Members of the Iowa Soybean Association visited Capitol Hill in Des Moines March 31 to talk with state legislators. This is a photo of members of the Ag-Urban Leadership Initiative, a group working to enhance both Iowa agriculture and non-agriculture businesses and build a better quality of life for rural and urban residents. One goal of the day was to show legislators the breadth of important issues ISA is currently working on, including environmental programs, production research, biodiesel, soy transportation and international marketing, among others. Plus, we had a great lunch made with soyfood products. The tofu-stuffed pasta shells were exceptional!
Here are the people in the photo:
Back Row (L to R):Tom Oswald (07), LeAnn Strother (08), Virginia Hagemann (Hubert’s wife), Hubert Hagemann (09), Kyle Maas (08), Roger Custer (08), Annette Sweeney (08), Paul Kirpes (07)
Front Row (L to R):Carol Balvanz (staff), Val Plagge (staff), Martha McCormick (08), Pat Grote (staff), Shannon Latham (08), Karey Claghorn (08), Linda Upmeyer (08)
This “Today Show” piece on Twitter is a nice summary for those are still trying to figure out all the fuss about Twitter. The Twitter nation has been getting a lot of attention lately. It is really easy to get a Twitter account created and your first “tweets” started. I would also think that farmers tweeting from their combines or from the barn or feedlot would be a lot more interesting that most people’s tweets, which are usually done from their desk or their home, focused on riveting topics such as cleaning the sink or trying to figure out which socks to wear. Twitter may go down as one of the greatest communication tools ever devised, or one of the biggest twops (that’s short for Twitter flop).
Click here if the embedded video from NBC doesnt’ appear below.
John, Shannon and Chris Latham are now the proud owners of Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds. We’ve purchased the soybean business from other Latham family members and combined it with our Latham Hi‑Tech Hybrids seed corn and alfalfa company.
We’re thrilled to offer the best seed technologies from multiple trait developers in corn, beans and alfalfa to our customers through our “best in the business” staff of technical, marketing and consulting personnel. Click here to read the news release.
One critical advantage of being an independent seed company is that we can secure almost any trait for our customers from a variety of technology providers. And that’s just what we’re doing with Agrisure® 3000GT and Agrisure Viptera™ seed technologies.
These two technologies will soon be in Latham’s lineup, and each offers unique characteristics. The Agrisure 3000GT trait stack protects against corn borer and corn rootworm, while tolerating glyphosate and Ignite® herbicides. Syngenta studies show the Agrisure Viptera trait will provide added efficacy on a broad spectrum of corn pests including corn earworm, western bean cutworm, black cutworm, fall armyworm and common stalk borer.
Latham will have products containing approved Agrisure traits competitively priced. You’ll get above- and below-ground pest protection plus state-of-the-art weed control under glyphosate and Ignite applications.
Agrisure 3000GT and Agrisure GT/CB/LL plus Agrisure Viptera stack technology are not currently approved for sale or use in the U.S. are not being offered or promoted for sale. These products will not be available for sale until all necessary regulatory approvals and authorizations have been granted.
Agrisure®, Agrisure Viptera™ are trademarks of a Syngenta Group Company. Ignite® is a registered trademark of Bayer.
Make no mistake, the Roundup Ready system in both corn and soybeans is poosibly the greatest boon to farming over the past 20 years. Still, it was only a matter of time until nature would greet us with some form of resistance, as is happening now. Soybean farmers need to be vigilant when it comes to weed resistance to glyphosate herbicides like Roundup® and Glyphos™.
Ryegrass and marestail have been documented as exhibiting resistance to glyphosate and there is some strong evidence that waterhemp, common lambsquarter and giant ragweed are showing signs as well.
Let’s look at a few simple techniques that growers can start using right away in their soybean program to help minimize weed problems in this Roundup Ready era:
Start clean- Stay clean.
By starting the growing season weed-free in your soybean field, you can help eliminate your reliance on glyphosate alone. If a farmer is no-tilling, the use of a proper burndown, consisting of more than just a glyphosate product, is essential. There is a wide range of burndown products that can be used with glyphosate or by themselves. If you plan to use tillage, then get rid of that temptation to just use glyphosate and add some other modes of action into the mix. The old “yellow” herbicides (Treflan, Prowl, etc.) are fairly reliable for grass control and will also help with many small-seeded broadleaves. Keep your fields clean by using the right rate of glyphosate at the right time. Also, don’t forget the cultivator. It might be time to drag out that old beast put it back to work. Better a little bit now than a lot later!
Right rate- Right time.
The Roundup Ready system for both corn and soybeans might just work too well! For instance, the labeled rate for most annual weeds on the Roundup WeatherMAX label is 22 ounces/acre when the weeds are between 3″ and 6″ high. However, most farmers will tell you they have had great success using that rate for weeds up to twice that height and there lies the problem! We start to rely on a low rate of glyphosate to control weeds that are taller than the labeled height. Therefore, we are artificially selecting those weeds that have a tendency toward resistance just so we can tell our friends and neighbors that we only sprayed our soybean fields once and did it at the lowest rate possible. Don’t fall into that trap!
Rotate herbicide programs.
Growers should use glyphosate crops in farming rotation where they have the greatest economic and management value. Rotating between glyphosate-tolerant crops and conventional crops or crops with other types of herbicide resistance (LibertyLink® for example) can help prevent weed resistance.
Make it a priority in 2009 and beyond to address weed resistance to glyphosate herbicides. It will definately benefit you in the long run. For more information on weed resistance issues, contact our Latham Seed2Soil® specialists, or leave us a question in the comment box below!
This is innovation with a singular purpose. To help you do what you do best, even better.
We’re excited to be involved with Monsanto’s launch of Genuity™, its “umbrella” brand for current and future seed traits that we think will help simplify and integrate the decision-making process for growers in selecting seed.
The Genuity brand will be fully rolled out into the marketplace in 2010.
With trait-building technologies advancing at a dizzying pace these days, Monsanto saw the need to create an easily identifiable marketing platform that would be the host brand for the newest and future technologies. This will help reduce the proliferation of separate brand marks that would otherwise result as new technologies steadily come to market in future years.
As Genuity gets up and running, Monsanto’s latest traits will take their place under the brand. For example, in 2010, you’ll see Genuity™ Roundup Ready 2 Yield™ soybeans and Genuity™ VT Triple Pro™. Pre-commercial traits such as Genuity™ SmartStax™ will also be under the new brand. Monsanto says a number of traits under YieldGard will remain independent of Genuity for now, and eventually phased out as their technologies are upgraded and placed under Genuity.
Of course some products with multiple traits will have more than one icon. Latham will be participating in Genuity brand implementation meetings starting this month, so check back to The Field Position for the latest on Genuity as we map out how Latham will incorporate this brand system into our products.
Each Genuity product will also be accompanied by an “icon” or symbol signifying the basic functional benefit of the seed trait. They are as follows:
Have questions on this new system of brands from Monsanto? Leave us a note in the comment box below!
No, this is not a text message from your kid’s cell phone or your nephew’s Twitter page. We’re simply asking if you are ready. Ready to participate in the most significant soybean yield improvement technology to emerge in over a decade.
Latham Seeds L3184R2 and L2958R2 (for Maturity Zones III and II), featuring the highly anticipated Roundup Ready 2 Yield™ technology, will be available in limited release this year.
One big achievement of this product is the observed increase in the number of beans per pod. Farmers who planted RR2Y in last fall’s field trials reported seeing more 3- and 4-bean pods on their plants than with earlier Roundup Ready beans.
What difference can an extra bean or two per pod make? According to Monsanto’s calculations, four extra beans per plant could mean nearly two extra bushels per acre when planted at 85,000 plants per acre. At 185,000 plants per acre, the increase could be more than 4 Bu/a. At a hypothetical $10 per bushel, that’s an extra $20,000 to $40,000 for a 1000-acre planting.
With an extra six to ten beans per plant, which is entirely feasible, the difference is even more dramatic.
See how Latham Seeds’ new brands with Roundup Ready 2 Yield could increase your profitability. Give your Latham dealer a call. And while you’re at it give our new radio ad (click soybeans in the right panel to locate) on RR2Y a listen. Hearing is believing!
Our own Bob Collins attends Gov. Vilsack's confirmation hearing for U.S. Secretary of Agriculture
Bob & Janet Collins, Mrs. & Mr. Dusky Terry of CIPCO
Editor’s note: Latham’s own Bob Collins give his account below of this month’s confirmation hearing of Tom Vilsack. We’re proud to have Bob as a member of the Iowa contingent that was on hand to support our former governor for this important appointment.
On Wednesday, January 14, I traveled to Washington D.C. on behalf of Central Iowa Power Cooperative (CIPCO) to attend a U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee hearing. The purpose of the hearing was to consider the nomination of Tom Vilsack to serve as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, and it was an opportunity for members of the Senate Agriculture Committee to question the nominee. I was among a small handful of Iowans in the audience to show support for our former Governor.
The hearing lasted approximately two and a half hours and covered a wide range of agricultural topics. Each Senator was allowed five minutes to question Vilsack. Many of them spent that time conveying to him the issues they found most important in the Farm Bill or within the Department of Agriculture. Senator Harkin presided over the hearing as Chair of the Ag Committee and Senator Grassley provided additional comments as well, coming from the home state of the nominee. Each of the senators present for the hearing expressed support for Vilsack’s nomination and many were complimentary of both Vilsack and his wife, Christie.
The hearing included discussion of agriculture subsidies, conservation programs, renewable energy, forest management, food safety and security, organic foods, biotechnology, revitalization of rural communities, dairy policies, Farm Bill re-authorization, civil rights cases within the Department and a host of other issues. It was clear there is still strong support from members of the Ag Committee for the consensus policies reflected in the current Farm Bill as well as a feeling that the Department is not implementing it the way they intended. Vilsack talked in broad terms about his vision for agriculture and a desire to represent all sectors of agriculture. One theme Vilsack reiterated was his intention to bring updated technology to the Department so they could function more efficiently and provide policy makers the data they need and deserve to make good policy decisions.
Former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack at confirmation hearing
Attending the hearing provided an opportunity for me to see and talk with Senator Harkin, Senator Grassley, Senator Chambliss, Governor Vilsack, and a number of other Ag Committee staffers. I was interviewed by Philip Brasher of the Des Moines Register about my reaction to the hearing and was mentioned in his story covering the event.
All things seeds – Bill Latham shares his Giant Views
Bill Latham of Latham Seeds was interviewed by SeedWorld, a major agricultural and commercial seed media company. Bill shared his thoughts on a variety of topics, from students entering the seed business to shifts in the demand for and roles of genetics and traits.
To view the entire six-part series, Giant Views of the Seed Industry, click here.
Bill may have giant views, but Latham Seeds and Latham-Hi‑Tech Hybrids are committed to being anything but giants. We just want to keep doing what we’re doing: being a trusted, independent, innovative partner with Midwestern farmers every day, every year.
Not only is Latham the best industry source for the latest technologies, our team exhaustively searches every avenue seeking the best genetics to go with these technologies. If a product has earned the right to be in a Latham bag, rest assured the seed is the “cream of the crop”.
Growers are still weighing the best options for spring. Facing high fertilizer prices and lower-than-expected commodity prices means some options, which may seem more appealing at the time, are actually poor choices in the long run. While it may be tempting to purchase seed purely on price alone, other factors should be taken into consideration. A issue of SeedWorld magazine provides a couple examples:
Buying an inexpensive, unproven corn seed could mean giving up 10 bushels in a crop at $3.50 per bushel. For illustration purposes, planting 32,000 corn seeds per acre at $87.50 per bag on 1,000 acres could result in a loss of $87,500.
The same scenario is true for soybeans. An 11 percent lower yielding soybean could mean a difference of up to 6.5 bushels less yield per acre. With soybeans near $9, that is a whopping $58.50 per acre each grower is giving up by not planting the highest yielding soybeans.
Someone once said that paying for quality means you only have to wince once. Fortunately with Latham, you don’t have to wince at all. The technology and performance record behind your investment, coupled with our agronomic consulting expertise and our Farm Plan financing access, assures a confident, satisfying experience from start to finish.
Members of the Iowa Soybean Association visited Capitol Hill in Des Moines March 31 to talk with state legislators. This is a photo of members of the Ag-Urban Leadership Initiative, a group working to enhance both Iowa agriculture and non-agriculture businesses and build a better quality of life for rural and urban residents. One goal of the day was to show legislators the breadth of important issues ISA is currently working on, including environmental programs, production research, biodiesel, soy transportation and international marketing, among others. Plus, we had a great lunch made with soyfood products. The tofu-stuffed pasta shells were exceptional!
business from other Latham family members and combined it with our Latham Hi‑Tech Hybrids seed corn and alfalfa company.
