Latham Hi-Tech Seeds announces Nick Benson of Elgin, Iowa as a regional sales manager for northeast Iowa. Nick’s territory covers the following Iowa counties: Allamakee, Clayton, Delaware, Dubuque, Fayette, and Winneshiek. In addition, he serves on the company’s product development team.

John Latham, president of Latham Hi-Tech Seeds in Alexander, Iowa, says Nick is a great fit for his company.  ”You only have to talk to Nick for about two minutes before you realize how passionate he is about using the power and agility of an independent company to help rural America thrive,” said Latham. “His background in research and sales will make him a tremendous asset to our customers as they meet the continuing challenge of feeding and fueling the world with their crops.

Nick earned a bachelor’s degree in agriculture marketing and agronomy from Northwest Missouri State University. He also has experience in corn plant breeding and seed research with Pioneer and Garst. He and his wife, Meg, have two children: Noah and Michelle. In his free time, Benson loves to fish.

Fun for the whole family— or a date night with someone special? just doesn’t get any more affordable than this! Join Latham Hi-Tech Seeds in the Sheffield City Park beginning at 4 p.m. on Saturday Oct. 3, for all-you-can eat barbeque meats and chili plus a host of games and activities.

You can sign up at the even for horseshoe pitching, as well as greased pig and chicken catching contests, plus even minnow races. If tossing bean bags is your game, be sure to enter in advance as registration is limited to the first 24 teams. Registration forms may be downloaded from www.sheffieldiowa.com.

The Killer Hayseeds, one of the Midwest’s best pop country bands, will play from 7:30 to 11 p.m. And, of course, there will be a beer garden. (Seriously, how could it be called “Octoberfest” without a beer garden?)

Admission includes, the barbeque and chili, games and contests plus the live concert. The cost is $10 for adults; $5 for children, ages 6-12; and free for children, ages 5 and under. Gate proceeds will go toward new Sheffield Little League Ball Diamonds.

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.

Another season of Iowa State football means another season for the Latham Locker Room Show. The Latham Locker Room Show airs during every football broadcast on the state-wide Cyclone Radio Network. This segment airs following the play-by-play and includes exclusive “locker room” interviews with players and coaches.

A game schedule is posted at www.cyclones.com. You can listen on the following stations in the Cyclone Radio Network:

Albia KIIC – FM 96.7

Algona – KLGA-FM 92.7

Ames – KASI-AM 1430

Ames – KCCQ-FM 105.1

Atlantic – KSOM-FM 96.5

Boone – KWBG-AM 1590

Carroll – KCIM-AM 1380

Cedar Falls – KCNZ-AM 1650

Cedar Rapids – KGYM-AM 1600

Cherokee – KCHE-FM 92.1

Creston – KSIB-AM 1520

Davenport/ – KJOC-AM 1170

Quad Cities

Denison – KDSN-FM 107.1 (HD)

Des Moines – KDRB-FM 100.3 (HD)

Des Moines – KXNO-AM 1460

Fairfield – KMCD-AM 1570

Forest City/ – KIOW-FM 107.3

Mason City

Fort Dodge – KWMT-AM 540

Fort Madison – KBKB-AM 1360

Hampton – KLMJ-FM 104.9

Humboldt – KHBT-FM 97.7

Marshalltown – KXIA-FM 101.1

Mt. Pleasant – KILJ-AM 1130

New Hampton/ – KCZE-FM 95.1

Charles City

Perry – KDLS-AM 1310

Ottumwa – KLEE-AM 1480

Shenandoah – KMA-AM 960

Sioux City – KKYY-FM 101.3

Spencer – KICD-FM 107.7

Webster City – KQWC-FM 95.7

…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

Here’s the latest planting update excerpted from the July 28 USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service bulletin (for week ending July 25):

Corn: Silking advanced 24 points during the week, leaving progress, at 55 percent complete, on par with last year, but 21 points behind the 5-year average. Under ideal growing conditions, development was most rapid in the Corn Belt. Thirty-four percent of the crop began silking in Iowa and Minnesota during the week, while 27 percent of the crop in Illinois reached the silking stage. Meanwhile, 7 percent of the Nation’s corn acreage was at or beyond the dough stage, equaling the maturity pace from a year ago, but 10 points slower than normal. At 80 percent complete, doughing was most advanced in North Carolina, while the crop had yet to reach the dough stage in Iowa and Minnesota, as well as in the northern Great Plains and Great Lakes regions. Overall, 70 percent of the corn crop was rated in good to excellent condition, down slightly from a week ago, but up 4 points from a year ago.

Soybeans: Nationally, 63 percent of this year’s soybean crop was at or beyond the blooming stage, 3 points ahead of last year, but 13 points behind the average. Following a sluggish start to spring planting, crop development advanced rapidly across much of the growing region, but remained at or behind the average pace in all States except South Dakota. Pod set was evident in 20 percent of the 2009 soybean crop by July 26, one point ahead of last year, but 16 points behind the 5-year average. Pod set had begun in all estimating States, but was most advanced in the Delta, with Mississippi leading all States at 86 percent complete. Overall, 67 percent of the crop was rated in good to excellent condition, unchanged from last week, but 5 points better than last year.