Author: Indoor Ag-Con

Indoor Ag-Con Launches Greenhouse Education Track Curated by Dr. Nadia Sabeh – Dr. Greenhouse

Written by Indoor Ag-Con on September 29, 2026. Posted in Blog, Press Releases.

New Track Joins 9 Others to Form Comprehensive Conference Program for the Global Event for Protected Ag | Greenhouse Growing | Controlled Environment Agriculture

March 24–25, 2027 • Westgate Las Vegas • Las Vegas, Nevada

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA (September 30, 2026) — There is no shortage of places for greenhouse growers to hear about the industry. There are very few places built to actually solve the problems growers face every day. Indoor Ag-Con, the global event for protected ag, greenhouse growing and controlled environment agriculture, is closing that gap. The show today announced the launch of a new Greenhouse education track for its March 24–25, 2027 edition at the Westgate Las Vegas, which will be developed and curated by Dr. Nadia Sabeh, founder of Dr. Greenhouse, Inc. and one of the industry’s leading voices on greenhouse climate and HVAC design.

The Greenhouse track becomes the tenth track in Indoor Ag-Con’s 2027 conference program, joining Lettuce/Herbs, Cannabis, Vine Crops, Sprouts, Food as Medicine, Berries, Mushrooms, Conventional, and Marketing — forming a two-day program built to serve every corner of the CEA and greenhouse industry.

The Gathering Place for Greenhouse Growers

Indoor Ag-Con is doubling down on the thing it has always done best: bringing growers together with resources, education, and other grower community members in a way no other industry event replicates. The 2027 show floor will connect growers with the full spectrum of greenhouse suppliers and technology providers — structures, climate control, automation, inputs, and more — while the new Greenhouse track ensures growers leave with answers to the questions keeping them up at night, not just industry talking points.

“A great trade show has always been about more than the expo floor — it’s the floor, the education, and the people, all working together to solve real problems,” said Brian Sullivan, CEO, Indoor Ag-Con. “For 2027, we wanted the education side to match the caliber of grower walking our floor. Bringing Nadia Sabeh in to lead this track wasn’t about adding a name to a program — it was about making sure growers leave with real answers. Between the exhibit hall and this track, there’s no better gathering place for greenhouse growers in this industry.”

Built by the Person Who Understands the Problem

Dr. Nadia Sabeh, known throughout the industry as “Dr. Greenhouse”, is the founder of Dr. Greenhouse, Inc., an agricultural and mechanical engineering firm specializing in HVAC design for greenhouses and indoor farms. She holds a Ph.D. in Agricultural Engineering from the University of Arizona’s Controlled Environment Agriculture Center, is a licensed Mechanical Engineer, and has led the development of national engineering standards for climate control in indoor plant environments. Her firm has consulted on 200+ greenhouse and indoor farm projects worldwide, and her podcast, “The Doctor Is In,” has made her one of the most recognized and trusted voices in the CEA industry – – someone growers already turn to for straight answers, not sales pitches.

“I talk to growers every single day who are stuck between conflicting advice — from vendors, from consultants, from the internet — about what will actually work in their greenhouse,” said Dr. Nadia Sabeh, Dr. Greenhouse, Inc. “This track isn’t theory. It’s the conversations I have in the field, brought to the stage and built for growers who need to make a real decision about their operation, not just leave with a list of buzzwords.”

Two Full Days, Built Around the Decisions Growers Actually Face

The Greenhouse track runs across both days of Indoor Ag-Con 2027 and includes sessions like:

“Forget High-Tech vs. Low-Tech: What Is the Right Tech?” — a practical framework for evaluating technology investments based on operation size, crop, and goals, not hype.
“Balancing Act: Managing Light and Heat in the Greenhouse” — hands-on strategies for one of the most persistent challenges in greenhouse production.
“So You Want to Renovate Your Greenhouse” — a grower’s guide to planning, budgeting, and executing a retrofit without losing a season.
Day 2 Fireside Chat — an unscripted conversation with a leading greenhouse grower on lessons learned running a real operation.
Day 2 Greenhouse Bootcamp — a unique working session. Instead of a lecture, this will bring growers together with Dr. Sabeh and fellow attendees on the key issues they’ve flagged as top priorities – in a live, hands-on format built for real engagement and participation – not passive listening.

Additional speakers and session details will be announced in the coming weeks.

A Complete Program for Every Grower on the Floor

The Greenhouse track joins nine other tracks in the 2027 conference program — Lettuce/Herbs, Cannabis, Vine Crops, Sprouts, Food as Medicine, Berries, Mushrooms, Conventional, and Marketing — giving attendees ten distinct paths through two full days of programming. Combined with a show floor built for greenhouse, vertical farming, and CEA suppliers, Indoor Ag-Con 2027 offers growers a depth of resources and community that a single conference track, or a single day on a show floor, simply cannot match.

Indoor Ag-Con 2027 takes place March 24–25, 2027 at the Westgate Las Vegas. To learn more and take advantage of early bird registration rates visit www.indoor.ag.

About Indoor Ag-Con
Now in its 14th year, Indoor Ag-Con is the global event for protected ag, greenhouse growing and CEA, connecting growers, suppliers, researchers, and technology leaders across the full agriculture supply chain. Indoor Ag-Con 2027 takes place March 24-25, 2027, at the Westgate Las Vegas. Indoor Ag-Con also presents CEA Summit East, held each fall in Danville, VA, in partnership with the CEA Innovation Center, a joint project with Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR). For more information, visit www.indoor.ag

About Dr. Greenhouse, Inc.
Founded by Dr. Nadia Sabeh, Dr. Greenhouse, Inc. is an agricultural and mechanical engineering firm specializing in the design of HVAC and climate control systems for greenhouses, indoor farms, and vertical farms. The firm has consulted on 200 + projects worldwide and Dr. Sabeh has helped lead national engineering standards development for indoor plant environments. For more information, visit www.doctorgreenhouse.com.

Fifth Annual CEA Summit East Deepens Its Roots at the IALR CEA Innovation Center in Danville, Virginia

Written by Indoor Ag-Con on September 18, 2026. Posted in Blog, Press Releases.

DANVILLE, VIRGINIA (September 18, 2026 , 2026) — The fifth annual Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) Summit East closed out two days of connection and collaboration Sept. 15-16, 2026 at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR) in Danville, Virginia. Co-hosted by Indoor Ag-Con and the CEA Innovation Center, the Summit brought together growers, educators, researchers, extension professionals and government representatives for an event built around real conversation, hands-on learning, and direct access to the research shaping the CEA industry.

“Our exhibitors consistently tell us that the size of the event and the mix of people here – growers alongside researchers, extension professionals and students — leads to conversations they don’t get anywhere else,” said Brian Sullivan, CEO, Indoor Ag-Con. “Everyone actually gets to talk to everyone else over the two-day event, and those conversations often turn into lasting partnerships and new projects.”

“The location itself is a core part of the experience,” added Dr. Scott Lowman, Vice President of Applied Research at IALR and Co-Director of the CEA Innovation Center. “This year, we moved the sessions in one of our education tracks directly into our working research greenhouse, so growers and educators alike were learning in the same space where the research happens. Paired with guided tours of the CEA Innovation Center, it turns the Summit into more than a series of talks — it’s a firsthand look at applied CEA research and technology in action.”

(Editor’s note: High resolution photos from the CEA Summit available for download via this link)

Built for Conversation

CEA Summit East is built around a curated group of tabletop exhibitors and a program sized to give attendees more time for quality conversations. With everything — sessions, exhibits, meals and the CEA Innovation Center itself — housed within a single facility, growers running greenhouse, vertical farm and other protected cropping operations connect easily with educators, researchers, extension professionals, industry suppliers and government leaders throughout the two days.

Learning Inside the CEA Innovation Center

The IALR campus and its CEA Innovation Center, a joint project between the Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and IALR, remain central to what sets the Summit apart. New for 2026, the Core Horticultural Skills deep-dive educational track moved out of a standard conference room and into the Center’s working research greenhouses, giving growers and students hands-on exposure to the fundamentals of production in a real-life growing environment.

An Evening at Two Witches

To get things started, the new Uncork & Connect Happy Hour Welcome Mixer was held Monday, Sept. 14, the night before the Summit opened, at Two Witches Winery & Brewing Company in Danville. The gathering gave speakers, exhibitors and attendees a relaxed setting to connect ahead two full days of education and exhibits.

Keynotes

Day one’s keynote, “Grow It, Then What? Building the Bridge to Market,” featured Kathlyn Terry Baker, CEO of Appalachian Sustainable Development (ASD), in conversation with Matt Lohr, President of VP Strategies and former Virginia Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry. The two discussed the role and work of ASD and practical steps growers can take to reach grocery, institutional and wholesale buyers for their produce.

Day two began with a fireside chat, “Beyond Leafy Greens: Lessons from Plenty’s Next Chapter,” with Plenty CEO Dan Malech and Tom Stenzel, Executive Director of the CEA Alliance, talking about Plenty’s shift to focus in on growing premium strawberries in Virginia.

2026 Exhibitors

From environmental controls and greenhouse structures to nutrient solutions, lighting and packaging, this year’s tabletop exhibitors brought a range of solutions and new resources for growers navigating every stage of CEA production. This year’s tabletop exhibitors included AmplifiedAg, Apogee, Berger, Dalsem B.V., Essentia Industrial Projects, Fork Farms, Green Laniel, Jack’s Nutrients, JASA Packaging Solutions, KBC Specialty Seeds, Koppert Biological Systems, MicroClimates, Moleaer, NEW AGE Laboratories, Pace 49, Priva, Rimol Greenhouse Systems, TotalGrow Lights, and the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

Graduate Student Poster Competition

The CEA Summit’s Annual Graduate Student Poster Competition continued its mission of supporting the next generation of talent, giving emerging researchers a platform to showcase their work and connect with industry leaders. Presented by Dr. Kaylee South, Virginia Tech, this year’s winners included:

• First Place (tie): Samuel Mattia, California State Polytechnic University-Pomona, and Ellie Gregoire, Virginia Tech (not pictured)

• Second Place: Yuna Gaire, University of Georgia

In addition to celebrating these outstanding students, the CEA Summit also featured a special Scholarship recognizing the contributions of Extension personnel. The Cooperative Extension System plays a vital role in supporting greenhouse and vertical farm producers — identifying their needs, sharing research, and providing practical solutions that drive the CEA industry forward. The CEA Summit Extension Personnel scholarship program covered registration fees for 10 specialists to attend the 2026 edition.

Closing with a Look Inside the Research

The Summit concluded with guided tours of the CEA Innovation Center, giving attendees a firsthand look at both greenhouse and vertical farming environments — a closing chapter that put the research, science and technology discussed throughout the two days directly on display.

Plans are already underway for the 2027 edition of CEA Summit East. Details and dates will be announced soon at www.ceasummit.com.

ABOUT INDOOR AG-CON

Now in its 14th year, Indoor Ag-Con is the global event for protected ag, greenhouse growing and CEA, connecting growers, suppliers, researchers, and technology leaders across the full agriculture supply chain. Indoor Ag-Con 2027 takes place March 24-25, 2027, at the Westgate Las Vegas. Indoor Ag-Con also presents CEA Summit East, held each fall in Danville, VA, in partnership with the CEA Innovation Center, a joint project with Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and IALR. For more information, visit www.indoor.ag.

ABOUT THE CEA INNOVATION CENTER

The CEA Innovation Center is primarily housed in Danville, Virginia, on IALR campus and in Blacksburg, Virginia, on the Virginia Tech main campus. It is a joint project between the Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and IALR to serve the growing controlled environment agriculture industry. It addresses the needs of the industry with research, education, and extension programs. For more information, visit www.ceaic.org

CEA Summit East Day 2 Keynote: ‘Beyond Leafy Greens: Lessons from Plenty’s Next Chapter’

Written by Indoor Ag-Con on September 3, 2026. Posted in Blog, Press Releases.

Plenty CEO Dan Malech opens the Summit’s second day in conversation with Tom Stenzel, Executive Director of the CEA Alliance

DANVILLE, VA (Sept 3, 2026) — Indoor Ag-Con and the CEA Innovation Center today announced the Day 2 keynote for the Fifth Annual Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) Summit East, taking place Sept. 15-16, 2026, at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR) in Danville, VA.

The Summit’s second morning will open with a fireside chat titled “Beyond Leafy Greens: Lessons from Plenty’s Next Chapter,” featuring Dan Malech, CEO of Plenty, in conversation with Tom Stenzel, Executive Director of the CEA Alliance. The session takes place Wednesday, Sept. 16, from 8:30 to 9:15 a.m.

Plenty spent its first decade building a national vertical farming platform anchored in leafy greens. Over the past two years, the company sharpened its focus, moving to a single crop: premium strawberries grown in Virginia. In this conversation, Malech will talk with Stenzel about that evolution — what the leafy greens years taught Plenty about matching technology to market demand, how the company thinks about focus and discipline in a capital-intensive business, and what he’d tell other operators charting their own path to a sustainable model.

“Dan brings a level of candor about what it takes to build a durable business in this industry,” said Tom Stenzel, Executive Director of the CEA Alliance. “This conversation will get into the real lessons — what worked, what didn’t, and what it takes to find a sustainable path forward. That’s exactly the kind of insight CEA industry members are looking for.”

This keynote follows the Summit’s opening day keynote on Sept. 15: “Grow It, Then What? Building the Bridge to Market,” a fireside chat featuring Kathlyn Terry Baker, CEO of Appalachian Sustainable Development, in conversation with Matthew Lohr, President of VP Strategies LLC and Virginia’s former Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry.

The full schedule, speaker roster, networking events, tabletop exhibits and registration are available at www.ceasummit.com. For exhibitor and sponsorship inquiries, contact Suzanne Pruitt at suzanne@indoor.ag or 404.452.1884.

About CEA Summit East

The CEA Summit East is an annual conference bringing greenhouse growers, vertical farm operators, and controlled environment agriculture (CEA) professionals together with researchers, extension professionals, suppliers, and industry leaders. Produced by Indoor Ag-Con and the CEA Innovation Center — a joint project of IALR and the Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences — the Summit focuses on the intersection of protected cropping, production science, and emerging technology. Held at IALR in Danville, VA, the event includes keynote presentations, panel discussions, breakout sessions, tabletop exhibits, and guided tours of the CEA Innovation Center’s working research facility. For more information, visit www.ceasummit.com

About Indoor Ag-Con

About the CEA Innovation Center

The CEA Innovation Center is primarily housed in Danville, Virginia, on the IALR campus and in Blacksburg, Virginia, on the Virginia Tech main campus. It is a joint project between the Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and IALR to serve the growing controlled environment agriculture industry. It addresses industry needs through research, education, and extension programs. For more information, visit www.ceaic.org

About Plenty

Plenty built a technology platform that can grow fresh produce almost anywhere in the world, year-round, with peak-season quality while using just a fraction of the land compared to outdoor farms. Plenty’s proprietary approach is designed to preserve natural resources, make fresh produce available closer to communities, and create resilience in our food systems against weather, location, pests and climate impacts. Plenty operates a vertical farming research center in Laramie, Wyoming, and an advanced indoor strawberry farm near Richmond, Virginia. For more information, visit www.plenty.ag.

About the CEA Alliance

The CEA Alliance is a membership trade association representing and serving high-tech greenhouse producers and indoor farms growing fruits and vegetables in a highly controlled indoor production environment. For more information, visit www.ceaalliance.com

CEA Summit East Opens with Keynote Tackling Agriculture’s Toughest Challenge: Getting Crops to Market

Written by Indoor Ag-Con on August 9, 2026. Posted in Blog, Press Releases.

Appalachian Sustainable Development CEO Kathlyn Terry Baker and Matthew Lohr to headline Sept 15 fireside chat

Indoor Ag-Con and the CEA Innovation Center today announced the opening morning keynote for the Fifth Annual Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) Summit East, taking place September 15-16, 2026, at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR) in Danville, VA.

The Summit will open with a fireside chat titled “Grow It, Then What? Building the Bridge to Market,” featuring Kathlyn Terry Baker, CEO of Appalachian Sustainable Development (ASD), in conversation with Matthew Lohr, President of VP Strategies LLC and Virginia’s former Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry. The session takes place Tuesday, Sept. 15, from 8:45 to 9:30 a.m.

Most growers assume the hard part is growing more. Baker, who has spent years working alongside growers across Appalachia, has learned otherwise: finding a buyer is often harder than growing the crop, and market development has to happen before a single seed is sown. In the session, Lohr will draw out what it actually takes for small and mid-sized growers to reach grocery, institutional and wholesale buyers, including food safety, consistency, packaging and communication, and what a grower not yet ready for wholesale should do first.

The conversation will also cover how ASD’s Appalachian Harvest food hub model works and why Baker argues that no two food hubs look alike. Baker will also discuss a new agricultural campus underway in Bristol, Va., that will expand what’s possible for growers — including an Herb Hub built to help small medicinal-herb producers meet buyer standards, and a controlled-environment production space where ASD plans to grow goldenseal, a medicinal root that traditionally takes four to seven years to mature in the wild, in about six months. Time will be reserved at the end of the session for audience questions.

“This keynote gets right to a question every grower in the room has asked themselves at some point: ‘I grew it, now what?’ This session brings real answers to that question, and there is no better way to open the Summit,” said Brian Sullivan, CEO, Indoor Ag-Con.

“What makes Kathlyn’s perspective so valuable is that it calls upon years of hands-on lessons about what actually works for growers trying to connect to market, including the hard parts. That kind of honest, real-world insight is exactly what our research and education mission is about,” said Dr. Scott Lowman, Vice President of Applied Research at IALR and Co-Director of the CEA Innovation Center.

Deep-Dive Tracks, Panels, Showcase Sessions and Tours

The keynote opens two full days of programming built around four 90-minute deep-dive breakout tracks covering everything from launching a CEA operation to core horticultural skills, technology and data management, and food safety and pest management — with select sessions held directly inside the working greenhouse of the CEA Innovation Center. Special panel presentations round out the general session lineup, including a dedicated session on Strengthening the Workforce Ecosystem on Day 1 and a panel on What’s Next in CEA Crops – Breeding and Variety Development on Day 2. The popular CEA Industry & Research Showcase Sessions also return across both days with fast-paced presentations from industry innovators and researchers.

The Summit closes on the afternoon of Sept. 16 with a guided tour of the CEA Innovation Center, included with every conference pass. Attendees will explore the research greenhouse, automation systems, and ongoing trials shaping the future of CEA, led by the researchers and specialists doing the work.

The full schedule, speaker roster, networking events, tabletop exhibits and registration are available at www.ceasummit.com. For exhibitor and sponsorship inquiries, contact Suzanne Pruitt at suzanne@indoor.ag or 404.452.1884.

About CEA Summit East

The CEA Summit East is an annual conference bringing greenhouse growers, vertical farm operators, and controlled environment agriculture (CEA) professionals together with researchers, extension professionals, suppliers, and industry leaders. Produced by Indoor Ag-Con and the CEA Innovation Center — a joint project of IALR and the Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences — the Summit focuses on the intersection of protected cropping, production science, and emerging technology. Held at IALR in Danville, Va, the event includes keynote presentations, panel discussions, breakout sessions, tabletop exhibits, and guided tours of the CEA Innovation Center’s working research facility. For more information, visit www.ceasummit.com

About Indoor Ag-Con

About the CEA Innovation Center

About Appalachian Sustainable Development

Appalachian Sustainable Development (ASD) works to build a resilient regional economy through sustainable agriculture and forestry. Through its Appalachian Harvest food hub, ASD connects small and mid-size producers across Southwest Virginia, Northeast Tennessee, and beyond to wholesale buyers. ASD is currently developing a new agricultural campus in Bristol, Va., that will house an Herb Hub and a controlled-environment production space. For more information, visit www.asdevelop.org

Indoor Ag-Con Opens Call for Speakers for 2027 Edition

Written by Indoor Ag-Con on August 2, 2026. Posted in Blog, Press Releases.

14th annual event returns to Westgate Las Vegas March 24-25, 2027, with 10 crop- and sector-specific tracks

Indoor Ag-Con, the global event for protected ag, greenhouse growing and controlled environment agriculture (CEA), is now accepting speaker submissions for its 2027 edition, taking place March 24-25, 2027, at the Westgate Las Vegas.

Now in its 14th year, Indoor Ag-Con brings together growers, suppliers, researchers, and technology leaders across the full CEA supply chain. The 2027 conference program will feature two keynote addresses, 25+ sessions, and 90+ speakers across 10 crop- and sector-specific tracks, including Lettuce/Herbs, Vine Crops, Berries, Mushrooms, Food As Medicine, Cannabis, Marketing and more.

“Our conference program features the people doing the work — growers, researchers, and operators who are solving real problems every day,” said Brian Sullivan, CEO, Indoor Ag-Con. “If you have a story, a case study, or hard-won expertise to share with the CEA community, we want to hear from you.”

Indoor Ag-Con is inviting professionals across the greenhouse, vertical farming, and controlled environment agriculture community to apply for consideration as panelists, presenters, or workshop leaders. Submissions will be reviewed on a rolling basis, with select speakers contacted directly by the Indoor Ag-Con conference team.

Submission deadline: August 31, 2026

Interested speakers can view the full track list and submit for consideration at: https://indoor.ag/call-for-speakers/

About Indoor Ag-Con

CEA Summit East 2026 Unveils Conference Program

Written by Indoor Ag-Con on June 19, 2026. Posted in Blog, Press Releases.

Four Deep-Dive Tracks, Greenhouse Sessions and More Set for Sept. 15-16, 2026 In Danville, Virginia

Indoor Ag-Con and the CEA Innovation Center announce the full conference program for the Fifth Annual CEA Summit East, taking place Sept. 15–16, 2026 at the Institute for Advanced Learning & Research (IALR) in Danville, Virginia. The program features four 90-minute deep-dive breakout tracks, keynote addresses, special panel presentations, and the popular CEA Industry & Research Showcase Sessions — with speakers being added to the roster daily.

In a format unique to the Summit, select breakout sessions will be held directly inside the greenhouse of the CEA Innovation Center — putting attendees face-to-face with working research rather than a slide deck. Guided Innovation Center tours cap off the two-day program and are included with every conference pass.

Four Tracks. Twelve Sessions. Real Depth.

Each of the Summit’s four breakout tracks runs across both days, with three 90-minute sessions per track — giving attendees the opportunity to go deep on the topic most relevant to their work. Tracks and sessions are as follows:

TRACK 1: Launching a CEA Operation

• Session 1: Market Research & Defining My Target Market

• Session 2: Building My High Tunnel or Greenhouse: Regulations, Siting and Funding

• Session 3: Starting an Indoor Vertical Farm: Exploring the Models, the Options and What It Really Takes

TRACK 2: Getting Back to Our Roots – Core Horticultural Skills

Held inside the Greenhouse of the CEA Innovation Center

• Session 1: Matching Substrates to Crop & Production System (Soilless & Hydroponic)

• Session 2: Tools For Fertility Management

• Session 3: Lighting Fundamentals: Measurements, Metrics and DLI

TRACK 3: Technology Selection & Data Management

• Session 1: Data Collection & Environmental Monitoring

• Session 2: Data Management & Cybersecurity in CEA

• Session 3: Practical Examples of AI and Automation Integration in CEA Production

TRACK 4: Food Safety & Pest Management

• Session 1: Cleaning & Sanitization Protocols for Food Safety and Plant Health

• Session 2: Insect & Disease Identification in CEA Systems

• Session 3: Building an IPM Plan: Beneficial Insects & Biocontrol Tools

Keynotes, Panels and Showcase Sessions

Keynote addresses on both mornings will set the stage for each day’s programming. Special panel presentations will round out the general session lineup, including a dedicated session on Strengthening the Workforce Ecosystem on Day 1 and a panel focused on What’s Next in CEA Crops – Breeding and Variety Development on Day 2. Keynote speakers will be announced shortly.

The popular CEA Industry & Research Showcase Sessions return across both days — fast-paced, idea-packed presentations from industry innovators and researchers delivering concentrated insight on everything from grower success stories to the latest findings from the field. These sessions are among the most attended and talked-about at the Summit year after year.

The Tour That Everyone Talks About

The guided CEA Innovation Center tour — included with every conference pass — closes out the Summit on the afternoon of Sept. 16. Attendees will explore the research greenhouse, automation systems, and ongoing trials driving the future of controlled environment agriculture. This is not a marketing showcase: it’s a firsthand look at how science and innovation are shaping real-world CEA solutions, led by the researchers and specialists doing the work. Additional tour stops will be announced in the weeks ahead.

Register and Learn More

The full schedule, speaker roster, tabletop exhibits and registration are available at www.ceasummit.com. Speakers are being added regularly; the complete line-up will be announced in the coming weeks. For exhibitor and sponsorship inquiries, contact Suzanne Pruitt at suzanne@indoor.ag or 404.452.1884.

ABOUT CEA SUMMIT EAST

The CEA Summit East is an annual conference bringing greenhouse growers, vertical farm operators, and controlled environment agriculture (CEA) professionals together with researchers, suppliers, and industry leaders. Produced by Indoor Ag-Con and the CEA Innovation Center — a joint project of IALR and the Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences — the summit focuses on the intersection of protected cropping, production science, and emerging technology. Held at the IALR in Danville, Virginia, the event includes keynote presentations, panel discussions, breakout sessions, tabletop exhibits, and guided tours of the CEA Innovation Center’s working research facility. For more information, visit www.ceasummit.com.

ABOUT INDOOR AG-CON

Founded in 2013, Indoor Ag-Con is North America’s largest trade show and conference for greenhouse, controlled environment agriculture and vertical farming. The event covers all crop types and brings together growers, tech providers, researchers, and business leaders to explore trends and innovations shaping the future of food production. For more information, visit www.indoor.ag.

ABOUT THE CEA INNOVATION CENTER

The CEA Innovation Center is primarily housed in Danville, Virginia, on the IALR campus and in Blacksburg, Virginia, on the Virginia Tech main campus. It is a joint project between the Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and IALR to serve the growing controlled environment agriculture industry. It addresses the needs of the industry with research, education, and extension programs. For more information, visit www.ceaic.org

CEA Summit East Opens Applications for Cooperative Extension Professional Scholarship

Written by Indoor Ag-Con on May 27, 2026. Posted in Blog, Press Releases.

Scholarships include a grower pass and discount code for extension professionals to share with producers in their network

CEA Summit East is now accepting applications for its 2026 Cooperative Extension Professional Scholarship. Ten scholarships will be awarded to Cooperative Extension professionals for the 5th Annual CEA Summit East, set for Sept. 15–16, 2026, at the Institute for Advanced Learning & Research (IALR) in Danville, Virginia — each including a full conference registration, one complimentary pass to share with a grower contact, and a discount code for additional producers in their network. The application deadline is July 8, 2026.

Cooperative Extension professionals are among the most important connectors in the CEA sector — working directly with greenhouse growers, vertical farm operators, and other protected cropping producers to translate research into practice and link growers to the resources they need. The scholarship program is designed to introduce even more of those professionals to CEA Summit East.

“CEA Summit East offers valuable opportunities for extension professionals — from engaging sessions to facility tours and meaningful conversations with growers and researchers. We’re pleased to offer these scholarships to help broaden participation,” says Kaylee South, Ph.D., assistant professor of CEA at Virginia Tech and associate director of research, industry and educational programs at the CEA Innovation Center.

SCHOLARSHIP DETAILS

• Each scholarship includes a full conference registration for the recipient, one complimentary

pass to share with a grower contact, and a discount code for additional producers in their

network.

• Preference is given to first-time attendees

• Travel costs are the recipient’s responsibility

• Application deadline: July 8, 2026.

To apply, visit https://indoor.ag/cea-summit-east-2026/extension/ . For more information or to answer questions, contact Dr. Kaylee South at kasouth@vt.edu or (706) 491-9315.

ABOUT CEA SUMMIT EAST
The CEA Summit East is an annual conference bringing greenhouse growers, vertical farm operators, and controlled environment agriculture (CEA) professionals together with researchers, suppliers, and industry leaders. Produced by Indoor Ag-Con and the CEA Innovation Center — a joint project of IALR and the Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences — the summit focuses on the intersection of protected cropping, production science, and emerging technology. Held at the IALR Conference Center in Danville, Virginia, the event includes keynote presentations, panel discussions, breakout sessions, tabletop exhibits, and guided tours of the CEA Innovation Center’s working research facility. For more information, visit www.ceasummit.com.

ABOUT INDOOR AG-CON
Founded in 2013, Indoor Ag-Con is North America’s largest trade show and conference for greenhouse, controlled environment agriculture and vertical farming. The event covers all crop types and brings together growers, tech providers, researchers, and business leaders to explore trends and innovations shaping the future of food production. For more information, visit www.indoor.ag.

ABOUT THE CEA INNOVATION CENTER
The CEA Innovation Center is primarily housed in Danville, Virginia, on the IALR campus and in Blacksburg, Virginia, on the Virginia Tech main campus. It is a joint project between the Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and IALR to serve the growing controlled environment agriculture industry. It addresses the needs of the industry with research, education, and extension programs. For more information, visit www.ceaic.org

CEA Summit East Graduate Student Poster Competition Now Open for Abstract Submissions

Written by Indoor Ag-Con on May 14, 2026. Posted in Blog, Press Releases.

CEA Summit East is now accepting abstracts for its Annual Graduate Student Research Poster Competition, to be held as part of the Sept. 15–16, 2026, edition at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR) Conference Center in Danville, Virginia.

Now in its fifth year, CEA Summit East brings greenhouse growers, vertical farm operators, and others working in protected cropping together with academia/researchers, suppliers, technologists, and other industry professionals. The summit is co-produced by Indoor Ag-Con, the leading trade show and conference for the greenhouse, CEA, and vertical farming sector, and the CEA Innovation Center, a joint project between IALR and the Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

“Graduate student research has always had a place at CEA Summit East, and the Poster Competition is where that shows most clearly — giving emerging researchers a direct opportunity to connect with growers, suppliers, and industry professionals face to face,” said Kaylee South, PhD, Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist, Controlled Environment Agriculture, Virginia Tech. “We encourage graduate students working across any aspect of controlled environment agriculture to submit their abstracts for consideration.”

Competition Eligibility and Guidelines

• The competition is open to currently enrolled or recently graduated (Spring 2026 or later) graduate students, including M.S., Ph.D., and professional students.

• Entrants must present posters on original CEA-related research they have conducted.

• Abstract submissions must be received by July 22, 2026.

• Each presenter will receive a full conference scholarship pass, including all sessions, keynotes, networking events, meals, and a tour of the CEA Innovation Center.

• All posters will be judged and scored at the conference. Winners will be announced during the breakfast and keynote session on Day 2, Sept. 16, 2026.

To apply, visit https://indoor.ag/cea-summit-east-2026/poster/. For more information or to answer questions, contact Dr. Kaylee South at kasouth@vt.edu or (706) 491-9315.

Leave the Conference Room. Enter the Greenhouse.

Written by Indoor Ag-Con on April 13, 2026. Posted in Blog, Press Releases.

CEA Summit East Takes Hands-On Learning Inside the CEA Innovation Center

Sept. 15–16, 2026 • IALR Conference Center • Danville, Virginia

Some conferences put you in a meeting room. The Fifth Annual CEA Summit East puts you in the greenhouse. Co-hosted by Indoor Ag-Con and the Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) Innovation Center — a joint project of the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR) and Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences — the Summit returns to the IALR Conference Center in Danville, Virginia on September 15–16, 2026, bringing a new dimension to CEA education: conference sessions that move off the stage and directly into an active research facility.

New for 2026, select sessions will be held inside the greenhouse of the CEA Innovation Center, where attendees won’t just hear about the latest advances in CEA — they’ll see them growing. Guided tours of the full Innovation Center complex are included with every conference pass, giving all attendees a behind-the-scenes look at the research, technology and science shaping the future of the industry.

From the Conference Room to the Grow Room

The CEA Innovation Center’s Danville complex features a working greenhouse, vertical growing systems, indoor growth rooms, growth chambers and hydroponic production systems where scientists and industry partners are actively collaborating on research that is advancing the CEA sector in the U.S. and internationally.

In 2026, that facility becomes part of the conference itself. Hands-on greenhouse sessions will give growers, educators, technology providers, and business leaders a rare opportunity to engage directly with working research — not just the summary slide. It is an experience that simply cannot be replicated at a conventional venue.

“From the deep-dive sessions to the tabletop exhibits to the greenhouse itself, every element of CEA Summit East comes together to create an experience that stands apart in our industry — an event where hands-on learning, leading suppliers and working science all share the same roof. Or in this case, the same research facility.”

“Opening our greenhouse and research facilities as active learning spaces for Summit attendees is a natural extension of what the CEA Innovation Center is all about — connecting industry and academia in ways that create real impact,” added Dr. Scott Lowman, Vice President of Applied Research at IALR and Co-Director of the CEA Innovation Center. “When a grower can stand inside a working research greenhouse and have a direct conversation with the scientist conducting that research, the value of that exchange is immeasurable. We’re proud to offer that experience and look forward to welcoming the industry back to Danville. ”

A Conference Program Built for Depth

The 2026 program is currently in development and will feature headliner keynotes, special panel presentations, and four breakout tracks with 90-minute deep-dive sessions.

Breakout tracks will include:

• Back to Our Roots: Core Horticultural Skills — Hands-on sessions held directly inside the greenhouse of the CEA Innovation Center

• Launching a CEA Operation — Practical guidance for those starting or scaling a controlled environment agriculture business ranging from high tunnel to greenhouse to vertical farm.

• Technology Evolution & Data Management — Exploring the tools, systems and data strategies reshaping modern CEA operations

• Food Safety & Pest Management — Critical compliance, best practices and integrated pest management strategies for CEA producers

Rounding out the program are the popular CEA Industry & Research Showcase Sessions — fast-paced, idea-packed presentations that put industry innovators and researchers in front of a highly engaged CEA audience. From grower success stories to the latest research findings, these sessions deliver concentrated insight from the people doing some of the most important work in the industry today, making them an ideal platform for sharing results, discoveries and innovations.

See the Solutions. Meet the Suppliers.

From environmental controls and automation systems to greenhouse structures, packaging solutions and nutrients, the Summit’s tabletop exhibits puts attendees face-to-face with the companies driving CEA forward.

Already confirmed for 2026: JASA Packaging Solutions, Dalsem Complete Greenhouse Projects, Priva, Jack’s Nutrients, Rimol Greenhouse Systems, Moleaer, Pace 49, and Berger — with additional exhibitors joining the list.

The Summit’s focused, close-knit format sets the stage for quality conversations and networking. Morning coffee breaks, seated lunch, and a happy hour reception among the tabletop exhibits on September 15th create plentiful opportunities to connect with growers, researchers, government representatives, suppliers, educators and industry leaders.

Included with Every Pass: A Tour Unlike Any Other

Cap off your CEA Summit experience with a guided tour of the cutting-edge CEA Innovation Center — included with every conference registration. Explore the research greenhouse, automation systems, and ongoing trials. This is not a marketing showcase: it’s a firsthand look at how science and innovation are shaping real-world CEA solutions, led by the researchers and specialists doing the work.

Additional tour details and stops will be announced soon. Year after year, the Innovation Center tour ranks among the most talked-about elements of the Summit — a fitting close to two days of deep learning, meaningful connections, and hands-on discovery.

For more information on the CEA Summit East and to register for the event, please visit www.ceasummit.com

ABOUT INDOOR AG-CON

ABOUT THE CEA INNOVATION CENTER

The CEA Innovation Center is primarily housed in Danville, Virginia, on the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR) campus and in Blacksburg, Virginia, on the Virginia Tech main campus. It is a joint project between the Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and IALR to serve the growing controlled environment agriculture industry. It addresses the needs of the industry with research, education, and extension programs. For more information, visit www.ceaic.org

Packed Tables. Practical Solutions. Real Grower Conversations.

Written by Indoor Ag-Con on February 20, 2026. Posted in Blog.

Packed Tables. Practical Solutions. Real Grower Conversations.

Hosted in partnership with Doctor Greenhouse, Table Talk featured facilitated discussions led by industry operators, including Michelle Keller (Living Greens), Rodrigo Pereyra (GoodLeaf Farms), Dominick DiMucci (Haven Greens), Nick Denney (Holistic Industries), and Aaron Fields (Campo Caribe). Each session focused on practical problem-solving — not theory — reinforcing the industry’s broader shift toward disciplined execution and operational excellence.