Ken has a “Basket of Factors” to share with us from Northern Latham Country right now. Take a listen on this week’s Proof Points Podcast.
#LathamSeeds #FamilyOwnedFarmProven #LathamCountry
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Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds
Proof Points Podcast – Episode 9
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Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds
#FromtheField – Week of June 12, 2023
Take a look across Latham Country! We’re coming to you every week.
How important is planting depth? Aaron shows us first-hand from the field in Central Iowa.
See the difference! On the left is LH 5034 AA after getting no rain for 35 days in super-hot weather. On the right shows the same hybrid after 1.2” of rain. This product has impressive heat and drought resistance in South Dakota! Learn more about our unmatched lineup: https://lathamseeds.com/products/?crop=377
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Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds
Early Scouting For Prevention
The first principle of crop scouting is to determine what is normal and what is not normal. Knowing what a healthy plant looks like is key to identifying seedling disease. When scouting for seedling diseases, look for yellowing, wilted, stunted, dead or missing plants.
- In corn, look for discolored or rotten mesocotyls, seminal roots and nodal roots.
- In soybeans, look for seedlings that pull easily from the soil, discolored or rotting root tissue, and lesions that form on the taproot or hypocotyl.
Before you head out to the field, there are several tools that are must-haves for early-season crop scouting:
- A tape measure to take stand counts
- A seed digger, trowel, or spade to dig up seeds or plants to evaluate planting depth, seedling diseases and below-ground feeding insects, like seed corn maggots.
Remember that certain weather and soil conditions favor specific pathogens. Cool and wet soils favor Fusarium and Pythium, warm and wet soils favor Phytophthora, and warm and moist soils favor Rhizoctonia.
It should be noted that a lab diagnosis is needed to confirm what pathogen is causing the symptoms. Knowing what disease(s) are present can help you choose hybrids and varieties that have good disease scores in the future and can guide decisions on the use of fungicide treated seed.
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Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds
#FromtheField – Week of June 5, 2023
Take a look across Latham Country! We’re coming to you every week.
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Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds
Latham Proof Points – Episode 5
This week, Ken talks about what’s happening in the Red River Valley — and changes he’s seen in the industry that are relevant today.
Enjoyed listening? Check out other podcasts on Latham’s YouTube Channel.
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Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds
Milestone Memories Mark This Family’s Legacy with Latham Seeds
It’s not often that couples celebrate golden anniversaries, especially with their seed companies. Loren and Marianne Payne of Belmond, Iowa, were Latham® seed growers for more than 50 years — and they clearly remember the day Willard Latham came by to ask if they’d be willing to raise some soybeans for him. They Paynes had been taking their oats to get cleaned at Willard’s company, and they knew each other well.
“We told him we would try that,” says Marianne, who farmed with her husband from 1962 until 2019. “Pretty soon every field was planted to Latham seed beans.”
Marianne says raising seed beans worked out well for them. They were able to combine the crop and deliver it directly to the Latham plant, with Marianne herself driving the tractor and wagons. Not having to worry about storage allowed the Paynes to save on seed costs — and their landlords also agreed to raise seed beans.
“We would plant different varieties, so our fields would mature at different times,” she says. “It went well for us.”
Now that they’ve retired and moved to town, Marianne says she misses running the tractors. Not only did she haul their grain, she ran their tillage equipment too. For many years, the Paynes raised cattle and hogs, and had a few sheep early on. Marianne was raised on a farm between Thornton and Alexander; Loran was on a farm three miles away. They went to different country schools and met through friends.
Loren and Marianne Payne, who have five grown children, were honored in 2019 for having served as Latham® seed growers for 51 years. It’s a milestone memory that they, and we, hold fondly.
Loren and Marianne Payne with John Latham Celebrating Over 50 Years of Service “Latham Seeds has always been easy to work with,” Marianne says. “I really enjoyed working with each generation. We never worried because we knew we could trust them.”
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Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds
#FromtheField – Week of May 29, 2023
Take a look across Latham Country! We’re coming to you every week.
Did you enjoy these videos? We want to (TECH)talk with you! Sign up for our newsletter to receive agronomy videos (and delicious recipes) in your inbox! We’ll TALK soon.
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Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds
#FromtheField – Week of May 15
Take a look across Latham Country! We’re coming to you every week.
Did you enjoy these videos? We want to (TECH)talk with you! Sign up for our newsletter to receive agronomy videos (and delicious recipes) in your inbox! We’ll TALK soon.
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Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds
#FromtheField – Week of May 1, 2023
Take a look across Latham Country! We’re coming to you every week.
Latham Hi‑Tech Seed’s Corn Plot going in Northern Iowa!
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Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds
This Could Be THE Year!
Optimism and grit are two qualities every farmer I’ve ever met has in common.
Family, farming, food and faith are the four themes that kept emerging as Iowa author Darcy Maulsby wrote the book, Iowa Agriculture: A History of Farming, Family and Food.
“For generations, American farmers have lived by an unwritten code centered around hard work, courage, perseverance, teamwork, personal responsibility and concern for the community,” Maulsby says.
This unwritten code is also the Latham way. You’ll find the words “teamwork” and “community” hanging on the wall of our company’s conference room, which is in the former home of Latham Seeds’ founders Willard and Evelyn Latham. We’re proud that our company headquarters is located on the Latham family’s Iowa Century Farm in Franklin County. Our office is surrounded by crops, which are our products.
My husband John, my brother-in-law Chris, and I are proud to be the third generation to own and operate our family-owned seed business. Each year we enter the spring planting season filled with hope and optimism. Each spring John says – and truly means it – that he is more excited than ever to watch our products emerge from the ground and see the crop develop throughout the growing season.
Keep in mind that a seed company grows its products one year in advance. This year we announced our 2024 product lineup to our local Latham® dealers earlier than ever because we’re so excited! All growing season long, our dealers will help us take product notes and evaluate performance. Latham Product Manager Steve Sick will be traveling across the Upper Midwest, meeting with our dealers and taking more notes on our products throughout the growing season. Our product selection begins with YOU, the American farmer.
From our family to yours, we wish you a safe planting season. To help you power through the long hours ahead, we’re sharing links to a few recipes that are easy to eat in the field or in the cab:
- 7 Tractor-Friendly Meal Ideas from This Farm Girl Cooks
- On-the-Go Lunch Ideas from This Farm Girl Cooks
- Farmer-Approved Tractor Meals from Prairie Californian
- Six Week Muffins from Corn, Beans, Pigs & Kids
- Sweet & Salty Corn Chips from Corn, Beans, Pigs & Kids
I’m also including a bonus recipe featuring pecans because today is National Pecan Day. Did you know a snack of one pecan serving (about 19 halves) provides loads of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals?