Very few industries in modern society face the number of challenges seen in the agriculture sector. Many external forces wreak havoc on the farm business, and all are completely out of the business owner’s control. Weather, drought, pests, and disease constantly hammer agriculture. They augment the standard risks any business faces and put significant pressure on historically thin profit margins. Add to this the current stagnation in the available workforce, which was significantly amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic, and you have a menu of challenges that seem almost impossible.

“A farmer plants a number of seeds and needs to yield “x” number of crops to earn enough to make the business viable,” says Apicella. “The next phase is how to become more efficient and produce a higher yield on the same land,” adding that this is similar to a manufacturer trying to produce more parts using the same manufacturing line. “How do you increase your yield, harvest more, reduce waste, and become a better producer? While each type of farm would be asking the same questions, the answers will change depending on what type of agriculture is being conducted,” she says. “Regardless of the operation, we are seeing lots of these trigger points related to scalability and efficiency with agricultural owners.”