Rhonda Wedeking of KICD Radio in Spencer, Iowa, joined the Latham Freedom of Independence Ride on Saturday, Aug. 31.  She spoke with John Latham, president of Latham Hi-Tech Seeds, about the company’s new corn hybrids with Genuity^TM SmartStax and Agrisure® 3000GT technology.  She also interviewed Steve Sopher, operations manager, about the exciting new Genuity^TM Roundup Ready 2 Yield^TM soybean technology.  Clips from those radio interviews may be downloaded now for your listening pleasure.

Click to listen to Part 2 of Rhonda Wedeking’s interview:

 Rhonda Wedeking Interview Part 2 [3:46m]: Play in Popup | Download

Rhonda Wedeking of KICD Radio in Spencer, Iowa, joined the Latham Freedom of Independence Ride on Saturday, Aug. 31.  She spoke with John Latham, president of Latham Hi-Tech Seeds, about the company’s new corn hybrids with Genuity^TM SmartStax and Agrisure® 3000GT technology.  She also interviewed Steve Sopher, operations manager, about the exciting new Genuity^TM Roundup Ready 2 Yield^TM soybean technology.  Clips from those radio interviews may be downloaded now for your listening pleasure.

Click to listen to Part 1 of Rhonda Wedeking’s interview:

 Rhonda Wedeking Interview Part 1 [3:05m]: Play in Popup | Download

This guy puts nearly every other guy to shame when it comes to effort and creativity of a marriage proposal. The story was posted on the AgWired blog, and we couldn’t resist mentioning it here.  And, yes, a GPS-guided plow was actually used. You could look at it as the ultimate showcase plot. The only issue: how much pressure would the bride-to-be feel to accept the proposal, after viewing it on a fly-over. Would any woman dare say no?

In between showers, our research team has been getting our corn showcase plots planted. These pictures show Bill Latham and Gary Bennett planting our Latham® corn showcase plot near Alta, Iowa. True to the season, this photo was taken after Bill and Gary got wet from a brief shower.

Latham Hi-Tech Seeds planted six corn showcase plots between May 4-6. Four more plots were planted between May 11-13. The seeds were planted with the company’s new corn plot air planter, complete with computer equipment that controls the drop rate and length of row per plot.

This spot will run on WHO Radio starting Feb. 9. Roundup Ready 2 Yield is showing great results in field trials. We’re pumped about it!

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.

Click here to take a look at one of the interview installments.

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.

Despite challenging conditions early in the growing season, the 2008 U.S. corn crop is predicted to reach near-record levels. The crops have made remarkable progress, as reflected in the USDA’s crop report on August 12. Whether or not you agree with the government’s report on yields, agri-marketer John Roach says now is not the time to sell. Roach expects the markets to peak in March, April, May and June of 2009.

Click to listen to LathamCast Episode 2 Part 5:

 LathamCast Episode 2 Cut 5 [3:17m]: Play in Popup | Download

John Roach of Roach Ag Marketing Ltd. comments on corn markets, following the USDA’s August crop report.

Roach advises farmers to avoid selling grain in August, September, October, and November. The spring of 2009 will be a better time for grain producers to sell as corn stocks one year from now are predicted to be the tightest since 1996 when we saw $5 corn. Roach says we must have a big crop next year, so market prices will have to remain high to encourage producers to plant enough corn acres.

Click to listen to LathamCast Episode 2 Part 4:

 LathamCast Episode 2 Cut 4 [3:13m]: Play in Popup | Download

John Roach of Roach Ag Marketing comments on the tight supply and demand in the U.S. soybean market. Given the demand for soybeans, the acreage battle will continue. The soybean market will have a difficult time losing ground compared to the other markets. Given the demand for soybeans, soybean producers worldwide must plant big acres next year. And, the only way they will do so is if the bean market stays strong.

Listen to LathamCast Episode 2 Part 3:

 LathamCast Episode 2 Cut 3 [2:43m]: Play in Popup | Download