It may seem strange that I’m actually hoping for snow fall on Christmas Eve, but it sure beats the alternative. North Iowa has been receiving rain this morning. And unless the weather changes, we’re in for an ice storm. These photos were taken at 8:30 a.m. today, just outside the front door of the Latham Seeds office in rural Alexander.

Our “Hazardous Weather Outlook” says the chance of precipitation here is 100%. Temperatures are supposed to drop throughout the day, and many local churches have already cancelled services for tonight. Sounds like the best plan may be to stay put in front of the fireplace.

That reminds me of one of my favorite tunes from Bing Crosby, “Let it snow!” You can download it for free by clicking the lyrics below.

Oh the weather outside is frightful,
But the fire is so delightful.
And since we’ve no place to go,Let it snow; let it snow; let it snow!

Christmas day is quickly approaching and the past couple weeks have found my family and I finishing up Christmas shopping, putting up decorations and getting those Christmas cookies ready to share with family on Christmas Eve. Of all the traditions that come with the holiday season, my favorite part is picking out the perfect Christmas tree and putting on the decorations.  My family always makes a visit to Lines Tree Farm in Marble Rock, Iowa to pick out a fresh cut tree, no shorter than 8 feet tall!  Harley, the owner of the tree farm gave us some great tips this year of how to make our tree last through the season.  He commented that watering the tree with hot water will keep the sap loose and prevent the needles from falling off so quickly.

While many families have a themed tree or color pattern to their tree, ours is combination of themes.  Blue lights and ribbon start a theme, but the tree is completed with ornaments celebrating memories of our past.  From anniversaries to vacations and even the fabulous artwork of our grade school years.  I must say this year’s tree is one of the best.  So grateful for the rural Iowa tree farmers that put such care into raising beautiful trees for families to celebrate the holidays around.  Do you have a Christmas tree tradition of your own around Christmas?  Share them with us in the comment box below!

Here is some preliminary soybean yield results that have come in from our test plots this season.  Check back for more info as harvest rolls on.

For more info on plot results, visit our website at www.lathamseeds.com.

The data is piling in from our Superstrips and Test Plots this harvest season.  Here is a breakdown of how each performed across our marketing territory.  For more information on individual plots or head to head results, visit our website at www.lathamseeds.com.

Latham® Hi-Tech Soybeans are producing record yields this fall. One of our new Genuity™ Roundup Ready 2 Yield™ Soybeans recently topped a plot in Dallas County, Iowa, with record 80.2 bushels per acre (b/A).

“This is the first time that we’ve raised 80-bushel beans,” says Dale Meyers, whose family farms near Redfield. He and his son, Michael, also have a Latham dealership. “I believe the early planting date and good seed bed were key. Fortunately we had good planting conditions and received timely rains throughout the growing season.”

Meyers planted his soybean test plot on May 9 in a field that had previously been planted to corn with minimum tillage. He and Michael chiseled the ground last fall and then field cultivated in the spring after applying Trifluralin. Their plot averaged 71.36 bu/A, which is well above his farm’s average of 66.7 bu/A.

Variety selection is one of the most important factors to producing 80-bushel yields, according to Iowa State University (ISU) Extension agronomist Palle Pedersen. Pedersen says that raising a bumper crop begins with preseason planning including:

1. Planting the right genetics
2. Planting early
3. Planting in narrow rows
4. Protecting the plant from early weed competition

Meyers agrees that seed selection is key.

**Latham® is a registered trademark of Latham Hi-Tech Hybrids, Inc.
Genuity™ Roundup Ready 2 Yield™ soybeans are trademarks of Monsanto Technology Group LLC

As part of their ongoing commitment to supporting the National FFA Organization, Campbell’s Soups will be preserving 5 barns across the country to help develop America’s future farmers and leaders through agricultural education.  The barns will be chosen by voters like you across the country in a contest that will be held from now until January 5, 2010.  The Euken’s barn in Atlantic, Iowa was chosen as one of the 10 barns in the competition and is the only barn from Iowa.  Campbell’s will donate a dollar for each vote to the National FFA Organization, and when the Eukens win, they will get their barn restored in cooperation with the Atlantic FFA Chapter.   Here is their story:

A Hundred Years of Farming
As told by Michelle Euken

“My great-great-grandparents purchased the 320-acre farm, where the barn sits, in 1912. The barn was built in the late 1920s. Originally it was used for hay storage, animal shelter, milking cows, and housing horses. Since then the farm has been passed on down the family all the way to my parents who purchased the farm in 1987.

Barns are a symbol of rural heritage and are landmarks in Iowa. The barn on our farm also is part of our family heritage; the barn will be designated a ‘Century Farm’ (Iowa recognizes farms that have been owned by one family for 100 years) in 2012, so this is an ideal time to revive the barn.

The project will benefit my family to help preserve it for use for many more years. It will bring together current FFA members and Alumni to work on a project that has significance and symbolism for the agricultural heritage of the community. It will re-confirm the family farm heritage in Iowa and the role of the barn on family farms. The publicity about the barn revival will help educate the public about food production and the hands that produce it.”

So follow this link and vote everyday for Euken Farms!  Let’s put this Iowa barn in the top 5!

http://www.helpgrowyoursoup.com/barn_euken.aspx

Participants in the Latham Freedom of Independence Ride will see fields of clovers— roving clovers, that is— in addition to corn and soybeans as they travel throughout northwest Iowa on Saturday, Aug. 29.

“Clover Corolla” is a 2009 Toyota Corolla that has been customized with the 4-H program’s trademark clover leaf and the message, “Keep it Green.” The Corolla, the world’s number one selling car, is being raffled to raise money for 4-H programs statewide. All funds raised will support county and statewide 4-H educational programs.

“In light of budget cuts to the Iowa 4-H Youth Development program, it has been crucial to identify new ways to raise money. The Clover Corolla raffle is one way we are reaching out to individuals and counties to support 4-H in ways we haven’t seen in the past,” said Joe Leisz, Executive Director of the Iowa 4-H Foundation.

Tickets will be available at Arnolds Park and are also available via e-mail at 4hraffle@iastate.edu. Prices are $5 for one ticket; $20 for five tickets; or $100 for 30 tickets.

The drawing will be announced Oct. 9, 2009, on 1040 WHO Radio. The lucky winner of the Clover Corolla can choose to leave the wrap on or remove it before he or she drives it home.

No trip to the Iowa State Fair is complete without a visit to the Agriculture Building and a look at the Butter Cow, featuring 600 pounds of low-moisture, pure cream Iowa butter. And right across from the Butter Cow, 2009 fairg goers will see Latham Hi-Tech Hybrids corn plants on display in the Iowa Corn Growers exhibit featuring a flex-fuel vehicle.  Latham Hi-Tech is proud to help promote Ethanol and processor-preferred hybrids.

Also to promote flex-fuel vehicles and ethanol-blended fuel up to E85, Iowa Corn is sponsoring the GameDay DriveAway. The grand prize is a victory red, 2009 Chevy Silverado fueled by Iowa’s corn growers and running on E85 or Super Unleaded. Plus, two lucky winners will receive ethanol for a year!

The Iowa Corn Fed GameDay DriveAway is part of a GameDay partnership that includes the Iowa and Iowa State football, basketball, and wrestling seasons. You can enter the drawing once each month from July 10 through Nov. 21 online at www.iacornfed.com, or you can sign up in person at Cyclone Fan Fest on Aug. 23, and the Iowa and Iowa State football game on Sept. 12.

Weekly winners will be given free game tickets and other prizes. The ethanol prizes will be given away at the Iowa and Iowa State women’s basketball game and the wrestling match up in December. Ten lucky winners will attend the Iowa and Iowa State men’s basketball  game on Dec. 11 to try their luck at opening the door of the GameDay DriveAway Chevy Silverado.

Hardin County, Iowa was struck hard Sunday morning with a round of storms that took a heavy toll on area crops.  The storm’s path was between 5 and 7 miles wide and 20 to 25 miles long.  Winds upwards of 70 miles an hour brought baseball sized hail that proved devastating to corn and soybean fields and buildings in the Hardin county area.  Below are some photos taken of a customer’s field and farmstead just north of Pine Lake Golf Course near Steamboat Rock, Iowa.