Let’s Celebrate Our Independence!

When I was a child, it annoyed me that my birthday cakes were often decorated with fireworks. Today, however, I’d be honored to celebrate with the red, white and blue. I understand what an honor and a privilege it is to live in a free country where we take for granted so many rights that people in other nations only dream about having.

The tradition of celebrating Independence Day dates back to the 18th Century. The Continental Congress voted in favor of independence two days before delegates from the 13 colonies adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.

Americans continue to celebrate the Fourth of July with festivities, ranging from fireworks and parades to family gatherings and backyard barbecues. Isn’t it amazing how the birth of our nation’s independence 243 years ago still unites us? I was overcome by a great sense of patriotism yesterday as I was walking down Main Street in Clear Lake, Iowa, waving an American flag.

Waving the flag demonstrates support for our great nation. It made me think about the symbolism between waving our country’s flag and that of our favorite sports teams or organizations. I started thinking about what I can do to wave our company’s flag.

At Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds, we’re proud to be family-owned and independent. Our independence means we don’t have to answer to shareholders or Wall Street. We don’t have a parent company to lean on during the tough times. We can only succeed when our farmer-customer succeeds. That means we take great pride in researching seed products and selected those that are bred to perform best in specific geographic areas.

The Latham Team is as committed to helping farmers today as it was when Willard Latham founded our family’s seed business in 1947. We’re proud to be living our family’s legacy right here on the Latham family’s Iowa Century Farm.

We’d like to show you our research farm and walk the plots that showcase the newest seed traits and technologies. Mark your calendars for our annual Latham® Technology Tour on September 6 in Alexander, Iowa. More details will be coming soon.

In the meantime, let’s celebrate our independence and National Ice Cream month with a flashback to Evelyn Latham’s kitchen. Evelyn was known for her cooking skills and hospitality. It wasn’t unusual for her to feed a room full of family, hired men or customers as serving others was an act of love.

Evelyn was such an inspiration to me, so today I’m sharing her recipe for ice cream cake. You’ll also find several links to celebrate our independence.

NOTE: If you’d like a thick slice of the best homemade chocolate cake, click here . Click on the following links for other patriotic dessert ideas: Kid-Friendly Fourth of July Treats, Patriotic Pinwheels, Rice Krispy Star Treats and Red, White & Blue Rice Krispy Bars. Of course, you could always make the “tried and true” original Rice Krispy Treats recipe using the Red, White and Blue limited edition cereal.