Boldness and Humility: A True Leadership Trait

They met in 1989 at the Best Western hotel in Moline, Illinois to talk about the challenges facing seed companies at the time. Among those present was Bill Latham, who wanted to work alongside like-minded advocates of independent seed businesses.

The group’s main concern? How to keep from being shut out of the best genetics and early traits in soybeans (and later corn) as those traits came into the marketplace.

Chris Latham, who was 16 years old, remembers lots of “kitchen table talk” at his home in Alexander, Iowa, where Bill and others actively brainstormed ways to move forward.

“It was frankly a scary time,” Chris says. “The future was very uncertain as large companies could have easily shut out independents.”

As a result of those early discussions, however, the Independent Professional Seed Association (IPSA) was born. Fast forward 35 years later: Bill Latham’s sons, Chris and John, are still carrying on their father’s example as stewards in the industry.

“IPSA has always had great innovators, my father included,” says Chris, who just concluded a one-year term as president of the organization. He previously served as president of the Iowa Seed Association, and older brother John continues to serve on the board of the American Seed Trade Association.

“Independent companies provide a critical pathway for new products and ideas — outside what global seed companies can offer,” Chris says. “The inherent nature of independent companies is to find innovative ways to create value for farmers outside of the traditional trait and genetic pathways.”

Chris says his goal as IPSA president was to tell its members’ stories through bold and humble leadership. He also aimed to help the industry push forward, despite many mergers and consolidations among the global companies. Often, he says, Wall Street undervalues the benefits that independent companies bring to agriculture — a lesson he learned not only from his father but as CFO of Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds.

“I always admired Dad’s desire to learn about things and to apply it to whatever he did,” says Chris, who recalls summer vacations spent road-tripping across the United States, taking in the sights on their way to the latest seed industry convention. “I literally grew up in the seed business.”

After graduating from CAL High School in Latimer, Iowa, Chris majored in Finance at Drake University. He graduated in May 1995 and worked full-time in the banking industry. On Saturdays, he attended classes at Iowa State University in Ames to earn a Master of Business Administration.

Chris, his brother John and sister-in-law Shannon Latham purchased the family’s flagship soybean seed company in 2009 as the third-generation owners.

“While my background was not in agronomy, I felt I was in the right place and time to help grow the business,” Chris says. “John and Shannon have backgrounds in sales and marketing respectively. We each have unique roles, so we can contribute in our own way.”

Chris’s wife, Ann, is a family and child psychologist. She specializes in helping kids with learning challenges. They live in Urbandale, Iowa, and have three children: Will, Courtney and Morgan.

He shares his favorite recipe Turkey Tetrazzini below.