CropLife Retail Week: Trends in Automation and Predictive Data for Cost Savings

In what ways can ag tech be used to bring down costs for ag retailers and growers? In this segment, CropLife’s Eric Sfiligoj and Frenchman Valley Coop’s Jeff Wessels look at several topics including: balancing high input costs with underutilized equipment features; how automation handles inventory trends and research analytics; and using predictive data to avoid high interest holding costs. They will also explore results from the annual precision ag adoption study conducted with Purdue University to uncover why cost and ease-of-use remain massive hurdles for ag retailers.  Also, a quick teaser for TechHubLive.com.

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*Below is a partial and edited transcript:

Eric Sfiligoj:
Hello. Welcome to another edition of CropLife Retail Week. I’m Eric Sfiligoj, editor of CropLife and CropLife IRON, here with a new special guest, Jeff Wessels from Frenchman Valley Co-op. Jeff, welcome to the program.

Jeff Wessels:
Thanks. Nice to be here.

Eric Sfiligoj:
If you could, Jeff, for those folks who may not know Frenchman Valley Co-op, tell us a little bit about the cooperative, a little bit about yourself, and how long you’ve been with them.

Jeff Wessels:
The cooperative is based out of Imperial, Nebraska. We have five retail locations in the ag sector. We also do energy, feed, and operate a multitude of elevators. We’re in southwest Nebraska, the southern part of the Nebraska Panhandle, northeast Colorado, and southeast Wyoming. That’s our trade territory.

Most of our farming practices are no-till, dryland, rain-fed agriculture. There is some irrigation, especially in areas like Imperial and Grant, but much of it is rain-fed.

I’ve been here since 2018 when I came out to work on the precision ag program. That’s what I continue to do today—lead the precision ag program. We also do a lot of research and testing of new technologies and products, and I help lead those efforts as well.

Eric Sfiligoj:
Very good. I know Frenchman Valley was in the news recently. I came across a press release or notice discussing the company’s investment in a facility in Aurora, Nebraska, that you’re partnered with. The facility manufactures micronutrients, fertilizers, crop additives, and biologicals.

Tell me a little bit about what led to the decision to invest in that facility and how Frenchman Valley is benefiting from that investment now that we’ve experienced fertilizer and supply chain challenges here in 2026.

Jeff Wessels:
We’ve been purchasing products from BRANDT out of their Springfield, Illinois, facility, primarily micronutrients and related products. Our former VP of Agronomy and a representative from BRANDT were discussing the challenges we faced, particularly the high freight costs of transporting products from Springfield to our region.

At one point, we even purchased another semi tractor to help our grain department, and during part of the year, we used it to haul product back from Springfield.

They started discussing the fact that there really weren’t any manufacturing facilities of this type in the Western Plains. That led to brainstorming and eventually to the development of what is now the Specialty Ag Formulations facility in Aurora.

Several locations in Nebraska were considered, but Aurora was very welcoming. The facility is located in a new industrial area south of Aurora near Interstate 80. It’s a very nice facility.

Eric Sfiligoj:
So it’s making life a little easier now. A lot of people are talking about technology and artificial intelligence, particularly AI. Has AI been employed in the facility, or are there plans to use it going forward?

Jeff Wessels:
Currently, no. The facility relies heavily on robotics and automation and doesn’t require a large workforce to operate efficiently. There isn’t any AI being used there right now.

BRANDT is looking at some AI applications at its headquarters, and we’re also exploring AI within our own business. However, the Aurora facility itself does not currently utilize AI.

Eric Sfiligoj:
You mentioned using AI within Frenchman Valley’s operations. Is that in the office, the field, or both?

Jeff Wessels:
We’ve been utilizing AI in the field through remote sensing, crop scouting, and similar applications.

Internally, I’d like to use AI more for data analytics, especially in research. It can process large datasets and produce insights much faster than I can manually.

Our ERP system, Merchant Ag, is also incorporating AI capabilities. That will help us analyze purchasing trends year over year, model future demand, improve inventory control, and support business planning.

Eric Sfiligoj:
You mentioned inventory, and fertilizer has certainly been a major topic lately. Looking at the marketplace from a broader perspective, what technologies currently available—or on the horizon—do you think will be most important given the circumstances in 2026, and why?

Jeff Wessels:
Part of the answer is that we need to revisit some technologies we already have.

Many producers and retailers upgrade equipment regularly, but it’s amazing how few fully utilize all of its capabilities. Some parts of the country make extensive use of technologies like variable-rate applications, while others do not.

Throughout my career, I’ve focused on helping people maximize the technology they already own. For example, if a grower has equipment capable of variable-rate fertilizer applications, are they actually using it? If they have a planter with advanced capabilities, are they implementing variable-rate seeding or fertilizer placement?

We need better education and broader adoption of these existing technologies.

Another issue is data. People often say they’ve been collecting information for years but don’t know what to do with it. Today, there are excellent GIS systems that can integrate historical data and generate meaningful insights.

I think AI will play a major role in analyzing that information and helping both growers and retailers make better decisions.

Eric Sfiligoj:
One of the things we do annually with Purdue University is a precision ag adoption study that gauges how retailers are using precision agriculture and smart technologies.

The two biggest barriers we consistently hear about are cost and ease of use. You hinted that AI may help address ease of use. From your perspective, what are the key challenges retailers face in adopting new technologies in 2026, and how are emerging technologies helping address them?

Jeff Wessels:
Cost is certainly a factor.

One example is technologies like John Deere See & Spray and similar systems from other manufacturers. I believe those technologies offer tremendous potential for producers.

However, retailers face a different challenge. If a grower uses 40% less herbicide because of precision application technology, that’s a savings for the grower, but retailers have built business models around those product volumes and margins.

Retailers must figure out how to adapt. Logistics become more complicated because product usage can vary significantly from field to field. Inventory management, record keeping, and supply planning become more complex.

For growers, the value proposition is straightforward—they use less product and save money. For retailers, there are additional operational and business considerations that make adoption more challenging.

Technology is great, and I support it, but there are secondary impacts that people don’t always consider.

Eric Sfiligoj:
I’ve heard from many people that planning ahead has become more important than ever due to supply disruptions and global market uncertainty.

At the same time, technologies like AI can quickly summarize lengthy reports and distill information that would otherwise take hours to analyze. Does that make planning easier?

Jeff Wessels:
Absolutely.

Over the last several years we’ve seen higher input costs and lower commodity prices. Going into 2026, our area has also experienced very dry conditions, although we did receive some beneficial rains in May.

Many producers delayed purchasing decisions because of economic uncertainty. As a result, retailers have had to determine how much fertilizer and crop protection product to purchase without knowing exactly what demand will look like.

AI tools can help analyze historical sales data for products such as N, P, K fertilizers, zinc, and crop protection products. That provides a baseline for planning.

From there, we can have more informed conversations with growers about their intentions for the coming season and whether they plan to reduce inputs or make changes.

Inventory control is critical. With current interest rates, carrying unsold inventory can be expensive, so having better forecasting tools is extremely valuable.

Eric Sfiligoj:
We’ve talked about technologies that may reduce usage rates of traditional products. At the same time, many people are discussing biologicals as complementary products that can be used alongside conventional chemistries.

Tell me about that trend and how new technologies may influence it.

Jeff Wessels:
In our region, especially where corn is grown continuously, insect pressure can be significant. Corn rootworm is a good example.

We’ve learned that even with traited corn hybrids, performance can vary. What’s interesting is that some biological solutions, such as specific parasitic nematodes, have shown promising results.

These approaches aren’t necessarily new technologies, but they’re newer to this side of the business.

I see significant potential in biological products, whether they’re biostimulants, root-growth promoters, or stress-mitigation products.

Because of our environment, we’re particularly interested in products that help plants manage stress. We’re also evaluating products that may reduce the stress caused by post-emergence herbicide applications.

We’re using newer RNA-based tissue testing methods to evaluate those responses.

Ultimately, we’re interested in anything that improves fertilizer efficiency. If a product allows us to reduce fertilizer rates while maintaining performance, that’s worth investigating.

Eric Sfiligoj:
We’ve been discussing ag technology and innovation, and in mid-July, CropLife and Meister Media Worldwide will host Tech Hub Live in Des Moines, Iowa.

You’ll be speaking at the event. Can you give viewers a preview of what you’ll be discussing?

Jeff Wessels:
As you mentioned, Bruce Erickson at Purdue does an outstanding job with the annual precision ag survey and presents excellent insights at Tech Hub Live.

I’ll be participating on a panel moderated by Bruce, and we’ll discuss technology adoption, utilization, and what the survey findings mean in practice.

When Amy called and asked if I had ideas for the session, I told her Bruce does such a good job moderating that we could simply follow wherever the discussion leads.

Tech Hub Live is a tremendous event for anyone interested in new technologies and innovation. It’s one of the premier opportunities to learn about emerging tools, network with industry professionals, and explore new ideas.

The exhibitor lineup changes from year to year, but there’s always a tremendous amount of valuable information available.

Eric Sfiligoj:
That’s great. Jeff, thank you so much for taking the time to talk with us about technology in the marketplace. We certainly appreciate it.

For viewers interested in joining Jeff and me at Tech Hub Live in July, visit the event website to register and view the agenda.

Thank you again, Jeff.

Jeff Wessels:
Thank you, Eric.