Ag Retailers Shift From ‘If AI’ to ‘How AI,’ Tech Hub LIVE Session Captures Pivot
After years of speculation about artificial intelligence’s potential in agriculture, the industry has quietly crossed a threshold. The question is no longer whether AI will matter to ag retail — it’s how to make it matter. And according to a group of agribusiness leaders who gathered at Tech Hub LIVE 2026, that answer has less to do with technology and everything to do with workflow.
“The organizations creating the most value with AI aren’t simply adopting new technology — they’re changing how they work,” said Tami Craig Schilling, founder-adviser of DeepRoot Strategies LLC, who led a morning workshop at the conference. “Farmers don’t buy technology. They buy confidence.”
Schilling was joined by Ben Sloan, vice president of transportation management at Ever.Ag, and Mike Roudi, co-founder and CEO of Emergent Connext, in a session that drew ag retail leaders and a handful of AgTech startups from across the industry. The workshop, part of the AI pre-conference spearheaded by Meister Media Worldwide’s Amy Reddington, show director, explored how artificial intelligence is reshaping ag retail operations — and where early adopters are already seeing returns.
Three Themes Emerged
Sloan challenged attendees to reframe their approach to AI adoption.
Ben Sloan, VP of Ever.Ag and 2026 Tech Hub LIVE sponsor, cut through the AI hype and focused on what actually helps ag retailers get started. Simply, don’t start with the technology — start with the work. Map your processes, automate one workflow at a time, organize your information so AI can use it, and build repeatable systems that create real business value.
“Stop asking, ‘What AI should I use?’ and start asking, ‘What’s slowing my people down?'” Sloan said. “Make the list. Prioritize it. Automate one workflow. Improve it. Repeat.”
Roudi emphasized that AI cannot fix broken processes. Agriculture remains “incredibly analog,” he noted, creating significant opportunities to capture passive data, recognize patterns humans cannot see and automate workflows that free people to focus on higher-value work. For more information visit DeepRootStrategies.com
Schilling’s session focused on decision-making as the true product of AI. She said AI earns trust when it consistently helps agronomists deliver better recommendations, retailers scale their expertise and farmers make better decisions.
Scaling Relationships, Not Replacing Them
The three speakers converged on a central message: AI does not replace relationships — it scales them. It does not replace expertise — it amplifies it. And it does not replace people — it allows them to create more value.
“The winners won’t be the organizations with the most AI,” Schilling said. “They’ll be the organizations that combine great people, disciplined processes, trusted data and intelligent automation to serve farmers better than ever before.”
Conference Draws Hundreds
Tech Hub LIVE 2026, now in its fifth year, drew more than 500 attendees to the Iowa Events Center. The conference featured more than 60 speakers and 50 exhibitors, with sessions focused on practical technology adoption in the retail channel.
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