This week college basketball teams and their loyal fans will travel to eight cities for 48 games during the first four-day weekend of America’s unofficial hoops holiday. They will then move to four cities for the Sweet 16 before arriving in New Orleans where the Final Four will run April 2-4.
We’re helping fans everywhere prepare with 10 themed recipes from our blog. Whether your favorite teams win or loses, you’ll always be a winner when you bring your “A Game” to the table! Good food makes the agony of defeat more bearable or the thrill of victory sweeter.
Iowans were thrilled on Selection Sunday, March 13, when both the University of Iowa Hawkeyes and the Iowa State University Cyclones were invited to The Big Dance. Fresh off a Big 10 Championship title, the University of Iowa Hawkeyes were given a 5-seed. The Hawks will play 12th-seeded Richmond Spiders, which also won its conference tournament, at 2:10 p.m. on March 17.
Iowa State University will play on Friday, March 17, at 6:20 p.m. After going 0-18 last season in the Big 12 and 2-22 overall, new head coach T.J. Otzelberger’s has led the Cyclones to their first NCAA tournament since 2019. The Cyclones will be an 11th-seed this year, matching up against the sixth-seeded Louisiana State University Tigers.
Throughout the basketball season, every free throw made by Iowa State University and University of Iowa, Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds donated to the American Cancer Society through Coaches vs Cancer!
The 2022 Iowa State University Check Presentation.The 2022 University of Iowa Check Presentation.
Whether you want to cheer on your favorite teams while enjoying a St. Patrick’s Day feast, simple pub grub or southern comfort food, you’ll find it in our Game Day Recipe Roundup. Below are favorite recipes that were featured by Latham Seeds on “The Field Position:
Remember to tune into after the game to the Latham Locker Room Report on Cyclone Radio. The Latham Locker Room show is a post-game radio broadcast in which analysts, coaches and players share their thoughts on the game.
Your planter is the most important piece of equipment because it has the largest impact from emergence to final yield. Making these three upgrades will provide a return on your investment (ROI).
Closing Wheels in No-Till or Limited-Till Conditions. Closing wheels on a planter ensure the furrow is closed and there is adequate seed-to-soil contact. In a dry spring, this can be the difference as to whether the seed can pull enough water to germinate. If there are air pockets around the seed, it either won’t germinate or it will rot trying. There are many different types of closing wheels and closing wheel systems. Look at your management style and determine if you need spiked wheels to help crumble the furrow wall in tough soil conditions or if you need more aggressive closing action. Then look at the closing wheel systems or one with a walking axle on it. If you conventionally till all your fields in the spring before planting, you likely don’t need this upgrade.
Floating Row Cleaners. Rigid or pin adjust row cleaners have been the standard for many years and can perform well in certain circumstances. However, their limitation is not being able to adjust for changing terrain. Any tillage situation that leaves some residue on top of the soil can benefit from a residue cleaner. Consider switching from fixed to floating if you have been noticing uneven emergence in spots of the field as you roll across different terrain. The row cleaner could be riding high and not clearing a path, resulting in hair pinning, uneven planting depth and residue in the furrow.
Downforce Adjustment. On-the-go downforce adjustments is not the easiest upgrade, but it will likely provide the best ROI in any tillage situation. This upgrade can keep your planter units riding smoother, so more uniform depth is achieved. Depth robs more yield than spacing. Having too little downforce means the unit could be riding up and not getting the seed placed where it should. If conditions are wet, you don’t need as much weight on the unit. Wet conditions or too much weight compact the furrow walls, causing root and early season growth issues. A study done by Agco in 2017 revealed on-the-go downforce adjustments had a 20 bushel per acre (Bu/A) advantage in situations when the down pressure was too light and 6 Bu/A advantage over too much down pressure.
Remember, your operation is not the same as your neighbors’. Be sure to align these planter upgrades with your specific soils and management practices, and they will provide a return for your operation.
Each time a member of the men’s basketball team at the University of Iowa or Iowa State University stands at the free throw line the American Cancer Society has a shot at winning. For the 10th consecutive season, Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds has teamed up with Cyclone Sports Properties and Hawkeye Sports Properties to donate funds to the American Cancer Society through Coaches vs. Cancer. Over the course of 10 years, Latham Seeds has donated $65k.
Coaches vs. Cancer was championed by Norm Stewart, former head coach of the University of Missouri men’s basketball program. As a cancer survivor and member of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), Stewart challenged fans to pledge a dollar amount for points made by his team. The American Cancer Society and the NABC adopted that concept in 1993, transforming it into a nationwide effort to provide help and hope to people facing cancer.
“We have been committed to supporting the American Cancer Society through the Charity Stripe Promotion since 2013 because we know first-hand what a gift hope can be,” says John Latham, president of family-owned Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds in Alexander, Iowa. “On February 20, 2010, my father underwent a stem cell transplant to battle AML (Acute Myelogenous Leukemia). He and my mom moved into the Gift of Life Transplant House in Rochester after he was released from the hospital. That transplant extended Dad’s life for more than five years, and we are grateful for all of the support he received during his cancer battle. I also grateful that my mom is a two-time cancer survivor.”
Whether it’s ourselves, our parents, a neighbor or a coworker, each of us has a cancer story. More than 1.6 million people are diagnosed with cancer annually in the United States. No one fights alone.
In this week’s #AskTheAgronomist, Precision Agronomy Advisor Phil Long addresses common questions related to foliar feeding soybeans and what he learned from this past growing season.
Changes to Soybean Research Program a Resounding Success!
Latham Soybean Research Plot
I’m pleased to inform you that the changes we made to our soybean research program were a resounding success! The decision to hire other companies to plant and harvest our Latham Elite trials allowed our Product Team members to observe and take notes at a greater number of locations and across a wider geographic area. In previous years, our own crew could only plant and harvest 11 or 12 locations in Iowa and southern Minnesota. We would then hire another company to do the same at about five or six locations in northern Minnesota and North Dakota. This year we were able to plant and harvest 33 locations in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Wisconsin, North Dakota and South Dakota!
Latham Seeds’ Product Team will evaluate the yield data and correlate notes taken to see which products are a good fit for Latham Country. During that same time, Latham’s Regional Sales Managers (RSMs) and Dealers will be surveyed to determine what products are needed based on input they receive from our customers. Then, and only then, will new products be added to our 2023 lineup.
Once we identify products from the Elite Trials that meet Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds’ standards and fulfill our customers’ needs, we release them for sale. We also place these new products in our Latham Showcase plots, as well as in the independent F.I.R.S.T. Trials program, to again showcase the performance of these new products and to provide opportunities for our customers to gain confidence in their performance.
Mark Grundmeier, Product Manager
It has been my great honor and pleasure working for the Latham family for more than 25 years – first, as an agronomist, then as Soybean Product Manager and, for a dozen or so years as overall Product Manager. When Bill and Don Latham hired me in 1996, I had high hopes this would eventually lead to this being my dream job. I was looking for an opportunity to work in Research and Product Development. It certainly was everything I had hoped it would be. I can honestly say that I’ve never regretted the decision – not even once!
Along the way, I’ve met farmers, dealers, sales personnel, fellow employees and colleagues from numerous areas. I am proud to call many of you my friends. I’d like to thank the Latham family for placing their trust in me. I especially want to thank John, Shannon and Chris for allowing me to “spread my wings,” so I could be more involved in all of the products we handle. As for the future, I know that I’m leaving the company in the best of hands.
This is the final article I will write for TECHtalk as I am retiring at the end of 2021. I’m looking forward to spending more time with my family, traveling and pursuing some hobbies that I’ve put on hold for a few years. I wish you all the best as you continue to work in this great business of agriculture. May God richly bless you always!
As we were conducting our pre-harvest field inspections, many production growers said they’d be happy with 40-bushel yields due to the early cold spell followed by drought. I’m happy to report that most of our growers’ yields were in the mid-50s to the mid-60s, and some even saw yields of 70 bushels per acre (bu/A) or more!
It seems that a few timely rains in August made the difference between having a decent crop and having a poor one. Below are raw yield results from some soybean Latham® Showcase plots and Latham Elite trials harvested this fall:
Near Chatfield, Minn., Latham® L 2193 E3 yielded an outstanding 107.8 bu/A, and L 2049 E3 was right there with 95.7 bu/A!
Near Sac City, Iowa, L 2283 XF brought in 84.39 bu/A and L 2184 R2X was a close second with 82.87 bu/A.
Near Oskaloosa, Iowa, L 3448 R2X produced 83.52 bu/A, barely nudging out L 3479 E3 at 83.26 bu/A.
Near Lu Verne, IA, L 2049 E3 topped a plot with 81.89 bu/A and L 2379 E3 came in at 79.79 bu/A.
Near Albert City, Iowa, L 2458 E3 yielded 91.94 bu/A and L 1648 LLGT27 came in at 81.49 bu/A.
Near Vernon Center, Minn., L 1758 E3 scored 75.15 bu/A and L 1769 R2X came in at 73.21 bu/A.
Near Renville, Minn., L 1758 E3 scored 75.06 bu/A while L 2049 E3 was very close with 73.11 bu/A.
Near Clarence, Iowa, L 3192 E3 produced 120.12 bu/A and L 2894 E3 yielded 110.85!
Mantador, ND, caught some much-needed rain late in the season. At that location, L 1094 E3 produced 79.19 bu/A and L 0739 R2X yielded 65.19 bu/A.
Keep checking lathamseeds.com for updated yield results from plots around Latham Country.
#AskTheAgronomist: Selecting Soybeans to Address Disease Challenges
Soybean diseases such as soybean sudden death syndrome, white mold and soybean cyst nematode (SCN) negatively impacted yields in parts of Latham Country in 2021. In this week’s #AskTheAgronomist, Precision Agronomy Advisor Phil Long discusses how to identify and select soybean varieties that will address disease pressure in your fields.
#AskTheAgronomist: Fertility and pH Management in Reduced-Till Scenarios
In this week’s Ask the Agronomist, Precision Agronomy Advisor Phil Long discusses fertility and pH management challenges that can present in continuous reduced-till scenarios. He also offers some tips on how to get a more accurate read from your soil sample and improve fertility decision-making for your fields.
As harvest comes to a close, the next item on many farmers’ minds is fertilizer. With prices nearly double previous levels, it’s important to get the timing – and the form – right for your fields, management styles and spring crop plans. Precision Agronomy Advisor Phil Long reviews the nitrogen cycle, product options and ways to make sure the fertilizer you apply now is ready for your crop in the spring.
Pumpkin Fundraiser Plants a Seed for Ronald McDonald Donation
As a young boy growing up on 4-C-Sons Dairy near Maiden Rock, Wisconsin, Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds Forage Products Manager Corey Catt developed an interest in how nutrition affected the animals in his care. He also was committed to making a difference in his community and the world around him.
“My parents were always visiting family and friends in the nursing homes, as well as those who lost spouses or going through a tough patch in life,” says Corey. “My favorite grandmother, who had been very active, was in a bad car accident that left her in a wheelchair. This gave me and my brothers perspective to the challenges people face.”
Corey’s mom was a nurse and an emergency medical technician (EMT), and he attended classes with her when he was young. He also was in an accident when he was a kid. “I will never forget those who helped me from the EMT’s to a wonderful community that supported our family and farm operations during that time. All this support and kindness from others added some depth and desire to want to help others in some way.”
His life experience also explains Corey’s diverse interests and multi-faceted career. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin at River Falls with a bachelor’s degree in Agriculture with an emphasis in Agronomy, Nutrition and Economics. He took EMT training at night after attending college classes during his first fall in college. He later advanced training to become a Nationally Registered Paramedic.
“One of my paramedic colleagues from the ambulance service was telling me about a fundraiser his dad did. Every spring he would start seeds for giant pumpkins. Then he would sell the seedlings to people in the community to raise money for a community fundraiser, and in the fall, they had a big pumpkin weigh-off party. It was similar to a 50-50 raffle where half the money was reserved for the winner with the biggest pumpkin, and the other half was donated to kids with disabilities,” said Corey.
Corey’s friend needed a place to grow his giant pumpkin for the fundraiser and asked if he could plant it at 4-C-Sons Dairy. Their first attempt yielded them about a 200-pound pumpkin, so they accepted a challenge to grow a bigger pumpkin the following year. Some people claim there are lots of secrets to growing a giant pumpkin, but Corey says it’s a lot is like farming because we need Mother Nature to cooperate.
“That fundraiser planted a seed in the back of my mind,” said Corey. “It got me thinking about ways I could help others.”
Corey Catt delivers pumpkins to Ronald McDonald House Charities with his two goddaughters.
Fast forward a few years and an opportunity presented itself. Corey was asked to be a godfather for two of his friends’ daughters. When the girls grew older, Corey wanted to do an activity with his goddaughters that would allow them to experience the feeling of giving back by helping others. Corey planted his first pumpkin patch about 20 years ago, and then he reached out to the Ronald McDonald House in Minneapolis to see if he and his goddaughters could donate pumpkins there. In subsequent years, he contacted Ronald McDonald Houses in Milwaukee because they were closer to where his other goddaughters lived. He also has donated to Rochester.
“Delivering pumpkins to Ronald McDonald Houses led to meaningful conversations with my goddaughters, House managers, and the families that stay there,” said Corey. “We were given tours of the houses, so my goddaughters learned about kids their ages who were battling pediatric cancer. A house manager at the Ronald House in Milwaukee explained how decorating pumpkins brings some normalcy to a chaotic life. It’s a source of comfort to these families, even if it’s just for a moment in time.”
“The love is palpable inside the Ronald McDonald House,” adds Corey. “Everyone there is so kind. There are volunteers who are gardening, preparing meals and leading crafts. My role isn’t large, but it’s a way to support these families. This year we delivered pumpkins in time for a large move-in event at the Ronald McDonald House in Minneapolis. Our pumpkins, straw bales and corn shocks helped welcome these families to their home away from home.”
The Pumpkins Must Get Delivered
Just as rain and snow couldn’t keep the Pony Express from delivering, Corey doesn’t allow the weather to prevent him from delivering pumpkins.
“I’ve been extremely blessed to have a good friend who graciously grows a big pumpkin patch every year, so I have a backup supply,” says Corey. “When I’ve had production issues due to hail or drought, he has come through. This year he grew the most beautiful weed free patch that I’ve ever seen in my life. It’s nice to have friends who contribute, too.”
Raising pumpkins on a large scale takes time and effort. Corey says he’s in a constant battle with weeds and insects when he’s not working with dairy and beef producers through his job with Latham Seeds or working as a paramedic at Regions Hospital in St. Paul.
“Some days you wonder if it’s really worth it, and then you’re reminded why you’re doing this,” says Corey. “One day I was delivering pumpkins to a Ronald McDonald House when I saw a little girl with tubes hanging everywhere. I could just feel the heaviness of this mom. It honestly made my heart ache as I imagined all her concerns: hospital bills, insurance, missed work, other kids at home.
This little girl walked by one a warty pumpkin and said, ‘Look, Mommy. This one has bumps.’ She smiled the biggest smile. That little, warty pumpkin brought her so much joy. I could see the mom find a fragment of joy in that moment, and that one moment made a summer’s worth of work all worth it.”
Corey adds, “Everyone has pieces of their heart they want to give, but not everyone knows how to share it. It took a lot of phone calls for me to figure out how to give back to Ronald McDonald Houses, but it has been so rewarding. I believe each one of us can find a way to make a difference. That’s one thing I appreciate about Latham Seeds. This family-owned company is about more than business… It’s about making a difference.”
In honor of October as both Pork and Pumpkin Month, today we’re sharing a recipe for Pork & Pumpkin Chili. Plus, pumpkin has many health benefits! Pumpkin is highly nutritious. It’s high in beta-carotene, which your body turns into vitamin A. Studies show that vitamin A can strengthen your immune system and help fight infections.
In honor of October as both Pork and Pumpkin Month, today we’re sharing a recipe for Pork & Pumpkin Chili. Plus, pumpkin has many health benefits! Pumpkin is highly nutritious. It’s high in beta-carotene, which your body turns into vitamin A. and is particularly rich in Vitamin A. Studies show that vitamin A can strengthen your immune system and help fight infections.
