Get your motor runnin’
Head out on the highway
Lookin’ for adventure
And whatever comes our way…

Like the lyrics to Steppenwolf’s “Born to Be Wild,” more than 120 vehicles got their motors runnin’ on Saturday, Aug. 31, and headed out on U.S. Highway 71 from Okoboji, Iowa, for the inaugural Latham Freedom of Independence Ride.

We wanted to celebrate the independent American spirit, and what better way to do so than a road trip featuring motorcycles, cars and trucks?

The first of five groups left Arnold’s Park at 12:30 p.m. and merged onto Highway 9 for a 23-mile trip to Estherville. Just north of town, we made our first field stop where company president John Latham gave a brief recount of his family’s business, started 62-years ago by John’s grandfather, Willard Latham. Willard started it all in 1947 by custom cleaning oats for area farmers. During the 1960s, the business evolved into soybean production. CystX® soybean breeding for resistance to soybean cyst nematode (SCN) began in 1990, and Latham® soybeans with the Roundup Ready technology were introduced in 1996. The company added corn hybrids to its product offering in 2004 and further expanded its product offering in 2008 with hybrid alfalfa.

From a discussion of Latham history, we headed our to learn about the Latham of today and tomorrow. Leg 2 of the Freedom of Independence Ride was a 41-mile trek from Estherville to Whittemore where MaxYield Co-op presented a Latham® Showcase. It was a chance for riders to get up close and personal with many Latham products in the field. Mark Grundmeier, product manager, also talked about the exciting new additions to the 2010 Latham Hi-Tech Soybean lineup: Genuity™ Roundup Ready 2 Yield™ with yields that are 7 to 11% better than the original Roundup Ready soybean technology, which had set the standard for more than a decade. Also at this stop, riders learned about Latham soybeans with the LibertyLink® technology, which is the only nonselective alternative to the Roundup Ready system. LibertyLink beans have no yield drag and are tolerant to the new Ignite® herbicide.

Having covered Latham past, present and future, it was time to put crop talk on hold for Leg 3 of the journey, which took us about 10 miles south to enjoy the serenity of the Grotto of Redemption in West Bend. It’s composed of nine separate grottos, each portraying a scene from the life of Christ. With the largest collection of precious stones and gems found anywhere in one location, the Grotto is truly a miracle in stone. Work on the Grotto began in 1912 and followed for 42 years.

Leg 4 involved a 43-mile route from West Bend to Lost Island Lake in Ruthven where riders heard a brief presentation from Jim Heckman, national sales manager. Heckman told the crowd that Latham Hi-Tech Seeds offers a broader and deeper lineup of traits and technologies than any other company. Our 2010 lineup includes: corn hybrids with YieldGard VT Triple®, Genuity™ SmartStax™, Herculex® XTRA, Agrisure® 3000GT; and soybeans with Roundup® Ready, Genuity™ Roundup Ready 2 Yield™, CystX®, Vistive™ and LibertyLink®.

What’s the point of being at the lake without a fishing pole? When corn talk was done, everyone took their best shot at a casting contest. Anyone who could land their cast inside the floating target would win an LCD TV. Congratulations to Scott Heetland, who was the only one to hit the bull’s-eye with one try!

The final leg of the journey, a 26-mile stretch from Ruthven to Arnolds Park, brought us full circle. After an afternoon filled with adventure and cool, fresh air, we were ready for the hog roast. The pork loin, grilled by Scott Nasers of Bigelow, MN, was fork-tender, juicy and succulent. After the roast, Latham Hi-Tech Seeds sponsored a live concert by The Magnificent Board of Directors who took the stage in Preservation Plaza at 7:30 p.m.

“We’re pleased that as an independent, family-owned company we can hold these types of events so our customers can experience the Latham brand difference,” said John Latham. “It was wonderful weather and a great day to be out in rural America. Thank you to everyone who came out and made the event a success.”

Latham^® is a registered trademark of Latham Hi-Tech Hybrids, Inc.Ignite® and LibertyLink^® are registered trademarks of Bayer CropScience AG.
YieldGard VT Triple^®, Genuity^TM SmartStax^TM, Roundup^® Ready, Genuity^TM Roundup Ready 2 Yield™ and Vistive^® are trademarks of Monsanto Technology LLC.
Herculex^® is a registered trademark of Dow AgroSciences LLC.
Agrisure^® is a registered trademark of a Syngenta Group Company.

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

It’s one thing for farmers to buy your products and plant your seed. It’s another thing for them to EXPERIENCE your brand. That’s why the Latham Freedom of Independence Ride was born: to build the “Latham Experience” among Midwest farmers.

Our idea to create a community of farmers who love to ride has its origins in the Harley Owners’ Groups. Harley-Davidson has done a masterful job of creating “the Harley experience” around its products. In fact, H-D is now one of the most requested tattoos in America. Now that’s brand loyalty!

So two days before the inaugural Latham Freedom of Independence Ride, I decided to make a statement by tattooing “Latham” on my arm. I’m sold on our products and service! The team at Latham Hi-Tech Seeds will do whatever we can to make sure our customers are too.

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.

…accommodations before or after the ride, here are some nearby options:

Cutty’s Okoboji Resort Club
1528 Hwy 86
Spirit Lake, IA
(712) 336-2226

The Inn at Okoboji
(712) 332-2113, ext. 155
3301 Lakeshore Drive
Okoboji, IA
www.bojifun.com

Arrowwood
1405 U.S. Hwy 71
Okoboji, IA
(712) 332-2161
(800) 727-4561

Bridges Bay
(712) 332-2161
640 Linden Dr.
Arnolds Park, IA

http://www.bridgesbayresort.com

AmericInn
(712) 332-9000
(800) 396-5007
1005 Brooks Park Dr.
Okoboji, IA
www.americinn.com

Ramada Inn
(712) 336-3984
2704 17th St.
Spirit Lake, IA
www.the.ramada.com/spiritlake07253

Super 8
2203 Circle Drive West
Spirit Lake, IA
(712) 336-4901
www.discoverokoboji.com

Anyone watching this Kossuth County, Iowa parade may have spotted one of our newest Latham dealers pulling his rig through the parade.  Tom Price of Lakota, Iowa has joined the Latham team this year in place of John and Connie Pedersen of Ledyard, Iowa.  John and Connie are retiring after 25 years in the seed business selling Latham products.  Tom Price may be a new dealer, but he is no newbie to the agriculture industry.  Tom has a wealth of experience in agriculture and customers in the Kossuth County area can count on him to bring them the latest and greatest in seed technology.  Tom carries a custom hauling business alongside his seed dealership, so be on the lookout for “TAPRICE INC.” on the roads this fall bringing in the harvest.  Tom is excited to start his new business and continue serving customers in the same way the Pedersen’s have for years.  Here are a couple photos of Tom and his rig in the parade showcasing his dealership and the Freedom of Independence ride on August 29th.

Here are a few pics from some fields along the route of the Freedom of Independence Ride coming up next month. As you can see, the crops are looking sweet.  The view from the road will be great Aug. 29.

Remember, visit lathamseeds.com to register for the event.  The ride starts at 1:00 p.m., leaving from Arnolds Park. We get back to the park around 6:00 and will enjoy a great hog roast and band. All free. And all farmers are welcome.

Shannon Latham: Official Biker Chick

Sunday (Epilogue)

After completing this course, I’m an absolute safety nut and will have that attitude at all times when riding a cycle. With that in mind, I want to offer a few learnings about protective gear.

Protective gear helps a rider stay comfortable, improves visibility if it’s brightly colored and reflective and protects against the elements in all kinds of conditions.  Every rider and passenger should wear:

• Sturdy, over-the-ankle footwear with nonslip soles
• Long pants
• Good jacket
• Full-fingered gloves
• A helmet manufactured to meet Department of Transportation (DOT) standards with proper eye protection; helmets with full-face protection do the best job of sealing out wind, dust and bugs.

Protective gear should fit comfortably without binding.  A jacket with a zippered front will be more wind resistant than a jacket with buttons or snaps.  A flap of material over the zipper of a jacket gives additional protection against the wind along with protecting your motorcycle’s paint from scratches.  Jackets with snug cuffs and waist are recommended to keep wind from blowing in.  Caution:  a large, loose,  jacket can flap when riding and may irritate skin or be a distraction.

In cold-weather riding, protective gear protects riders against hypothermia.  Hypothermia, a condition of subnormal body temperature, can cause loss of concentration, slowed reactions and loss of smooth, precise muscle movement.  As an example, on a chilly day (50 degrees Fahrenheit) a motorcyclist riding at a speed of 30 mph experiences a chilling effect equivalent to 42 degrees.
In hot-weather riding, protective gear protects riders against heat exhaustion.  Heat exhaustion, characterized by dizziness and headache, can hamper clear thinking and concentration.  Dressing for hot-weather riding requires protective gear that breathes, and riders should drink plenty of water.
Source:  Motorcycle Safety Foundation

Now, bring on the Freedom of Independence Ride!