New Tech Takeaways from Cultivate’25
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Silver Fern had a dedicated presence at this year’s Cultivate’25. Here are a few of the staff takeaways on what the event had to teach about new business strategies and emerging technology insights.
Tech Takeaways from the Floor of Cultivate’25
1. AI Is Here — and It’s Everywhere
From back-end support to customer-facing automations, everyone was asking about how AI would change operations. It’s no longer hypothetical. Growers want to know: What will it do for me today?
2. Production Planning Remains a Bottleneck
It’s still one of the most painful friction points for most operations. The tools aren’t intuitive, workflows are siloed, and growers are still juggling spreadsheets. There’s a clear appetite for smarter, integrated systems.
3. Demand Planning Needs Both Horizons
Short-term and long-term demand planning were hot topics, especially as buyers demand more excellence with inventory allocation, external pressures intensify, and pay-by-scan continues to be adopted across retail chains. Growers want visibility without complexity — and decision support that works with their real-world constraints.
4. Software Must Be a Force Multiplier
The phrase we heard most often: “I need my software to work for me, not the other way around.” Tools that don’t drive efficiency or output are no longer tolerated. Growers want leverage, not overhead.
5. From Data Collection to Data Monetization
After years of collecting data, growers are asking the next question: “Now what?” They’re eager to monetize the data they’ve been mining and managing. Tools that surface insight, reduce guesswork, and support better decisions will win.
For additional takeaways from Cultivate’25, please read the original article found on the Silver Fern website.
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