What the Industry Downturn Is Revealing About Controlled Environment Agriculture Hiring

There’s no denying that the controlled-environment agriculture (CEA) industry has undergone radical shifts in recent years. On the one side, there are growth spurts fueled by influxes of investor capital. On the other end, facility closures and bankruptcies quickly pull positive growth eras back into reality. Between 2023 and 2025, industry leaders like Bowery, Plenty, and AppHarvest went under – subsequently losing over $2 billion in investor capital. 

As CEA producers and equipment companies adjust to these market fluctuations, they are rethinking workforce needs, leadership structures, and approaches to recruiting specialized talent. These changes are reshaping controlled environment agriculture hiring on the whole.  

As recruiters, we ask ourselves: what lessons can employers learn from these changes? What does the downturn reveal about the future of CEA hiring?

We spoke with Mike Ruane, Principal Recruiter at Mac & Fulton Talent Partners, to get his perspective on the evolving CEA talent market, the challenges facing employers, and the skills companies are prioritizing as they adapt to a leaner playing field. 

Here is what Mike had to say: 

1. How has controlled environment agriculture hiring changed over the past few years?

“I think the biggest thing I’ve seen is really big growth cycles, with lots of private equity and investor money going into companies to expand and grow. Then, after that boom period, comes a slowdown. There are times of significant growth, hiring, and activity, often followed by a downturn. A lot of that, in my opinion, is driven by things like BFG announcing bankruptcy or producers like Bowery, Kalera, and, most recently, 80 Acres shutting down operations.

That trickles down to companies trying to sell growing media and equipment. I think it also spooks investors when it comes to putting more money into the industry. That’s when you start seeing slowdown periods with controlled environment agriculture hiring. Normally, after some time, things start picking back up again. Over the years, we’ve seen those really big highs and lows.

Cannabis, in previous years, really drove a big spike in activity, particularly through 2021 and 2022. That’s something I haven’t seen nearly as much of lately. There’s a lot more consolidation in cannabis, and there hasn’t been much movement with legalization, with everything happening state by state. I think the stagnation in cannabis has been notable over the last few years, and it hasn’t been great for the horticulture and equipment industries. Hopefully, we’ll see some changes and more activity moving forward.” 

2. What are you seeing with controlled environment agriculture hiring right now? Are companies still recruiting, just being much more selective?

“I would say that hiring is very slow right now. I think you can trace this back to early 2025 with the tariffs. Not just CEA companies, but even general manufacturing companies had a hard time estimating their costs and making accurate projections about hiring and growth. A lot of them decided to hold steady and not hire, and some had layoffs.

We saw an increase in activity from November through June 2026, when I felt companies had more confidence in hiring, expanding, and introducing new products. But then you look at the BFG closure in July, and 80 Acres around that same time, and it seems like we went back to that wait-and-see approach.

Right now, hiring is slow, but when companies do hire, they’re much more selective. Hiring cycles are longer, and employers really want people who have already done that specific job. There’s much less willingness to consider a nontraditional candidate, somebody from outside the industry, or someone who doesn’t have the exact experience they’re looking for. I think having so many candidates on the market has also allowed companies to feel they can be more selective.”

3. During CEA’s rapid-growth period, did you see companies hire too quickly or build teams that were larger than their operations could realistically support?

“Yes, absolutely. I think companies get an influx of money, and you see that reflected in capital projects and greenhouse buildouts. Look at Canada in 2017 and 2018, or the cannabis industry here in the United States.

Companies were building out so much capacity, and it took a couple of years for them to realize they might have been a little too aggressive. Then they had to pull back. On the equipment side, if you look back at the heyday of cannabis, you had all these nutrient brands, and cannabis operators were spending a ton of money. You also had leafy greens operators building multiple facilities in different areas. But ultimately, those products have to make it onto store shelves, where they’re competing with some of the bigger outdoor growers.

I think there’s this ambition that if we grow quickly and get our products to market, we’ll make more money. On the equipment side, the thinking is that if we hire more sales reps, expand distribution, and offer more products, we’ll generate more revenue. But what happens is that natural pullback. Companies realize they were probably too aggressive and need to scale back.

Sometimes that means they hired too quickly, and the sales numbers simply don’t support the team. Salaries might be too high relative to revenue, and that leads to losses and layoffs down the road.” 

4. Has the downturn exposed weaknesses in how some CEA companies structured their leadership teams?

“I think one of the biggest things I saw a couple of years ago was companies wanting to bring in high-level sales and operational leadership. You’d have people coming from these big companies, commanding big salaries. The thinking was that if someone worked for a major CPG company or equipment manufacturer, they could bring that structure and experience into a smaller business and help it operate like a bigger company.

But what I also saw was that a lot of these VP-level sales leaders commanded huge salaries, which could become a drain on resources. When companies started cutting costs, those higher-paid employees were often the first to be laid off. Then the company had to restructure reporting relationships. Maybe regional sales managers started reporting directly to the president, CEO, or someone else higher up in the organization.

I think that trend of hiring a high-level VP of Sales was sometimes a little too ambitious, particularly in terms of what companies had to pay them. The problem is that when you lay off your VP of Sales to reduce costs, you can end up with a lack of direction for regional sales managers. That leadership structure can be difficult to rebuild over time.” 

5. Are companies looking for different types of candidates today than they were during the industry’s expansion years?

“I think that’s a good question. Especially on the growing media, biostimulants, and crop inputs side, I’m seeing more demand for people with a hands-on growing background.

During the expansion years, companies were often looking for traditional salespeople who could get on the phone, make calls, and get out into their territories. Now, I think that’s shifting more toward people who have actually worked with plants. Maybe it’s somebody who was a head grower, a consultant, or someone who really understands plant physiology and horticulture.

I think those people can speak the grower’s language, and that’s really who these companies are trying to reach. It’s something I’ve noticed more recently. Companies want more than just a traditional salesperson.” 

6. Which positions remain difficult to fill, even in a slow market for controlled environment agriculture hiring?

“I think the more highly technical positions are still difficult to fill. When you’re looking at crop inputs or growing media, for example, you need someone who can explain the benefits of a product to growers. There’s a lot of competition out there, and some of the bigger farms are key targets, so you really need to differentiate your brand.

I also think equipment sales positions are always going to be challenging, particularly when you’re selling complex systems or capital equipment with long sales cycles.

Leadership roles are another area. You might find somebody who can go out and sell and understands the market. But finding a good director who can organize a team, set KPIs, provide strong leadership, and drive growth has always been difficult. I continue to see that.

When you get into a greenhouse, there are so many interconnected systems, from lighting and irrigation to climate control and other technologies. Someone selling even one of those systems probably needs to understand how the others work to be really effective. Finding someone who understands how to sell complex machinery or large systems, particularly with longer sales cycles, is always going to be challenging.” 

7. When you’re evaluating candidates today, what tells you that someone can succeed in a leaner, more efficiency-focused CEA operation?

“Generally speaking, when I talk to somebody, the type of company they’ve worked for can be a good indicator. You get into some of these really large producers or manufacturing companies, and everyone has a different role. There’s not always a lot of cross-collaboration.

But when you get into a smaller company that’s trying to stay lean and efficient, you tend to demand more from your employees. So I really try to understand whether someone has had to step into different roles and handle multiple functions.

Did they come from a bigger company where they had a lot of support and were only responsible for one specific area?

Sometimes it’s perfectly fine if they came from a bigger company and haven’t had such a broad scope of responsibilities. But for smaller companies trying to control costs, they often want people who are willing to dive in, get their hands dirty, and never say, ‘That’s not part of my job description.’”

Build a Resilient Controlled Environment Agriculture Hiring Strategy with M&F Talent

Effective controlled environment agriculture hiring means identifying professionals who can contribute immediately to your organization while also adapting to an ever-changing business climate. 

With more than 20 years of recruiting experience and an extensive network of industry connections, Mike Ruane and Mac & Fulton Talent Partners help CEA businesses identify qualified professionals across greenhouse operations, horticulture technology, technical sales, and executive leadership.

Whether you’re filling a critical vacancy, restructuring your leadership team, or planning for future growth, M&F Talent brings the industry knowledge and recruiting expertise to streamline your controlled environment agriculture hiring. 

Contact us to learn more!