Software developer… or soil?

Darin Grimm didn’t plan on being a farmer.

His passion for technology, data, and business lead to dreams of becoming a software developer. After graduation, he pursued several interests related to technology before realizing that although you can take the boy out of the farm, you can’t quite take the farm out of the boy.

Family is a priority to Darin - and so is feeding a growing population that will double in their lifetime.

“When I started to really think about what I wanted to do with my life, I started thinking about a family,” admits Darin. “It was then that I realized that I never really left the farm. There’s a deep heartfelt desire to be in agriculture. I can’t really explain the ‘why,’ I just do.”

And so Darin farms.

If you followed him around many days, you’d notice that he doesn’t drive tractors that much and wouldn’t fit the classic definition of “farmer” very well. But he does grow wheat, corn, soybeans, and sunflowers – as well as beef cattle – with his father and a partner. And he has combined his love for farming with his love for technology. Known as the “data guy,” he currently tweets and blogs about his operation and the state of agriculture.

Married with four kids, Darin is especially passionate about how to use data and numbers to accomplish specific goals, and enjoys thinking about big issues like how to feed a growing world population with increasingly limited resources. He recently appeared at the World Food Prize to talk with other farmers about this, something he wanted to do because of his involvement with social media through the AgChat Foundation.

Did You Know?

Farming is dirty job in more ways than one. Indeed, farmers spend a lot of time thinking about and taking care of…dirt (they like to call it soil). Farmers like Darin have developed comprehensive nutrient and manure management plans to protect the groundwater leaving their farm. They work on developing knowledge and equipment to reduce tillage in order to improve soil health and decrease erosion. And one of the main reasons he grows corn is because the corn residue keeps the soil from washing and blowing, and provides the building blocks for improving organic matter, a key component of soil health.

The intersection of farming and technology is where Darin is happiest - and where he sees the most hope for solving hunger.

Consider This…

Studying soil makes good sense, personally and professionally. “I probably have more interest in truly protecting what God gave us than the most outspoken environmentalist,” offers Darin. “I raise my family in this environment, so it’s very personal from that standpoint. And from a business standpoint, crops grow so much more successfully in soil that has been cared for.”

As much as he loves them, Darin doesn’t need data or statistics to understand that his soil (our dirt) is the most important resource he has. While you’re enjoying some crusty bread this Thanksgiving, he hopes you know flour was made from wheat grown on that precious resource. If he could, he’d run a data sample to help you.

Hungry for more farmer stories?
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Potato Farmer: Techno Toys in North Dakota
Pumpkin Farmer: All Hands on Deck in Illinois
Cranberry Farmer: A Working Mom in Massachusetts
Turkey Farmer: A Sustainable Entrepreneur in Michigan