Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84Seed World: What are you reading, and why?  John Latham: I’m reading “Mind Gym” by Gary Mack. My son, who is a high school freshman, is playing varsity basketball this season. ... Believing in yourself is as important to an athlete’s success as it is to a business professional’s success. SW: What concerns you most? JL: Consolidation ... but I’m hopeful it will result in healthy competition among genetics and trait providers. It looks like the Big Six providers will be narrowed down to three or four in the near future. This could result in a situation where one company has an overwhelming advan- tage, and that wouldn’t be healthy for farmers or seed companies. Because I’m an optimist at heart, I see how the pending mergers and acquisitions could improve the overall competitiveness.  My other major concern is trait approvals. The industry has created great tools to fight resistance, but many of these technologies are slowed because they can’t get import approvals in places like China. My fear is that large companies won’t continue to invest in R&D because lengthy regulatory and approval pro- cesses create so much uncertainty. SW: What is most encouraging? JL: The people are amazing. As a member of the American Seed Trade Association executive team, I see how people from competing companies come together to either resolve issues or create initiatives that will better our industry. SW: What is your favorite hobby, and how does it help your work? JL: My favorite hobby is golf. Not only is it a great way to escape from the pressures of business for several hours, but it can provide a more relaxed environment for Optimist at Heart 58 / SEEDWORLD.COM JANUARY 2017 John Latham, president of Latham Hi-Tech Seeds, talks to us about the industry, golf and Bill Gates. getting business done. Relationships can be built and sometimes you learn about a person’s character over a game of golf. SW: What do you like most about running a seed company? JL: There are many things I like about running a seed company. The challenge of finding products that work in our mar- keting area for our customers gets me the most excited. It’s extremely rewarding to hear a customer say he made more money for his family based off a product we brought to market. SW: Biggest dislike? JL: All the contracts and agreements involved has become complicated and time consuming. When my grandfa- ther started our seed business, his business deals were done with a handshake. Today we need signed Memorandums of Understanding before many conversations even take place.  SW: No. 1 piece of management advice? JL: Surround yourself with good people whom you trust. Our business won’t succeed without extremely compe- tent, loyal people. Bill Gates said it well: “The key for us, No. 1, has always been hiring very smart people. Hire people who are better than you are, then leave them to get on with it.” SW