For years, the question at the heart of digital transformation has been binary: should we build technology in-house, or should we buy off-the-shelf solutions? But for agribusinesses and insurers navigating complex, fast-moving markets, that framework is no longer enough.
Today’s leading enterprises are choosing a third path: strategic partnership. Why rebuild what already exists? Managed Services Providers like Farmers Edge ha spent two decades building, testing, and scaling the tools agriculture needs—so partners can move faster, without starting from scratch.ve
The Problem with the Binary
Building in-house promises customization—but it also brings delays, hiring challenges, and the risk of building something that isn’t future-proof. Buying off-the-shelf may seem faster—but it often requires costly internal change management and compromises on fit.
Neither model alone is equipped to deliver speed, scale, and specialization.
A Third Option: Partnering to Execute
The new enterprise model blends the best of both worlds by embedding long-term execution partners into the strategy itself. It’s not just outsourcing. It’s co-building, co-deploying, and co-owning outcomes.
With Managed Services, teams can:
- Build custom platforms without building internal tech teams
- Access specialized consulting and software under one roof
- Integrate data across systems with enterprise-grade infrastructure
- Deploy and maintain solutions at scale, with continuity
- Rely on flat-rate, predictable support to control costs
What It Looks Like in Practice:
- National Sorghum Producers: Field-level Carbon Intensity (CI) Scoring
When National Sorghum Producers (NSP) needed to deliver complex sustainability reporting to multiple stakeholders—including growers, partners, and regulators—they didn’t buy a product. They didn’t build a system from scratch.
They partnered with Farmers Edge.
Farmers Edge worked alongside NSP to integrate data collection, automate CI scoring workflows, and handle traceability and reporting requirements—all under a Managed Technology Services model. No new systems for growers. No extra lift for the internal team. Just execution.
The Results?
- 400+ producers enrolled in a multi-state program in under 5 months
- 1700+ fields CI scored using 2023 Argonne GREET and 2025 USDA FD-CIC frameworks
- 2024 CI scoring datasets enabled access to USDA funding and carbon markets
- Downstream data exchange established to support full traceability from field to fuel
See the case study here.
- Conduit Ag: Powering a Next-Gen Retail Experience with Landus
When Landus, one of the largest farmer-owned cooperatives in the U.S., set out to modernize their digital strategy, they didn’t just want an app—they wanted an end-to-end platform that would power their ecosystem.
Instead of building it alone, they partnered with Farmers Edge to co-develop and manage the tech stack behind Conduit™, their proprietary customer platform. Why? Farmers Edge had already built the underlying infrastructure—then customized it to meet their needs.
Farmers Edge provided:
- Custom front-end and back-end development
- Secure data infrastructure to support thousands of transactions
- Embedded Managed Services to maintain and enhance the platform post-launch
- API integration with agronomy, logistics, and sales systems
This partnership enabled Landus to focus on their core business—while Farmers Edge ensured the technology delivered real value to their members.
Read more about the initiative here.
This model is working in agriculture because it acknowledges the real constraints leaders face: talent scarcity, pressure to move fast, and the need for field-level precision.
Organizations using Managed Services report:
- 3x faster time to market
- Up to 45% lower operational costs
- Stronger user adoption due to built-in support and training
- Greater agility in meeting compliance, reporting, and sustainability goals
From Build vs. Buy to Partner with What’s Proven
The future of digital transformation in agriculture isn’t about choosing sides. It’s about scaling with what already works—and working with partners who understand the space, bring proven infrastructure, and have delivery teams ready to execute.
It’s not a compromise. It’s a competitive advantage.
With 19 patents, 200+ digital tools, 159 validated crop models, and billions of data points processed hourly through enterprise-grade systems, Farmers Edge offers a direct path to execution—without the need to start from scratch.
We co-develop. We deploy. We support at scale.
Let’s talk about where we can plug in. www.farmersedge.ca/managed-services
