Ben Sheldon (proper), Expertise Gross sales Supervisor at Raven Industries, joined CropLife Editor Eric Sfiligoj for a Hearth Chat on the 2025 Tech Hub LIVE in Des Moines, IA.
On the 2025 Tech Hub LIVE occasion in Des Moines, IA, CropLife sat down for a Hearth Chat with Ben Sheldon, Expertise Gross sales Supervisor at Raven Industries, a key participant inside the CNH Industrial household. The dialog targeted on the present local weather of ag tech funding, market uncertainty, and the place automation is heading subsequent.
With growers dealing with tighter margins, fluctuating commodity costs, and a difficult credit score atmosphere, Sheldon acknowledges that the temper throughout agriculture is extra cautious — however not defeated.
“We’re returning to the roots of precision ag — investing in tech that helps profitability,” Sheldon stated. “Growers are very involved. They’re searching for tech choices that don’t essentially require shopping for new gear.”
That sentiment has change into a key driver for Raven’s strategy. As an alternative of pushing costly new machines, the corporate is targeted on retrofit-friendly options that combine with current gear.
“Our objective is to convey expertise to market in a manner that permits for retrofit or aftermarket integration,” he defined. “That manner, prospects can leverage new expertise with their current fleet to guard ROI in a difficult atmosphere.”
Funding Mindset: ROI vs. Comfort
A recurring theme in ag tech discussions is the perceived divide between ROI-focused and convenience-focused purchases. However in line with Sheldon, it’s not an both/or — it’s cyclical.
“It relies upon the place we’re available in the market cycle,” he stated. “When costs are tight, purchases are ROI-driven. When commodity indexes rise and there’s extra monetary flexibility, we see extra investments targeted on comfort and person expertise.”
This makes in the present day’s atmosphere particularly difficult. Not solely are commodity costs unstable, however entry to capital has change into more and more troublesome for growers. That locations a heavier burden on expertise suppliers.
“The duty partly falls on OEMs — these of us bringing tech to market,” Sheldon emphasised. “We have to supply options which can be extra accessible.”
Regardless of the challenges, Sheldon stays optimistic. He says progressive growers are nonetheless actively searching for tech that offers them a aggressive edge — they only want the suitable instruments and phrases to make it work.
A Stacked Tech Future at CNH
As a part of the broader New Holland/CNH umbrella, Raven has seen a shift towards constructing an built-in expertise stack. Strategic acquisitions—together with Hemisphere, Augmenta, and Raven itself — have paved the way in which for streamlined options that work throughout platforms.
“The objective is an built-in tech stack, one thing we haven’t all the time had up to now,” Sheldon famous.
Whereas autonomy dominates a lot of the ag tech buzz, Sheldon believes the smarter path ahead begins with automation — the type of incremental enhancements that may be carried out now and scaled later.
“Everybody talks about autonomy, however we consider the trail begins with automation,” he stated. “There’s numerous worth we are able to ship by means of automation proper now — earlier than full autonomy.”
