Some of the best growing decisions come from a conversation with another grower: asking a peer how a cultivar actually performed for them, getting a straight read on whether a product holds up before it’s running in your facility, working through a crop problem with someone who’s already solved it instead of burning three cycles figuring it out alone. This panel brings together a new generation of head growers who lean on each other to get better faster. They’ll get specific about what they ask one another, how they make the exchange worth it on both sides, and the strategies that turn a one-time chat into a relationship they keep coming back to.  

MODERATOR:
Kyle Barnett, Founder, KB CEA

PANELISTS
Gus Brennan, Head Grower, Greenswell Growers

Dominick DiMucci, Director of Cultivation, Haven Greens

Data center waste heat is abundant, but turning it into year-round greenhouse production takes far more than a pipe between two buildings.

In this fireside chat, The Resource Innovation Institute’s Derek Smith and Bryan David, UVA’s Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service, lean into the mechanics of how economic development agencies, data center developers, CEA leaders, and other market actors come together to assemble a Farm Park. Drawing on RII’s Virginia feasibility work and its new North Dakota study with NDSU and Applied Digital, they cover who convenes the table, how the deal gets sequenced and financed, where projects stall, and what a credible first US demonstration site would actually require. 

**FOR REFERENCE: ADDITIONAL READING MATERIAL THAT WILL BE PART OF WEBINAR*** PRESENTATION:

“Colocating Datacenters & Greenhouses Feasibility Report”

Farm Park Implementation Playbook

SPEAKERS:

Derek Smith, Executive Director, Resource Innovation Institute

Bryan David, AICP, Program Director – Southern Virginia, Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service at the University of Virginia

Edible flowers. Functional botanicals. Niche herbs. The excitement is real—but what does it actually take to make these crops work commercially?

Building on our Indoor Ag-Con 2026 session, this webinar dives into the operational and business side of specialty crops. Panelists will share real-world insights on yields, labor, pricing, and market demand—plus what’s working, what’s not, and where the biggest opportunities lie.

MODERATOR:

Rebekka Boekhout, Founder, Phyto by RCB

PANELISTS:

Michael Evans, Ph.D. , Professor, Virginia Tech & Co-Director, CEA Innovation Center

Mark Horler, Founder, CEA Proteins

Daniel Kluko, President, Kluko Consulting, LLC

Tomato grafting continues to be debated in greenhouse and controlled environment production as growers weigh disease pressure, rising costs, and evolving production systems. Advances in rootstock breeding and propagation have changed some of the variables, while labor, cost, and operational fit remain real constraints. This moderated panel will examine how growers and technical teams are re-evaluating tomato grafting today, drawing from real commercial experience. Panelists will discuss current performance outcomes, practical limitations, and the decision factors that determine whether grafting makes sense within different production models.

MODERATOR:
Matt Korpan, Executive Director of Research & Innovation, Biophi

PANELISTS:
Ben Pieterse, Sales Manager, Food, TTA-ISO
Hande Saganak, Vegetable Grafting Operation and R&D, The Morning Star Company

Forecasts from Wageningen University & Research and Next Step Solutions indicate the world could face a 40 percent shortage in substrate volume by 2050. Even with expanded production of peat, coir, wood fiber, and other alternatives, demand is outpacing supply. This session brings together leaders from Jiffy, Profile Products, and GyroPlant to examine how the industry can adapt through renewable materials, circular sourcing, and new production methods. Panelists will explore how shifting availability, cost, and sustainability pressures are reshaping one of horticulture’s most essential resources.

MODERATOR
 Kyle Barnett, Program Director, Indoor Ag-Con

PANELISTS:
Jennifer Neujahr, MBA, Founder & Senior Director ,Global Business Development Horticulture, Profile Products
Kyle Freedman, Ph.D., Global Segment Manager CEA, Jiffy Group
Marcus Comaschi, Design Engineer, GyroPlant

Not every farm needs sensors, robots, and seven-figure CapEx to succeed. In this session, growers and advisors who’ve built lean, efficient operations share how to maximize yield and minimize complexity with low-tech setups. Whether you’re growing in ground under cover, using basic automation, or retrofitting existing structures, this panel is all about real-world, replicable strategies that work without overengineering.

SPEAKERS:
Chris Higgins, General Manager, Hort Americas

Aaron Fields, CEO, Campo Caribe

Richard Vollebregt, CEO, Cravo Equipment Ltd.