Collaboration and connections are needed to drive the controlled environment agriculture industry. Those were the key themes discussed at the first-ever CEA Summit East.
Inside look at the Controlled Environment Agriculture Innovation Center.
The event was co-hosted by Indoor Ag-Con and the Controlled Environment Agriculture Innovation Center. The center is a joint project with the Virginia Tech School of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Virginia Seafood Agricultural Research and Extension Center, and the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research.
“An exciting thing about this conference is that it brought people from all over the United States together to share ideas and goals, which always feeds your own ideas,” said Michael Evans, director of the School of Plant and Environmental Sciences and co-director of the Controlled Environment Agriculture Innovation Center.
Virginia Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry, Matthew Lohr, spoke about the commonwealth’s desire to be the CEA capital of the world, saying, “Virginia will be a mecca for high-tech agriculture.”
To foster growth in Virginia, Lohr talked about the importance of workforce development and training programs at Virginia Tech and Virginia State University.
(Left to right) Telly Tucker (IALR), Assistant Professor Kaylee South (SPES), Secretary Matthew Lohr, Director Michael Evans (SPES), Brian Sullivan (Indoor Ag-Con), Scott Lowman (IALR)
For the commonwealth and industry to be successful, he discussed how stakeholders need to work together. “It comes down to collaboration with the whole commonwealth working together,” Lohr said. “We have made progress and I am even more excited about what the future of farming looks like.”
A success story in Virginia is AeroFarms. The company opened the world’s largest aeroponic smart farm in Danville, Va.
The facility is capable of growing more than three million pounds of leafy greens a year.
The summit featured three educational tracks, CEA Skills, Business Tips and Regulation, and Teaching, Extension, and Workforce Development.
Participants explored selecting technology, maximizing growth while reducing environmental impact, and building the best workforce.
Virginia Tech Instructor Josh Kardos was a panelist, discussing recruiting and training the next generation.
Assistant Professor Kaylee South discussed the need for the land-grant university Extension system.
Participants at the summit also heard from researchers on their findings. Topics included plant monitoring systems, sustainable production techniques, and workforce development strategies. Professor Bingyu Zhao presented his findings on breeding snacking peppers.
“We worked to create a conference program that offered something for everyone,” explained South. “It was rewarding to see how engaged our audience members were in the question-and-answer segments of all of our sessions.”
More than 200 people from 28 states, Puerto Rico, and Canada attended the two-day event at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research in Danville, Va.