Darin Chapman Helps Farmers Move Their Data Forward

Some people embrace change while others do their best to avoid it. Like Socrates, Northwest Iowa native Darin Chapman chooses to focus his energy on creating something new.

A third-generation farmer, Darin is passionate about technology and continually looks for ways to improve his farming operation. He has the ideal background and interests to serve as a Precision Agronomy Advisor with Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds.

Darin farms near Spencer with his brother, Tim, who is a local ag lender. Five seasons ago they purchased a planter to test variable rates of Latham® brand corn and soybeans, as well as conduct side-by-side comparisons of different product numbers. Their on-farm research has increased over time. It also has helped shaped the development and evolution of Latham Seeds’ Data Forward^SM service.

“The more on-farm research we do with my multi-hybrid variable rate planter, the more we learn about product placement of Latham brand hybrids and varieties in my region,” says Darin. “I cannot stress enough the importance of on farm research on your farm.”

“Phil Long and I are conducting two different studies on one of my farms this year with four of our new excellent performing hybrids. The farm we are performing the study on is one single soil type across the entire field, so it is perfect for research,” adds Darin. “We have four different population zones for each hybrid: 32,000; 34,000; 36,000 and 40,000. This will give us great insight on performance of each hybrid with best performance per planting population. We are also doing a fungicide application study across each hybrid. We sprayed the north half of the field to monitor how each hybrid responds to fungicide treatment.”

Analyzing yield to understand optimal seeding rate for each hybrid on your fields is one benefit of Latham’s Data Forward service. Other benefits include data organization and trial results.

Latham Seeds in February 2020 introduced a Data Forward application to help farmers see more profit. Our precision agronomy advisors, including Darin and Phil Long, begin by conducting a data quality analysis. Then they clean and organize each layer of data before sharing results and providing recommendations.

“When I first started working with the Data Forward program in May, I was impressed with its capabilities,” says Evan Hansen, who has worked with three precision management platforms both on his home farm and during his summer internships. “Compared to other applications the Data Forward app is extremely functional and is only getting better. I have enjoyed talking with customers about how Latham can continue to help their operations prosper. Working with Phil (Long) and Darin (Chapman) has been awesome. I have gained a wealth of knowledge this summer from the team at Latham.”

One reason Darin is so passionate about using technology to improve profitability and sustainability is because he and his wife Sarah have three sons. Zander is almost 10 years old and enjoys being with his friends as much as possible playing sports and PlayStation or riding bikes around the neighborhood. Ledger is 6 years old. He enjoys his spending time with friends and pets, as well as working on the farm. Mason is almost 2 years old. He likes watching Elmo, playing with his brothers, and being outside.

Being outside and on the farm is where Darin wants to be, too.

“I have always found on-farm research interesting” says Darin. “What I enjoy most about my current position as Precision Agronomy Advisor is that I get to work with farmers across Latham Country who want to make the most of the data they gather each year and put it to work to make their operation as efficient as possible. This gives me great gratification.”

Outside of farming, Darin enjoys taking his kids fishing and getting together with friends and their families for cookouts. He and Sarah both enjoy cooking. Today they are sharing one of their family’s favorite recipes.