Step 2: farm automation & Operations assessment - building your custom roadmap

By Dave Oberting, Questr Automation LLC, [email protected], 304.679.1889

You've completed the Walk and Listen: now comes the real work. Step 2 of our ROOST process is where we take everything we observed on your farm and turn it into a data-driven roadmap for farm automation that actually makes sense for your operation.

This isn't about pushing the latest tech gadgets on you. It's about building a custom Farm Automation Plan (FAP) that fits your budget, your workflows, and your goals. Here's exactly how we do it:

Establishing Your Baseline

First, we document everything: and I mean everything. Current labor hours (including those 4 AM starts), input costs, your feeding and irrigation workflows, energy usage, equipment status, and whatever digital tools you're already using. This baseline becomes our measuring stick for proving ROI later.

Quantifying Real Opportunities

Using that baseline, we identify where agricultural automation makes the most sense. Maybe it's smart sensors to monitor your poultry water lines, automated feeding systems that save you 2+ hours daily, or precision irrigation that cuts water costs by 25%. We focus on the automation for small farms that delivers the biggest bang for your buck.

Estimating Your Savings

Here's where the numbers get exciting. We model exactly what you'll save: labor hours (typically 500+ per year), input cost reductions (often up to 30%), and operational improvements. No vague promises: just hard data on what modern farming technology can do for your bottom line.

Mapping Available Funding

This is the game-changer. We match your automation needs against available grants: USDA NIFA, EQIP, CSP, REAP, plus state and county programs. Many farmers don't realize how much agricultural technology for small farms can be grant-funded. We do the homework so you don't have to.

Delivering Your Custom Roadmap

Your FAP outlines which automations make sense, in what order they should be installed, what grants cover what costs, and: most importantly: what you want to adopt. You maintain full control over every decision.

This assessment becomes your blueprint for installation, training, and future apprenticeship workforce involvement. It's rural automation solutions designed around your operation, not someone else's vision of what your farm should look like.

Ready to see what automation could mean for your operation? Let's build your roadmap.