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Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Farmers Have New R-I-B Option

There’s big news across the seed industry! Genuity® VT Double PRO® RIB Complete™ recently received registration from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

This is great news for Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds customers as they will have another true, single-bag refuge option (RIB) for managing above-ground pests. Genuity VT2 PRO RIB Complete, as well as Genuity® SmartStax® RIB Complete, will be broadly available to farmers in 2012.

Latham’s Genuity VT2 PRO RIB Complete is a blend of 95% Genuity VT Double Pro and 5% refuge (non-BT) seed, delivering the lowest refuge in the corn growing area for above ground pests. VT2 PRO is actually a triple-stack product as it contains two traits for above-ground protection of pests like European Corn Borer, Corn Earworm and Fall Armyworm, in addition to the Roundup Ready trait. I look at this product as a different kind of triple stack, one that is specifically made for rotated ground and not for corn-on-corn situations.
Contact your local Latham® dealer or call our office at 1-877-GO-LATHAM to order your Latham Genuity VT2 PRO today!

The following Latham hybrids are still available as Latham Genuity VT Double Pro RIB Complete: LH 3557 VT2 PRO, LH 4227 VT2 PRO, LH 5465 VT2 PRO and LH 5875 VT2 PRO. All four of these products are tremendous new genetics that offer fantastic top-end yields in rotated ground.

John Latham, President

November 28, 2011

General, Industry News, Seed Technology
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

“Refuge Made Simple” by Latham

For years, the word “refuge” could bring on an unwelcome headache to corn growers. Determining how many units of a refuge hybrid were needed and in which configuration to plant them was confusing. Now Latham’s Refuge in a Bag (RIB) is making the complex world of refuge simple.

The RIB concept involves mixing refuge seed with both the corn borer and rootworm insect protected corn seed, so growers have everything they need to be refuge compliant in just one bag. Growers are no longer required to weigh adjacent versus in-field configurations; they can simply open the bag and pour.

At Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds, growers will be able to purchase the first single-bag RIB solution for the 2012 season: Genuity® SmartStax® RIB Complete™ Corn, a blend of 95% traited seed and 5% refuge seed. When growers begin looking to plant RIB products, it’s important to remember that yield comes first. Growers shouldn’t have to plant a product that may have yield drag in order to receive all of the other great benefits that come with RIB. We’ve found 5% products provide the simplicity wanted without sacrificing yield. Be aware, however, not all RIB products are created equal.

Whether you’re making decisions on traits and genetics or weighing RIB products, the focus should remain on what will always be most important. Genetics make yield; traits protect yield.
At the end of the day, the product needs to be the right fit for a grower’s farm.

For more tips on selecting the right seed for your situation, visit www.thefieldposition.com.

John Latham, President

November 1, 2011

General, Industry News, Seed Technology
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Selecting the Right Seed for Your Situation
The number of hybrid and soybean technologies has never been greater. With an increased number of choices, however, comes a growing challenge to identify which traits will provide maximum performance and yield given a grower’s specific field conditions.

Planting corn is very similar to planning your financial portfolio: you want to plan for balance, managing risk and securing performance against a number of unforeseen challenges, including insect and disease pressure and weather. Look for a balance in maturity levels, genetics, and traits.

As you finalize your 2012 seed selections, here are a few tips to keep in mind:
- Understanding Genetics Versus Traits – Genetics provide the performance advantage. It doesn’t matter how good a trait is if it’s not supported by solid genetics. “Genetics make yield but traits protect yield.” Also remember the role of genetics in corn-on-corn situations. In corn-on-corn situations, plant high vigor genetics that can tolerate the increased disease pressure.
- Identifying Product Trends – Making seed selections based on one’s most recent experience could risk performance the following year due to the drastic changes in growing conditions because no two years will ever be the same. In 2010, we received excessive rainfall. During the 2011 growing season, we experienced three weeks of 100 plus degree heat.
- Putting Field Data to Work – In the past, we relied almost solely on the knowledge of the seed advisor and the valuable experience of the grower to identify the correct seed for a particular field. Today we have Seed-2-Soil®. Seed advisors can work with data collected from precision ag instruments to provide recommendations that tell growers exactly what seed to place at what population, with more precise guidance on fertilizer and nutrient management.
John Latham, President

October 25, 2011

Corn, General, Industry News, Seed Technology, Soybeans
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

RW-TRAITED GENETICS REMAIN IMPORTANT STRATEGY

“Rootworm Damage to Bt Corn” has been making the headlines ever since word got out about research findings, documenting corn rootworm injury to Bt corn. Iowa State University (ISU) researchers published findings on July 29; the University of Illinois issued a press release Sept. 23.

Researchers say “growers should be careful not to jump to the conclusion that fields with severe rootworm injury are supporting a resistant western corn rootworm population.” In fact, university research data confirms that the real strategy for dealing with high corn rootworm pressure is to use rootworm-traited genetics in addition to other strategies. Additional management strategies against rootworm may include the return to the use of insecticides, crop rotation, changing which Bt trait is used from year to year and the use of hybrids that contain multiple traits for rootworm resistance (i.e. SmartStax).

These research findings suggest that improvements in resistance management and a more integrated approach to the use of Bt crops is necessary. Discovering resistance in a limited geography is a great reminder to “respect the refuge” and preserve the widespread use of the Cry3Bb1 protein. The Cry3Bb1 protein is found in many top-selling corn hybrids throughout the industry and remains an important component of a farmer’s corn rootworm strategy

Webspec Admin

September 29, 2011

General, Industry News, Seed Technology
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

“NOW” Technology Takes Center Stage Today

Iowa will be front and center today as Des Moines is hosting the National 140 Character Conference. This conference is so named to reflect the number of characters (i.e. numbers, letters and spaces) that a person has to Tweet, or to communicate a message via Twitter.com.

Yours truly will be presenting at 10 a.m. If you aren’t able to join us for the event in the Stoner Theatre, you can join us online. All presentations will be streamed from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.

When Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds began blogging in 2008, many people questioned why we would devote marketing funds to communication tools that none of our current customers were using. (SIDE BAR: Remember the fax machine? Despite little initial demand, it became main stream in the 1980s. What about the automobile… why drive a Ford Model T when you could take a horse and buggy?)

Just as the fax machine helped us transmit exact copies of documents faster than standard mail and the automobile allowed us to travel greater distances in less time, new communications technology (a.k.a. “now technology”) allows us to have more frequent conversations in a more cost-effective way.

Our blog, TheFieldPosition.com, allows us to communicate agronomic information and publicize events in a more timely manner than traditional newsletters and invitations. Twitter and Facebook help us promote what we’re covering on the blog, plus they allow us to share what we’re seeing and doing in real time. In addition, our Facebook and Twitter accounts have connected us to many like-minded individuals who share our passion for “feeding and fueling world.” These communications allow us to talk daily – sometimes several times a day – with our customers and friends.

If you’re already comfortable with blogging or posting messages on Twitter and Facebook, you’re probably nodding your head in agreement as you read this article. If you’re not using “now technology,” give it a try today.

You’ll never know what you’re missing unless you try it! We hope you’ll follow us on Twitter @LathamSeeds, befriend us on Facebook and/or visit us at TheFieldPosition.com. C U online soon! 🙂

Team Latham

May 9, 2011

General, Industry News, Seed Technology
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

USDA Approves Roundup Ready® Alfalfa Without Conditions
The ag community breathed a sigh of relief last Thursday when the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the deregulation of Roundup Ready Alfalfa without conditions. As a result, Roundup Ready Alfalfa will be available for spring 2011 planting.

“This is really a win for farmers across the country as the UDSA’s handling of Roundup Ready Alfalfa could have set an unwelcome precedent for other biotechnology-derived crops,” says John Latham, president, Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds.

The USDA’s Jan. 27^th decision was the final step in an extensive environmental review process that took 46 months to complete. For additional background information about this process, visit http://www.roundupreadyalfalfa.com/.

For alfalfa growers’ perspective on the benefits of Roundup Ready alfalfa, check out these two blog posts:
- http://www.truthabouttrade.org/news/editorials/board-commentary/17172-litigation-is-the-root-of-the-problem
- http://commonsenseagriculture.com/2011/01/21/roundup-ready-alfalfa-understanding-practices/
Team Latham

January 31, 2011

Alfalfa, Crop, General, Industry News, Seed Technology
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Clear Message Sent to USDA about GT Alfalfa

Today the required 30-day public review period of the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) environmental impact statement (EIS) on glyphosate-tolerant (GT) alfalfa ends. The agricultural community waits with bated breath to learn the fate of Roundup® Ready alfalfa: Will it be fully deregulated or will geographic restrictions and isolation distances be required?

Three senior U.S. lawmakers last Wednesday wrote a letter stating that the USDA is straying beyond the law by suggesting it can set planting restrictions on genetically modified crops that have already been deemed safe. According to Reuters, the letter stated that this is the first time such measures would be included in a regulatory decision where the crop did not pose a plant pest or health risk.

During a House Agriculture Committee forum last Thursday, lawmakers sent a clear message to Secretary Tom Vilsack that placing onerous restrictions on GT-alfalfa production goes beyond the law. There was no support from members of either party for an option that would impose stringent conditions on biotech alfalfa, according to a Jan. 20 article by Agri-Pulse Communications.

Also last Thursday, the Independent Professional Seed Association held a panel discussion on the GT-alfalfa issue during its annual meeting in St. Louis. One panelist was Jim Tobin, Monsanto’s Director of Biotech Business Development, who said, “This is a very serious challenge to our industry and to future trait approvals.”

Thursday, January 20, 2011, was certainly a banner day for farmers, ranchers and agricultural community members who are fighting for “common sense agriculture.” Thanks to all of you who took the time to contact your congressional representatives. As a result, your voice was well represented in Washington, D.C. Special thanks to all elected officials who told the USDA that the conditional deregulation of GT-alfalfa would negatively impact all of U.S agriculture.

Now all we can do is wait…

Team Latham

January 24, 2011

Alfalfa, Crop, General, Industry News, Seed Technology
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

USDA’s Handling of GT Alfalfa is Bigger Than Roundup®: The Future of R-I-B and Other Seed Technologies Are Threatened

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), for the first time in history, is considering placing limits on where, when and how glyphosate-tolerant (GT) alfalfa can be planted. At first glance, once might dismiss this by saying, “Roundup Ready Alfalfa would only be planted on a small number of acres. It’s not that big of a deal.”

It is a big deal, however, when you consider the precedent this would set for other biotechnology-derived crops. In 2009, there were 158 million acres of biotech crops planted in the United States, according to the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications.

For 25 years, the United States regulatory system for biotechnology has been the world leader based on a consistent, science-based decision-making process. We must act now to ensure the regulatory status of GT-alfalfa does not threaten the U.S.’ status as a world leader in agriculture.

Science, not politics, should be the driving factor in the USDA’s handling of GT-alfalfa. Perhaps the Wall Street Journal, in a Review and Outlook piece published Dec. 27, 2010, stated it best when it printed:

“While it may not be one of the major biotech crops, alfalfa is a regulatory test that could open the gate for similarly politically driven negotiations on non-organic crops from sugar beets to soybeans. If nonscience criteria are introduced as considerations for allowing the sale of biotech crops, the effect would be disastrous for the USDA’s regulatory reputation. We hope Secretary Vilsack makes his decision based on science, not politics.”

Team Latham

January 19, 2011

Alfalfa, Crop, General, Industry News, Seed Technology
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Don’t Just “Wait and See.” Weigh in!
ROUNDUP® READY ALFALFA COULD SET PRECEDENT FOR MAJOR CROPS, LIKE SOYBEANS

While most Americans were preoccupied with holiday preparations, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Dec. 16, 2010, released its final environmental impact statement (EIS) outlining potential environmental effects of deregulating alfalfa that is resistant to glyphosate, a.k.a. Roundup® herbicide.

An editorial on Dec. 27, 2010, by the Wall Street Journal, stated:

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has invited activists and biotech critics to shape the agency’s regulatory decision on a biotech product. If the precedent stands, it could permanently politicize a system that is supposed to be based on science.

Sec. Vilsack is proposing to deregulate Roundup Ready alfalfa with “conditions” that include a mandatory minimum planting distance, so organic fields of alfalfa wouldn’t be contaminated. Approximately 20% of U.S. alfalfa acres would fall into the “no plant zones,” according to Idaho-based Forage Genetics.

Other critics have suggested that traditional farmers should accept liability for any contamination of organic crops. Just imagine the impact this could have on major biotech crops like soybeans! About 90% of U.S. soybean acres are planted to Roundup Ready varieties.

Those of us in ag states have been somewhat protected from the financial blow that has hit America. However, bad policy could turn our industry into a destructive tailspin. That’s why it’s imperative for agricultural groups to make their voices heard now as a final decision is expected as soon as Jan. 23.

Click here to contact your Congressional representative, your U.S. senators and the USDA.

Click the links below for related articles or background information about the USDA’s handling of Roundup Ready alfalfa:
Team Latham

January 11, 2011

Alfalfa, Crop, General, Industry News, Seed Technology
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

ISU Publishes 2010 List of SCN-Resistant Soybeans

The #1 profit-reducing pest for U.S. soybean farmers is soybean cyst nematode (SCN). In years with adequate to excess rainfall, the short-term effect of SCN on soybean yields may only be a loss in a few bushels per acre. In hot, dry years, yield loss can be 50% or more.

At Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds, we know that SCN resistance is a primary concern for our customers. We’ve dedicated a lot of time, effort and resources toward developing SCN-resistant varieties. We have one of the industry’s largest lineups of cyst-resistant soybean brands. In fact, Latham Seeds was one of the first companies to breed its own lines of CystX.

SCN was first discovered in Iowa in the heart of Latham’s marketing territory in a field in Winnebago County in 1978. The surrounding counties (Kossuth, Humboldt, Webster, Wright, Hancock) have shown to be “hot spots” for SCN development over the years. Typically, the fields in these counties have soils that are classified as Clarion-Nicolet Webster. The cause is still unknown. However, the theory over the years is that because these soils are also prone to Iron Deficiency Chlorosis, they’re more susceptible to SCN.

Due to the microscopic size of soybean cyst nematodes, they’e easily spread. SCN has now been found in every county in Iowa and Illinois, the southern half of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan, the eastern half of Nebraska, southeastern part of South Dakota, western half of Ohio, northern half of Missouri and parts of most of the soybean-producing states throughout the South. It’s spread by wind and water erosion, farm equipment and all types of animals.

There have been a number of instances where fields in Nebraska, Iowa and Minnesota have been infected with SCN because of the migrating waterfowl. These birds start up north before winter from SCN-infested fields and bring mud on their feet and feathers. That small amount of mud can be loaded with SCN eggs and those eggs can then be deposited in fields as the birds continue their migration south.

As SCN populations have increased, so have the number of cyst-resistant soybean brands. Contact your Latham representative for Latham’s complete lineup of SCN-resistant soybean varieties. To help Iowa soybean growers know their options for SCN resistance, ISU Extension annually publishes a list of SCN-resistant soybean varieties in maturity groups, 0,1,2, and 3. Click here for the 2010 version.

(Source: Wallaces Farmer and Mark Grundmeier, Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds Product Manager)

Team Latham

November 15, 2010

Agronomics, Crop, General, Industry News, Insects, Seed Technology, Soybeans

Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Farmers Have New R-I-B Option

Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

“Refuge Made Simple” by Latham

Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Selecting the Right Seed for Your Situation

Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

RW-TRAITED GENETICS REMAIN IMPORTANT STRATEGY

Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

“NOW” Technology Takes Center Stage Today

Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

USDA Approves Roundup Ready® Alfalfa Without Conditions

Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Clear Message Sent to USDA about GT Alfalfa

Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

USDA’s Handling of GT Alfalfa is Bigger Than Roundup®: The Future of R-I-B and Other Seed Technologies Are Threatened

Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Don’t Just “Wait and See.” Weigh in!

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has invited activists and biotech critics to shape the agency’s regulatory decision on a biotech product. If the precedent stands, it could permanently politicize a system that is supposed to be based on science.

Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

ISU Publishes 2010 List of SCN-Resistant Soybeans