CEA Summit East deepens ties at IALR in Virginia

The fifth annual CEA Summit East drew growers, researchers, educators and government officials to Danville, Virginia, on Sept. 15-16 for two days of exhibits, tours and hands-on learning. Organizers say the event’s smaller format and use of the CEA Innovation Center help turn conference sessions into practical partnerships and research-driven takeaways.

Why it matters: - CEA Summit East is designed to connect the people building controlled environment agriculture with the people studying and supplying it. - The Danville event puts research, education and industry in the same room, which can speed up practical adoption in greenhouse and vertical farming operations. - The 2026 program pushed that model further by moving sessions into working research greenhouses.

What happened: - The fifth annual Controlled Environment Agriculture Summit East took place Sept. 15-16, 2026, at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research in Danville, Virginia. - Indoor Ag-Con and the CEA Innovation Center co-hosted the two-day event. - The summit brought together growers, educators, researchers, extension professionals and government representatives. - The event centered on tabletop exhibits, education sessions, meals and tours inside a single facility. - A welcome mixer, called Uncork & Connect, was held Sept. 14 at Two Witches Winery & Brewing Company in Danville.

The details: - Brian Sullivan, CEO of Indoor Ag-Con, said exhibitors value the event’s size and the mix of attendees because it creates conversations that often lead to partnerships and new projects. - Dr. Scott Lowman, vice president of applied research at IALR and co-director of the CEA Innovation Center, said the 2026 format moved one education track into the working research greenhouse. - The CEA Innovation Center is a joint project of the Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and IALR. - The Core Horticultural Skills deep-dive track took place inside the center’s working research greenhouses. - Guided tours of the CEA Innovation Center closed out the summit and showed both greenhouse and vertical farming environments. - Day one featured a keynote conversation, "Grow It, Then What? Building the Bridge to Market," with Kathlyn Terry Baker, CEO of Appalachian Sustainable Development, and Matt Lohr, president of VP Strategies and former Virginia secretary of agriculture and forestry. - Day two opened with a fireside chat, "Beyond Leafy Greens: Lessons from Plenty's Next Chapter," featuring Plenty CEO Dan Malech and Tom Stenzel, executive director of the CEA Alliance. - The Plenty discussion focused on the company’s shift toward premium strawberries in Virginia. - 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. - The Graduate Student Poster Competition recognized emerging researchers and was presented by Dr. Kaylee South of Virginia Tech. - First-place honors were tied between Samuel Mattia of California State Polytechnic University-Pomona and Ellie Gregoire of Virginia Tech. - Yuna Gaire of the University of Georgia took second place. - The summit also gave scholarships to 10 extension specialists to cover registration costs. - The Cooperative Extension System’s role in greenhouse and vertical farm production includes identifying needs, sharing research and providing practical solutions.

Between the lines: - The summit’s structure suggests the CEA industry still values in-person, small-format events where technical research and business conversations happen together. - Moving instruction into a working greenhouse turns the CEA Innovation Center into more than a venue; it becomes part of the curriculum. - The mix of growers, students, researchers and suppliers also reflects a sector that is still building its talent pipeline and commercial playbook.

What's next: - Organizers said planning is underway for CEA Summit East 2027. - Details and dates will be announced at more information. - Indoor Ag-Con said its 2027 Las Vegas event is scheduled for March 24-25, 2027, at the Westgate Las Vegas. - The CEA Innovation Center said it will continue serving the controlled environment agriculture industry through research, education and extension programs.

The bottom line: - CEA Summit East is becoming less of a conference and more of a working lab for the controlled environment agriculture sector.