Valstone is a Canadian-based company with many subsidiaries in the U.S., and its leaders decided to take a major step toward supporting the future of agriculture.
Their approach? Creating top-of-the-line software designed not only to bring agricultural technology up to date but also to make the lives of farmers, scale house workers, and other agriculture professionals easier and more efficient.
They’ve also begun investing in the next generation of agriculture by supporting organizations like FFA. The company was recently recognized as a 4-Star Supporter at the 2025 Illinois FFA State Convention.
Valstone President and CEO Steph Manos believes that developing revolutionary software for agriculture has become one of the company’s core missions.
“We noticed agriculture and industrial markets were lagging in technology adoption,” says Manos. “That’s when we knew there was an opportunity — not just for growth, but for impact.”
According to Manos, a technological revolution is needed to support the future of agriculture, and he hopes to make a meaningful difference for everyone involved. He also believes the future of agriculture depends on greater efficiency and automation due to the increasing demands of a growing global population.
“As younger generations take over, the demand for automation and efficiency in agriculture is only going to grow,” he says. “Valstone plans to meet them there.”
He also mentioned a software solution being developed by Vertical Software — one of Valstone’s companies — called Ceres, which aims to automate grain accounting in the scale house.
“Recently, Vertical Software has launched its next-generation web Grain Track called Ceres…that’s been a nice project that Marcus and the team has attacked. So, that’s ready to go.”
Because agriculture plays a vital role in everyone’s lives, Manos believes companies must focus on building reliable software so that no one in this fast-paced industry has to slow down.
“The software we build is mission-critical — when it goes down, businesses stop,” he says. “That’s why we invest so deeply in making sure it works, grows with the client and becomes part of their long-term strategy.”
As new technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) emerge, Manos emphasized that integrating them in agriculture is essential to staying ahead and making life easier for producers and consumers alike.
“AI in agriculture isn’t just hype — it’s a real chance to improve efficiency from the grainhouse to the field,” Manos says.
He also believes supporting young people is a crucial pillar of Valstone’s mission.
“Supporting the next generation in agriculture — through FFA and beyond — is just part of our DNA,” he says, underscoring the importance of youth involvement in agriculture.
Overall, Valstone hopes to not only make a meaningful impact on today’s industry but also invest in and help cultivate the next generation of leaders in agriculture.
