Growers Edge: Helping Agriculture Embrace Innovation by Reducing Risk
November 25, 2025 Today the world of agriculture is undergoing some significant shifts in its overall operational makeup. Ag retailers and their grower-customers are facing market pressures from all directions in an effort to balance profitability, innovation, and risk. And according to Bob Armour, President and Chief Marketing Officer at Johnston, IA-based Growers Edge, his company is trying to help the marketplace walk this fine line.
“Farmers want to adopt new, innovative, profitable practices,” says Armour. “But when they make a change in something, it can be very risky. In fact, it can be existentially risky. So, we are trying to help alleviate this situation.”
To do this, Growers Edge offers four different product lines. The first is called Crop Plan Warranty.
“This is our most developed product line,” says Armour. “This enables dozens of retailers and manufacturers to wrap a warranty around their recommended products or solutions for their farmer-customers. Basically, it enables the retailer or manufacturer to say ‘we know that these products are new and different for you. We strongly think that they are best for you, and we think that way so much that we’re willing to put a warranty around it. If your yields are lower than what you’ve seen with other products in the past, we will stand behind them and pay out against that shortfall.”
He added Crop Plan Warranty is white labeled for ag retailers to utilize. “So, it’s a retailer’s program,” says Armour. “We power it, from the marketing materials that go with it to the execution of the signing up of the customers as well as any sort of payouts that might happen from the warranty. So, the retailer can offer their own branded warranty on their products, we provide everything else.”
Other Products
Growers Edge’s second product line is Input Financing. This provides retailers and manufacturers with an end-to-end, no recourse, simple-to-implement, digital financing solution to offer their grower customers.
“Often times when providing financing for their grower customers, retailers have to carry all or a portion of non-payment,” says Armour. “And in an environment where commodity prices are down and interest rates are still pretty high, our input financing program provides our retailers with a digital, end-to-end program to offer no-recourse financing to their cash-strapped grower customers, thereby eliminating the potential risk of non-payment. Then there’s Farm Mortgage and Operating Line Financing, which provides cost effective loans to help farmers purchase land and fund their operations. Finally, there’s the Land and Portfolio Intelligence product, a solution brought to Growers Edge by its acquisition of Agcor in late 2024. This proprietary software and data product enables dozens of ag-focused lenders to understand the details, concentration, and risks of their loan portfolios in seconds, with unique visual and AI capabilities built in.
And as Growers Edge works to expand its product offerings throughout the agricultural marketplace, Armour foresees increased partnerships with ag retailers for the industry’s benefit.
“It would take boatloads of money to go direct to the farmer with our warranty and lending products, period,” he says. “The agronomist at a retailer is oftentimes the trusted partner helping the grower decide what’s the right product recipe for a season. So, it would be near impossible for Growers Edge to duplicate them effectively.”
Subscribe Today For
