. Hopefully, this snow will melt quickly. Many farmers are hoping to get in the field again today.

Northeast Iowa

Craig Haaland

West North Central Iowa

Bart Peterson

Much cooler temps this week is allowing the flex head to slide over the ice. so the combine head is not scooping up water anymore. Many soybean acres were harvested this week, so corn harvest will soon begin.

Eastern Iowa 

Jerry Broders

Harvest had been fast and furious. Then Monday evening we picked up three to four inches of snow, bringing harvest to a halt. The forecast calls for another four to eight inches of snow tonight into Thursday, so this could keep us out of the field until next week.

Western Iowa

Larry Krapfl

Area farmers are working extremely late hours this fall to get the 2019 crop harvested.

East Central Iowa

Aaron Steenhoek

Harvest made significant progress last week on both corn and soybeans. Some growers were able to wrap up soybean harvest before the snow fell on Monday night. Pictured here is LH 5245 VT2 PRO RIB, dried down and ready to harvest! Yields have been extremely variable, but this hybrid has been a consistent top-yielding hybrid in Latham’s lineup. It has already won seven different F.I.R.S.T. trials this year!

West Central Iowa

Eric Croghan

Even though weak shanks are a characteristic of some corn hybrids, many environmental factors can lead to ears dropping. Heat, drought, nutrient deficiencies, disease and insects all can cause ears to drop. That’s why it’s a good idea to walk corn fields and make notes throughout the growing season. For example, corn borers can cause ears to drop off conventional hybrids. Perhaps you really need a corn borer-resistant hybrid. Work with your local Latham® rep to choose hybrids with good ear retention and tolerance to Diplodia ear and stalk rot.

Brian McNamee

On October 10, we received 20 to 26 inches of snow from Jamestown to Devils Lake, or approximately 100 miles north to south. The good news that after a nice warm week, all the snow is melted. He bad news is that all that runoff has filled an already saturated river basin. I haven’t seen flooding like this since the spring of 2009.

Southeast North Dakota

Gary Geske

Now that the sun is shining again and a stiff breeze is blowing, corn harvest is once again underway. The weather forecast looks favorable for several days.

Northeast South Dakota

James Keltgen

There were four days last week where farmers were able to harvest. Conditions weren’t ideal, but more rain was in the forecast. Yields are ranging from 30 to 60 bushels an acre with moisture ranging from 14 to 18 percent. Lower yields came from fields that were lower and wetter. Corn moisture is still ranging from 24 to 30 percent.

Southeast South Dakota

Ramie Coughlin

More rainfall has slowed harvest, but farmers across Southeast South Dakota are doing what they can. Some are finishing silage; some are combining wet corn, while many others are working on soybeans.

Northern Minnesota

Ken Highness

Slowly, but surely, farmers have found their way back into fields. Some farmers in my region have a great crop in some fields, but extremely wet conditions are preventing them from getting to it. After all the snow and rain we’ve received this fall, some fields may not get harvested this year. We need extended dry, windy weather before winter sets in. In this picture, we’re harvesting a Latham® plot near Barney, ND.

Southern Minnesota

Justin Prokosch

We had a few really nice days last week, so farmers got a significant amount of crop harvested. This photo was taken over the weekend as these young farmers helped with yield calibrations.

One inch and a half to two inches of rain fell across many parts of Minnesota early this week, bring harvest to a stop for a few more days.

Northern Wisconsin 

Joe Salter

Soybeans have been coming off slowly as frequent rains continue to delay harvest. We harvested a Latham® SuperStrip plot in the southern regions of Wisconsin.  Early results L 2295 R2X and L 2193 E3 are doing very well!

North Central Iowa

Cory Greiman

The weather has once again put a stop to harvest. Another one to 2.5 inches of rain fell over the weekend and into Monday.

Northeast Iowa

Craig Haaland

Northwest Iowa

Jeremy Joynt 

Much of Northwest Iowa received an unwelcomed amount of rainfall, which has slowed down harvest. Plot results continue to come in, so keep an eye out to see how well Latham® is doing again this season!

West North Central Iowa

Bart Peterson

Eastern Iowa 

Jerry Broders

Harvest kicked into high gear this past week.

Western Iowa

Larry Krapfl

Many combines have been sitting idle since Saturday night. We were hoping for drying conditions, but this week’s wind was more than we bargained for. Soybean harvest is 80% done, so many farmers will finish soybeans this week.

Strong winds have blown for the past three days, breaking almost all the tops out of the corn. It’s very easy to determine which way the wind came out off.

East Central Iowa

Aaron Steenhoek

Harvest across Central Iowa came to a grinding halt last week after an inch or more of rain fell. Full-season soybeans that were planted in June were tough to harvest in places yet last week, but they should be ready to combine once we the fields dry out. Corn is finally below 20 percent moisture with some fields testing as low as 16 percent. Pictured here is a girthy ear of LH 6187 DG PRO RIB. This field is still standing strong after the high winds that have blown during the past couple of days.

West Central Iowa

Eric Croghan

Strong winds the past couple days have allowed us to gain a better understanding about the importance of late-season plant health. It’s important to keep plants healthy and well feed to avoid the spread of diseases and stalk cannibalization.

Northwest North Dakota

Brian McNamee

Who knew a silage chopper could be used as a snow blower? We’re finally making a little progress after last week’s big snowfall last week.

Southeast North Dakota

Gary Geske

Above freezing ground temperatures combined with air temps in the 40’s is helping melt the snow that fell over the weekend.

Fields are very wet and soft, so we farmers might not get back in the fields before it freezes again. Safety is important, so be careful with tow straps and chains if needed.

Northeast South Dakota

James Keltgen

Christmas weather came early this year as last week much of South Dakota received 6 to 8 inches of snow with an inch of rain. A killing freeze brought an end to the 2019 growing season also. Many farmers were either just getting started with harvest or had just started combining when the storm hit. Soybean yields ranging from 30 to 50 bushels are common. Corn moisture is ranging from 25 to 40 percent, depending on maturity and planting date.

Southeast South Dakota

Ramie Coughlin

Here today, gone tomorrow.

This old adage applies to our first big snow event this season in South Dakota. Temperatures during the first half of last week were in the 70’s, and combines were rolling like crazy to harvest as many soybeans out the “big rain and SNOW storm.” The storm hit last Thursday… it rained and snowed. It rain and snowed. And it rained and snowed! Day-time temperatures dropped into the 30’s and dipped into the 20’s at night. Most areas of Southeast South Dakota received 3/4 of an inch or more of rain and very little snow, but the northern and western half of the state received 3/4 of an inch of rain plus six to 18 inches of snow! We experienced three days of wind, moisture and cold temperatures before the sun graced us with her presence on Sunday. Now all that remains are a few piles of snow and some mud. This week will warm slowly back into the 60’s.

What does all this mean for our crops in the field?? Corn that made black layer is sitting pretty good. Test weight was locked in, so it needs to dry down. However, there are a lot of fields that hadn’t quite hit black layer before the killing frost. This will affect test weight, as well as final yield. The severity will vary by field. My fingers are crossed that we will get by our chin hairs because many fields just needed one more week of 60’s to finish.

Soybeans that had hit maturity will handle the frost just fine. In fact, this will just speed up harvest. Those fields that still had a lot of green in them will be slow to dry out and may have some test weight issues. I’m sure results will vary by field. I don’t think we will see too many pods swelling and popping from the moisture they absorbed because we were dry enough before the storm. We will now see the combines able to go again.

Northern Minnesota

Ken Highness

A historic October blizzard dumped three to six inches of rain before two feet of snow fell in my western and northern regions. Wind gusts reached 60 miles per hour. Roads were closed across North Dakota and into western Minnesota counties. Now we’re dealing with snowmelt, so flooding is a concern. Pictured below is fields in my northern region.

Southern Minnesota

Justin Prokosch

It has been a slow week for many farmers as some nasty weather hit over the weekend. Many soybean fields still need to be harvested across southern Minnesota.

Northern Wisconsin 

Joe Salter

Much of this region is wet, and most of it seen the first snowfall.  Early last week we had three days of good harvest weather followed by three days of cold, wet weather. These photos were taken last week before we pulled off our first Latham® soybean plot in Northern Wisconsin. Plot reports will be rolling in soon!

North Central Iowa

Cory Greiman

Weather continues to delay harvest. Some snow accumulated over the weekend across North Iowa and southern Minnesota. Fortunately, the snow didn’t last long but we need drying weather.

Northeast Iowa

Craig Haaland

Northwest Iowa

Jeremy Joynt 

Moisture continues to slow down harvest. Much of Northwest Iowa received some sort of precipitation over the weekend. Sunshine would be welcome.

West North Central Iowa 

Bart Peterson

We calibrated the yield monitor right before a Latham® dealer entered the field near Pocahontas, Iowa. His first pass in this field of  Latham’s 2228 R2 made 65.5 bushels per acre.

Eastern Iowa 

Jerry Broders

Latham® 2887 R2X soybeans are performing well again this year. If you’re farm from north of Hwy 20 to south of Interstate 80 and plant Xtend® soybeans, this Latham number should be part of your 2020 crop plan.

Western Iowa

Larry Krapfl

Look at how clean this field of Latham® 2684 LibertyLink® soybeans is! This field averaged 60 bushels per acres and 11.7 moisture.

Central Iowa

Aaron Steenhoek

Many types of stalk rots and plant pathogens are present after the weather we’ve had this growing season. As a result, our state’s corn crop stands on some very weak legs. Effective harvest management will be a key to successful fall!