There’s an old Midwest saying that if corn is going to “make it,” or mature before the first frost, then it needs to be knee-high by the Fourth of July. ISU Extension Corn Specialist Roger Elmore says that with progressively earlier planting dates, as well as improved genetics and management, we’re more accustomed to at least “nose high” by the Fourth of July. Depending on planting date and growing conditions, as well as the hybrid itself, some corn is oftentimes over our heads at this time of year. Regardless of planting date, it always depends on the farmer!
Let me further explain: No one has ever clarified whose knee was used as the measure or whether he or she was wearing boots with a heel. (Honestly, I don’t think my knee caps would be even with my husband’s if I was wearing stilettos and standing uphill.) No one, at least to my knowledge, has ever documented the height of the farmer doing the measuring. That is, no one has until now …
To consistently measure corn growth weekly on one north central Iowa farm, we’ve asked Uncle Jim to serve as our 
“measuring stick.” Uncle Jim is undoubtedly one of Latham Hi‑Tech Hybrids biggest fans — and with good reason! He’s been achieving bin-busting yields since he started planting Latham® Hi‑Tech Hybrids five years ago.
Despite threats from hail, wind and floods, Jim’s corn crop is once again standing tall. That’s why we’ve decided to have a little fun with this by sponsoring a Tall Corn contest. After all, there’s a reason that Iowa is nicknamed “the tall corn state”!
Enter today! See directions below. A winner will be picked each week from here to September with a grand prize winner being selected at the end of September. Our first Tall Corn Contest “winner” will be named one week from today, on Thursday, July 8. Below are the contest details.
Tall Corn Contest Rules
1) How to Enter/Eligibility: To enter, visit www.facebook.com/LathamSeeds and type in your guess to those entries asking “How tall is the corn in Uncle Jim’s field?” Comments must be received by submitted weekly by midnight on Wednesday.
2) Eligibility Restrictions: Entrants must have their own valid Facebook account. The contest is not open to Latham® employees or their spouses.
3) Selection of Winners: A weekly winner will be selected at random from those Facebook users who commented with a guess to the question, “How tall is the corn in Uncle Jim’s field?” The winner will be notified by direct message on Facebook each Thursday. Odds of winning depend on the number of eligible entries received.
4) Prizes: All weekly winners will be entered to win the grand prize ? a Latham jacket. All weekly winners will also be given a Latham® corn mug valued at $5 dollars. In the winner notification message, we will ask for a mailing address where the prize can be shipped. The grand prize will be awarded in September.
5) Publicizing the Winner: The winner’s name will be posted on the Latham’s blog, www.thefieldposition.com, Facebook, www.facebook.com/LathamSeeds, and Twitter page, www.twitter.com/LathamSeeds. All entrants agree to having their name publicized on these accounts.
6) Miscellaneous: By entering, entrants agree to the above terms and conditions.