The Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) Innovation Center – a partnership between the School of Plant and Environmental Sciences at Virginia Tech, the Virginia Seafood Agricultural Research and Extension Center, and the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR) – and Indoor Ag-Con will co-host the second CEA Summit East at IALR.

The day-and-a-half conference is where industry and academia will intersect to share research, business strategies and build partnerships to drive future growth for the CEA sector and its stakeholders. CEA Summit East will feature reputable speakers and subject matter experts, breakout sessions, networking opportunities and tabletop exhibits from leading industry suppliers showcasing CEA innovations.

When:                  Sept. 19-20, 2023; visit www.ceasummit.com for detailed schedule

What:                   The CEA Summit East is custom-tailored for new and well-seasoned CEA industry members from throughout the Eastern United States, including indoor and greenhouse growers, facility owners and operators, educators, government officials, real estate developers, architects, construction specialists, sales and marketing teams and others.

Where:                IALR Conference Center, 150 Slayton Ave., Danville, VA 24540

Who:                    The Honorable Matthew Lohr, Virginia Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry, Guy Blanchard, President and CFO, AeroFarms Michael Evans, Ph.D., Co-Director, CEA Innovation Center; Director, School of Plant & Environmental Sciences, Virginia Tech College of Agriculture & Life Sciences Scott Lowman, Ph.D., Co-Director, CEA Innovation Center; Vice President, Applied Research, IALR Michael Schwarz, Ph.D., Associate Director, CEA Innovation Center; Director, Virginia Seafood Agricultural Research and Extension Center, Virginia Tech Brian Sullivan, CEO, Indoor Ag-Con Kaylee South, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Controlled Environment Agriculture, Virginia Tech; CEA Innovation Center Team.

A number of other Virginia-based indoor farming leaders, including Jim DiMenna, President, Red Sun Farms; John McMahon, Co-Founder and COO, Better Future Farms; Tyler Baras, Co-Founder, Area 2 Farms; Carl Gupton, President, Greenswell Growers and many more. Visit www.ceasummit.com for full list of speakers and panelists.