5 Simple Lessons Your AgTech Startup Can Learn From Rural Farmers

When AgTech startups read this, some could in all probability instinctively protect their tech-first methodology.

Others could in all probability receive unfamiliar about what rural farmers maintain another way.

Both reactions are staunch — but curiosity opens the door to learning.

They open inflamed by all their fancy items. They would love to yell you about their 12 sensors, their computer programs, and their special certificates. They deem glossy tech is constantly better than “primitive college”.

They discuss about their indoor farms that grow food one year/year. They yell you about their water-saving systems and their special lights. They inform their systems are helping build the planet.

But their bank accounts yell a distinctive fable.

They are able to’t comprise that 47 items of instruments making $100 every is upright a straightforward formula to lose money.

Then there’s the second form of person.

Whereas you occur to yell them “your Agtech startup will obtain the profit of the journey of rural farmers,” you make now not receive mad. You receive unfamiliar.

Due to you appreciate there’s a distinction between being innovative and being worthwhile.

I great prefer interacting with the second form.

They investigate cross-check at what in truth works, now not upright what looks to be like dazzling on social media.

Right here’s the true fact: you make now not want 47 heaps of systems to run a worthwhile operation.

In fact, I’d argue you upright want one – resolve one trouble, with one solution, and be essentially the most attention-grabbing at it.

You’re making now not need to be in every single living, using every glossy formula, chasing every CNBC pattern, or what Agtech influencers are calling the “subsequent mountainous component.”

From my personal journey, and that of a total lot of heaps of rural farmers I’ve labored alongside and talked to over time, that’s a surefire formula to run one thing into the bottom.

You should to in all probability per chance also obtain extra success by maintaining it clear-reduce.

Now, I can not give you a step-by-step conception that works for each person – farming doesn’t work look after that.

But I will fragment the ideally suited precept I’ve realized on our 4th skills household farm:

Fundamentals develop wealth, now not facets.

Right this moment I could in all probability love to fragment with you five lessons from our farm that will inspire your Agtech and/or city farm be extra worthwhile and sustainable.

Let’s dive in!

Lesson #1: Money coming in beats supreme every time.

Right here’s the conclusion most CEA farmers assemble: outdoors farming is “broken”.

❌Climate is unpredictable
❌Pests execute flowers
❌Soil gets depleted
❌Seasons limit what which you can grow
❌Ragged systems are wasteful and unreliable

In reveal that they devise controlled environments to “repair” these concerns.

✅Best possible native weather preserve watch over
✅No pests
✅Real vitamins
✅Year-spherical rising
✅Maximum efficiency

But here’s what they poke away out:

Aged farmers already solved the money drift trouble that kills most CEA operations.

Rural farmers realize one thing most tech farmers make now not:

You should to in all probability per chance also’t supreme your formula to developing money whenever it is possible you will most certainly per chance be now not bringing in money from day one.

💡They plant flowers they know will sell
💡They harvest when folk would love to aquire
💡They make stronger their instruments with money they made, now not money from traders

Whereas CEA farmers expend months making their rising systems supreme, or expend money they don’t but obtain sooner than proving folk will aquire their food, broken-down farmers sell “okay” products to preserve in alternate whereas they learn to receive better.

This would now not mean outdoors farming systems are supreme. It formula their methodology to money drift is what CEA operations need to reproduction.

Rural farmers obtain mastered three fundamentals that CEA tech ought to enhance, now not substitute:

Market timing: They know precisely when possibilities prefer declare flowers, and conception their complete rising cycle around purchaser quiz – now not optimal rising stipulations.

Likelihood management: They diversify flowers and planting instances to assemble obvious some profits even when weather or pests hurt piece of their operation.

Customer relationships: They’ve constructed have faith with traders who will aquire corrupt flowers at dazzling costs on sage of they worth constant present over supreme look.

The most attention-grabbing CEA operations expend skills to assemble bigger these fundamentals, now not ignore them.

Managed environments allow them to hit market timing extra precisely. Pest-free systems lower distress whereas maintaining the diversification precept. Constant quality strengthens buyer relationships that out of doorways farmers constructed thru reliability.

Your robotic seeding machine can wait except you demonstrate which you can sell what you grow by hand – using the market timing, distress management, and buyer relationship fundamentals that out of doorways farmers already perfected.

Base line: don’t try and repair what isn’t broken. In its put, glance what could in all probability work in your beget operation and put into effect.

Lesson #2: Your flowers don’t care about your IT setup.

Rural farmers contend with biology first, instruments second.

That is precisely why they obtain got been in alternate longer, and (assuredly) fare better than tech-heavy operations.

I’ve considered indoor farms designed by good IT folk.  Sadly, they realize the machine bigger than they realize how flowers grow.

They are able to yell you precisely what their programs maintain, but can not yell what vitamins a plant could in all probability obtain upright by looking at it.

Aged farmers expend a protracted time learning to read what they grow—realizing how the flowers primitive, when they’re pressured, and when to reap all by research.

And whereas this intestine feeling can not be downloaded with an app, skills can inspire assemble it better.

The farms that obtain essentially the most success mix deep personal journey with sparkling skills expend.

Base line: Systems and processes obtain a living in farming. But by no formula reduce worth hands-on learning.

Lesson #3: Backups aren’t waste. They’re existence insurance coverage.

Every rural operator worth their weight in salt has backup plans for his or her backup plans. That is precisely why they dwell on when excessive-tech farms make now not.

Agtech farmers namely, create quite systems that rupture fully when one piece fails. Rural farmers in most cases preserve things that on the outdoor seem “wasteful”, on sage of they know farming is unpredictable and unforgiving.

• They know a few suppliers.
• They preserve manual controls for automated systems.
• They obtain clear-reduce systems to maintain things when excessive-tech solutions rupture at 2 AM within the route of harvest.

For Agtech operators, this form having a Thought B for the total lot.

Base line: Embody skills, but know how one can repair and contend with things manually if/when automated systems fail.

Lesson #4: Collaboration beats competitors every time.

Rural farming communities dwell on sorrowful economic instances, weather failures, and market crashes by working together, now not competing in opposition to every other.

• When one farmer’s reduce fails, others inspire maintain orders.
• They fragment instruments within the route of busy instances, and pitch in when one breaks down.
• When any individual finds a brand glossy pest or solution, they fragment data willingly.

City and indoor farmers in most cases work alone, and could in all probability comprise heaps of growers as their enemies as an different of possible allies. This makes the total system mild—when concerns occur, they face them alone as an different of leaning on others’ experiences.

Base line: Don’t gatekeep. Building friendships with operators outdoor (or adjoining to) your arena of interest provides you receive admission to to data, instruments, and market opportunities that inspire each person.

Lesson #5: Advertising and marketing and marketing is formula extra grand than your alternate conception thinks.

Rural producers realize dazzling farming is 50% rising things and 50% running a alternate.

Rural farmers know their possibilities in my thought, and obtain spent years, even a protracted time, growing deep, foremost connections with them. In addition they realize their draw buyer’s needs, needs and disaster positive aspects better than they maintain.

In addition they obtain a few systems to assemble money all year long. Many tech farmers focus too great on rising efficiently, then fight with pricing, finding possibilities, and well-liked money management.

In my thought, I’d argue there’s no better group available when it involves relationship-basically basically based gross sales.

They’ve realized that constant quality and legit provide matter bigger than supreme products, and that maintaining possibilities overjoyed creates extra worth than excessive costs.

Base line: Know your numbers, but to boot know your possibilities.

What working together in truth looks to be like look after.

The most attention-grabbing partnerships I’ve considered between weak and tech farmers word a declare sample:

They open by sharing data and journey, now not automations and digital instruments.

I can not suggest adequate that city farmers expend a runt time on rural farms within the route of heaps of seasons, learning how choices receive made and seeing what in truth works.

Next, they safe what all facets is dazzling at.

Rural farmers obtain land, instruments, market receive admission to, and a protracted time of journey. Tech farmers obtain money, technical abilities, and connections to possibilities who care about helping the planet.

Finally, they impart solutions that profit all facets.

This could occasionally in all probability mean city farmers renting land for seasonal rising, rural producers using controlled environments for specialty flowers look after vegatables and fruits, or joint advertising and marketing that combines weak have faith with glossy on-line systems.

The key is treating all facets with appreciate for what they bring to the table, as an different of thinking both formula is robotically better.

The most worthwhile farming happens when proven fundamentals meet sparkling innovation—and that happens thru collaboration, open markets and shared opportunities.

Attracted to learning extra about how one can reconnect along with your food and the of us that worth it? Join my free e-newsletter – The Rural Creator on Substack.

Every Sunday, I open the barn doorways and give you a within the reduction of-the-scenes investigate cross-check at what household farming is de facto look after.

Join completely free 👉 https://theruralwriter.substack.com

Except subsequent time,

🌱 Charlie