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Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Harvest is Prime Time for Spring Planning

Written By: Phil Long

You can practically feel the anticipation in the air as Upper Midwest farmer await fall harvest. While a few seed beans came into our plant last Friday, recent rainfall has brought harvest to a halt here in North Central Iowa. Believe me, I’m just as eager to roll as you are.

There isn’t much I enjoy more during this time of year than watching a beautiful sunset from the seat of a combine. I do some of my best thinking behind the wheel!

As the combine cuts the crop, you can be proactively “harvest scouting,” which will help you plan for next year’s crop needs. Make note of weed escapes. Weed pressure should be taken into consideration as your herbicide or weed management strategies may vary field by field.

You also can make a few other notes like: how the hybrid or variety you planted did on low and high spots; early senescence due to disease; lodging issues; low yield areas that seem out of place, compaction issues and/or any problems that show up in a pattern.

Use the Climate FieldView App on your phone to drop a pin every time you see something that should be taken into consideration for next year’s crop plan. You can even take a picture through the combine windshield and attach it to your note to remind you of what it looked like.

A picture helps provide extra motivation next season to change something. These notes can be extremely valuable when discussing seed options, choosing diseases packages and considering seed treatments. They also add additional value to your yield maps.

Yield data is by far the best tool for making seed selections. Selecting the best seed product for each field is the number one factor in starting the season with the highest yield potential. An on-farm hybrid/variety trial will provide you with invaluable data that you can put straight to use in your operation.

The information behind every operation on your farm is your best tool to fighting the risk involved in each decision that you make to prepare for the following crop. This fall you can harvest more than your physical corn and soybean crops. Remember, harvest is prime time for spring planning!

September 26, 2017

Fall, Tech Tuesday
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

2015, a Year of F.I.R.S.T.S. and Repeat Winners!

Like any business owner, I couldn’t help but reflect upon the past year and think about what there is to look forward to in the year ahead. 2015 was another great year in the F.I.R.S.T. Trials for Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds. During the past 2 years, we have secured 36 wins in soybeans and 29 wins in corn. Our corn program scored more Top 10 places than our soybean lineup with 291 vs. 289.

Latham’s performance earned “best of show” across trials in Minnesota and the Dakotas. For the second straight year, we achieved the highest overall yield of any brand in the F.I.R.S.T. Trials with Latham 1858 R2. Latham® soybeans had the most overall soybean wins of any brand! Our company had the MOST products – 8 different products – yield more than 70 bushels per acre in this year’s trials. Latham also had the most Top 10 Finishes of any brand in the F.I.R.S.T. Trials in South Dakota, North Dakota and Minnesota. Overall 11 different Latham soybean brands won a total of 18 F.I.R.S.T. Trials in 2015.

New products like Latham’s 0982 R2 to 1673 R2 came through as winners. Existing product 2645 R2 won trials as did 2084 R2, which continues its tradition as Latham’s top-selling soybean. 2014 F.I.R.S.T. Trials winner Latham 2228 R2 had one of the most outstanding performances in 2015, setting the all-time Latham Seeds’ record for highest field average by a production soybean field at 81.1 bushels across 135 acres!

On the corn side of our business, Latham® Hi‑Tech Hybrids 4454 VT2 PRO had another dominant year, winning the F.I.R.S.T. Red River Valley South Region plus three F.I.R.S.T. Trial locations. Latham 4242 VT2 PRO also did extremely well and won in the Red River Valley.

Latham 5509 SS probably had the most dominant year of any product in 2015. For the second consecutive year, it won F.I.R.S.T. Trials plus it won 9 out of 10 Group D SuperStrip plots, which our company uses to evaluate products on farms across our sales footprint. This hybrid can run a little wet, but it’s always a top yielder at 105 days.

Sister hybrids 5215 VT2 PRO and 5715 VT2 PRO also had outstanding years; 5715 was a winner in Southern South Dakota while 5215 had 20 Top 10 finishes in 2015. LH 5215 was a 7-time winner in 2014 and has proven itself as Latham’s top seller in 2015. On the later side of things, LH 6159 SS proved itself as an outstanding hybrid, winning the F.I.R.S.T. Trial at Washington, Iowa. This 111-day hybrid had outstanding internal data from Latham’s research and looks to be a star.

Regardless of the products you need, rest assured that Latham Seeds has a history of success in the maturities we serve. Our business depends upon your success! That’s why, at Latham Seeds, we appreciate the opportunity to work with Midwest farmers on a FieldXField^SM basis. Call your local Latham® representative or 1-877-GO-LATHAM (1.877.465.2842) to learn more about FIELD X FIELD YIELDS!

John Latham, President

January 7, 2016

Fall, General, Season
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Latham® Seeds Top 2015 F.I.R.S.T. Trials

Fall is my favorite time of the year for so many reason: football games, baseball playoffs and harvest. I feel as excited as a kid on Christmas day when I fire up my computer every morning and read emails with the latest yield and F.I.R.S.T. Trials results.

What could be a better way to start the day than hearing from our dealers and customers that Latham® brand seeds are topping their plots or breaking whole-field yield records? We feel very fortunate to get to work with so many great farmers across six Midwest states.

With many F.I.R.S.T. Trial results yet to come in, Latham brand soybeans already have won 18 F.I.R.S.T. Trials with 116 Top 10 finishes! This morning we received word that one of our soybeans topped the South Dakota Southeast Region Summary. Four Latham soybean products also placed in the Top 12 in that test!

Last year Latham® hybrids won 20 different F.I.R.S.T. Trials. Eight different Latham corn products won 2014 F.I.R.S.T. Trial locations from 90 to 110 days, which shows the breadth and depth of our lineup.

While 2015 corn harvest results are just beginning to come in, we’re off to a great start! For the second straight year, Latham 5715 VT2 PRO RIB is performing extremely well in F.I.R.S.T. Trials and in customers’ fields. This hybrid had an impressive win in Beresford, SD. It not only was 8 bushels better than the 2nd place hybrid, but LH 5715 VT2 PRO RIB performed 37.5 bushels higher than the plot average!

We’re frequently asked, “What is Latham’s secret to success?” First of all, it takes access to the best genetics in the industry. Our position as a family-owned, independent seed company gives us access to genetics from multiple sources. The second key to Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds’ success in yield trials is our research program, which helps sort out products that really work in our marketing area. The next advantage Latham Seeds has is quality. There’s a reason “quality” is still stamped on each bag of Latham brand soybeans… it’s because we take great pride in producing only the finest quality soybean seed.

Keep an eye on all the yield results on our company’s Facebook page and at www.lathamseeds.com. You’ll find the link you want online by clicking on the drop-down arrow under “corn” or “soybeans.”

John Latham, President

October 22, 2015

Fall, General, Season
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Latham Corn Tops More F.I.R.S.T. Trials

It has been an incredibly exciting harvest season for a product guy like me! I love looking for products that work well for farmers and the specific challenges they face on their Midwest farms.

This year the product team at Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds decided to put our lineup up against the competition in the F.I.R.S.T. Trials, an independent, third party testing service. We’ve always had a lot of confidence in our corn and soybean lineups. For years, we’ve tracked how we not only compete – but beat – national brands in our marketing footprint.

Just like someone entering a livestock show or a team entering a basketball tournament, one never really knows what the actual performance will be at that particular time and place. All you can do is prepare and try your best. That’s what we did when we entered the F.I.R.S.T. Trials, and the results have been nothing short of amazing!

Soybean trial results came first. Last Wednesday I wrote about how “Latham places first again and again.” I’ve never had so much fun checking my emails in the morning as I have this fall, watching test results show Latham® Hi‑Tech Soybeans at the top.

The final total was 18 location or region summary wins for Latham brand soybeans! Unbelievable. Our soybean lineup was hitting a grand slam homerun!

The more I thought about all of our soybean wins, however, the more anxiety I had over the corn results. I’ve known for years that our corn lineup can compete against anyone. After all, we do our own research against industry-leading products to help us choose our product lineup. Such research has given us confidence in our own lineup, yet there are still a great many farmers who are hesitant to give a “new” corn brand a try.

Latham® Hi‑Tech Hybrids are celebrating their tenth year, and we’ve been fortunate to grow our corn lineup for 10 straight year. Our customers have known for years that Latham has great corn, and now thanks to our performance in 2014 F.I.R.S.T. Trials, more Midwest farmers will know it!

This week we were fortunate to win our 19^th corn test – that’s one more test than our decorated soybean lineup! Eight different Latham corn products have won F.I.R.S.T. Trial locations all the way from 90 to 110 days.

Products like LH 4097 VT2 PRO and LH 5215 VT2 PRO have absolutely dominated their area of adaptation. Latham has had 140 Latham corn products place in the top 10 in FIRST Trial tests, which shows the strength and depth of our lineup. Plus, this broad maturity range will allow more customers to try and most importantly profit from Latham corn hybrids!

Again, I credit Latham’s team approach to product selection for this year’s performance. Unlike the national brands that choose products based on a wide area of adaptability, we focus on choosing the best products for local conditions. Latham’s strategy to choose products that perform in specific soil types and field conditions across our marketing area works. But don’t just take my word for it… Look over all the data at www.firstseedtests.com!

John Latham, President

November 12, 2014

Corn, Crop, Fall, General, Season
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Latham Places 1st Again & Again in F.I.R.S.T. Trials

I’ve always been very confident in the corn and soybean products that we offer at Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds. After all, when your name in literally on each bag of seed, you want to do all that you can to protect your reputation! That’s why we take a team approach to selecting products.

Our Product Team members either farm themselves or call on farmers in the areas where they live. This means they not only review data from breeders and their own research plots, but they watch these crops grow and develop. Our corn and soybean specialists walk fields and test plots, searching for the perfect products to perform in our customer’s field conditions. As a result, they have confidence in the products that go into our lineup.

Latham® brand products are selected for their yield potential, as well as for their ability to overcome specific regional challenges. For example: Latham’s IronClad^TM Soybeans receive this unique designation for their rating on Iron Chlorosis or White Mold. Our Gladiator Corn Hybrids are selected to do yield better in corn-on-corn situations. Even Latham’s alfalfa lineup was chosen to address specific needs like high-salt soils or leaf-hopper resistance.

To showcase our lineup, this year Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds made a much larger investment in the independent F.I.R.S.T. Trials. This third-party testing service is proving how well we compare to the competition… The results this fall have been amazing!

Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds, to date, has won 29 different F.I.R.S.T. Trial corn and soybean locations and region summaries this fall! We’ve won 18 different soybean tests, including 5 different region summaries in Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, South Dakota and Illinois.

Eleven different Latham soybean products have won F.I.R.S.T. Trial tests from Group 0 all the way to 2.7 maturity. Many of these locations contain as many as 84 different competitive products! In the state of South Dakota alone, Latham won 6 different F.I.R.S.T. Trial Tests with 6 different Latham® Hi‑Tech Soybean products. In the state of Minnesota, Latham L1858R2 is the top yielding soybean in any test in Minnesota, Wisconsin or the Dakotas with a yield of 82.9 bushel per acre!

Latham brand corn is performing extremely well, too. Tests remain to be harvested, but already Latham corn has won 11 different F.I.R.S.T. Trial locations across Iowa, Minnesota and North Dakota. Latham LH 5215 VT2 PRO has won 5 different tests across Iowa and Minnesota PLUS it won the West Central region of Minnesota. In the north, Latham LH 4097 VT2 PRO and Latham LH 4455 VT3 PRO together have won 4 locations so far. In Central Iowa, Latham LH 5829 SS won the Winterset, Iowa, location at 247.9 bushels.

So what’s the secret to Latham’s stellar product performance? Unlike the national brands that choose products based on a wide area of adaptability, we focus on choosing the best products for local conditions. Latham’s strategy to choose products that perform in specific soil types and field conditions across our marketing area works. But don’t just take my word for it… Look over all the data at www.firstseedtests.com!

John Latham, President

November 5, 2014

Corn, Crop, Fall, General, Season, Soybeans
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Harvest Wraps Up as October Closes

With cooperative during the last week, farmers across Latham Country made tracks and covered lots of ground. Soybean harvest is nearly 100% complete in all of our territories, with many expecting to have the majority of corn out by Sunday night.

A recent AgWeb article verifies what we’ve been hearing from our seed dealers and customers: yields have been “inconsistent” thus far. “Higher precipitation levels experienced this spring and summer has led to lighter soils, which are more apt to draining, yielding above average. Conversely, heavier soils, that are less apt to draining, have been reporting average to below average yields in those areas that experienced above average rainfall.”

Click on this link for an update on #harvest14 progress across our six-state marketing territory: http://bit.ly/1mXS9RY

Team Latham

October 29, 2014

Fall, General, Season
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

How to Interpret Yield Data
This fall Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds has done very well in the F.I.R.S.T. trials all over the Midwest, winning many locations and Regional Performance Summaries. With such great data, it’s no wonder that farmers want to call in and order the winners. If we’re doing our job, however, we may not let you!

Why wouldn’t we let farmers order what they want without asking any questions? The answer is simple: Just because a product placed first in a yield trial in one location, in one year, across one predominant soil type, doesn’t guarantee it will be the yield winner given another farm and a different management style.

When study yield results from independent yield trials, be sure to analyze the information. Here are some tips for interpreting yield data:
To help you select the right seed for your given situation, we’ll ask discovery questions first to determine needs like fighting weed resistance or corn rootworm. We’ll also visit with you about our hallmark Seed-2-Soil program for crop planning and/or nutrient management to help support your product selection.

Don’t get me wrong… Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds is thrilled with how well we’ve performed this season in third party, unbiased, independent yield trials! It is great that we can win yield trials but winning on the farm is what really counts. We want to combine our yield data – with your own farm data – to help ensure you get the best products for your acres.
October 23, 2014

Corn, Crop, Fall, General, Season, Soybeans
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Wet Weather Halts #Harvest14

Almost 40% of Iowa’s soybean acreage was harvested during the 5 days suitable that were suitable for fieldwork last week. After we were blessed with the driest week in nearly three months, showers moved into many areas over the weekend and into this week. Between Sunday and Tuesday, one Northeast Iowa farmer reported that 4” in his rain gauge. Here in North Central Iowa, we’ve received 1.85″ inches in the past 72 hours.

Wet weather brought #harvest14 to a halt. Corn harvest is just 10% complete, which is almost 3 weeks behind normal. Soybean harvest is just one week behind normal. The 5-day forecast for our area shows 0% chance of precipitation with breezy conditions and sunshine, so we expect harvest activity will resume soon. Click here for a harvest update by region: http://bit.ly/1mXS9RY

Team Latham

October 15, 2014

Fall, General, Season
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Tips to Maximize Bushels during Soybean Harvest
Latham® dealer Kyle Geske starting harvest on Latham L00938RR soybeans

Harvesting soybeans on a timely basis should be every farmer’s goal. Yields are maximized when each field is harvested at 13% moisture and combines are adjusted properly from the start. That being said, I’ve been asked numerous times just what the yield loss is when moisture falls below 13% and how to prevent soybeans from “shattering.”

Let’s tackle the first part of the question right away: “What is my yield loss when soybeans come in below 13%?” A recent article published by Gary Zoubek and Chuck Burr from the University of Nebraska Extension states the following:

Moisture at Harvest

% Yield Lost

12%

1.14

11%

2.25

10%

3.30

9%

4.40

8%

5.43

Using this information, a field yielding 75 bushels per acre harvested at 9% results in 3.3 fewer bushels per acre than if it would have been harvested at 13%. You will lose $33 per acre if the soybean market is at $10 per bushel!

Because life isn’t always perfect and we sometimes are prohibited from harvesting exactly at 13% moisture, here are a few simple suggestions that can help you put more in the hopper:
Another tip for harvesting soybeans on a timely basis is to spread out the maturities. Keep this in mind now as when selecting your soybean seed for next year. Don’t place “all of your eggs in one basket” when it comes to selecting the maturity of soybean seed.

Moving on to the second part of the question stated in the first paragraph: “How can I keep soybeans from shattering?” “Shattering” implies that something is wrong or abnormal. However, I truly believe it’s natural for a pod to split open and soybeans fall to the ground because these plants were created to spread their seeds and propagate! To prevent “shattering,” spread out your maturities so you may harvest your soybeans in a timely manner.

Wishing you a safe and productive harvest!
October 2, 2014

Crop, Fall, General, Season, Soybeans
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Harvest Underway in Latham Country

Above average temperatures pushed crops toward maturity this past week. Silage and hay harvest are wrapping up. Farmers across Latham Country are harvesting soybeans primarily, and some corn, as conditions allow. #Harvest14 came to a halt when rain fell in many areas last night and into today. For an update on progress by region, click here.

Team Latham

October 1, 2014

Fall, General, Season