Monthly Archives: August 2010

From the FieldIowa Corn and Soybeans Quickly Maturing

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A Wallaces Farmer article posted today highlighted that corn and soybeans throughout Iowa have progressed rapidly toward maturity this past week.

The weekly weather and crop conditions survey released August 30 by the Iowa office USDA’s National Ag Statistics Service shows 8% of Iowa’s corn crop has already reached maturity. Seventy-seven percent of the crop has started to dent, and 94% has entered or reached dough stage. Corn condition has improved slightly with 69% of the state’s crop now rating “good to excellent.” Click here for the full report.

Soybeans as of August 30 have begun to drop their leaves in some fields, the article stated. Pods have now been set on virtually all of the state’s soybean acres, and 14% of Iowa’s soybean acres have turned color–which is ahead of last year’s 4% and the 5-year average of 13% at the end of August.

Click here for the full article.

EventsComing Soon … Refuge-in-the-Bag Products

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Latham® customers today are getting a first-hand look at new hybrid seed corn and soybean traits during field stops on the 2nd annual Latham Freedom of Independence Ride. One such stop is a Genuity® Technology Showcase, featuring Genuity® SmartStaxTM and Genuity Roundup Ready 2 Yield® Soybeans.

Genuity Technology Showcases are an important step to helping evaluate useful product concepts like Genuity Smart Stax, which will be a principal component for Refuge in the Bag (RIB). Pending regulatory approval, the single-bag RIB concept for Genuity SmartStax corn and Genuity VT Double PROTM corn will put the required refuge for Insect Resistance Management (IRM) into the same bag as the fully traited corn. Once approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a 5% RIB option will provide an IRM strategy for above-and below-ground insect management that is delivered to the field. 

The Genuity SmartStax RIB product concept uses the same multiple modes of action for broad-spectrum insect control as Genuity SmartStax, which was launched this season and reduces structured refuge from 20% to 5% in the Corn Belt. Genuity SmartStax is the only hybrid seed corn product that is currently approved for a 5% refuge; it has the lowest required refuge in the Corn Belt. 

NOTE: Pioneer’s Optimum® AcreMax TM 1 is not a true single-bag solution for RIB. The 10% in-the-bag corn rootworm refuge carries a separate 20% above-ground refuge requirement for Optimum AcreMax. For more clarity regarding refuge requirements, listen to this audio clip: Genuity SmartStax Corn.

Food & FamilySavoring the Last of Summer

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Our two children headed back to school on Monday, which always signals that summer is coming to an end. This weekend our family will savor as much summer-time fun as possible. With Saturday’s forecast calling for sunshine and 85 degrees, we’ll make one last trip to a nearby water park. I’ll marinate some Iowa chops, so they’re ready to grill that evening. (See marinade recipe below.) I’m also looking forward a little “me time” in the kitchen during the early morning hours, so I can make one of my all-time, favorite desserts: Colorado Peach Pie.

One reason this recipe is one of my favorites is because it’s so delicious. It’s unlike most peach pies because it has a sour cream filling. It tastes so creamy and delicious (in my humble opinion). Another reason I love this recipe is because I can “cheat” on the pie crust. There’s no need to roll out a pie crust, yet one can savor a flakey crust. 

Just thinking about Saturday’s meal is making my mouth water. Perhaps I need to change my plan … I could leave work early today and have fresh peach pie for supper tonight!

How does your family savor what’s left of summer?

Lemon Pepper Pork Chops

Ingredients

  • 4 pork chops, cut 1½-inches thick
  • ¼ c. red wine vinegar
  • ¼ c. cooking oil
  • 1 T. Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tsp. lemon pepper
  • ¼ tsp. garlic power

Directions

In a self-sealing plastic bag, combine vinegar, cooking oil, Worcestershire sauce, lemon pepper and garlic powder. Use a fork to poke holes in the chops. Next place the chops in the bag, seal and refrigerate them for a minimum of 30 minutes but overnight is even better. Remove chops from marinade and grill. Pork chops should be cooked to medium doneness of 160 degrees Fahrenheit.

Colorado Peach Pie

Ingredients

Filling:

  • 4 c. fresh, sliced peaches
  • 1 c. sugar, divided
  • 2 T. flour
  • 1 egg
  • ¼ tsp. salt
  • ½ tsp. vanilla
  • 1 c. sour cream

Crust:

  • ½ c. butter
  • 1 ½ c. flour
  • ½ tsp. salt

Topping:

  • 1/3 c. sugar
  • 1/3 c. flour
  • ¼ c. butter
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon

Directions

Crust:

Cut butter into flour and salt. Press dough into 9-inch pie plate.

Filling:

Slice peaches into a bowl; sprinkle with ¼ c. sugar. Let stand while preparing rest of filling. Combine ¾ c. sugar, flour, egg, salt and vanilla. Fold in sour cream. Stir into peaches. Pour into crust.

Set oven to 400 degrees and bake pie for 15 minutes. After the pie has baked for 15 minutes at 400 degrees, reset your oven for 350 degrees and bake it for another 20 minutes. Now prepare the topping.

Topping:

Combine the sugar, cinnamon, flour and butter until crumbly.

After your 20-minute baking period at 350 degrees is over, sprinkle the crumbly topping evenly over the top of the pie. Then bake for another 10 minutes at 400 degrees.