Preview: Your guide to Indoor Ag-Con 2026

What: Indoor Ag-Con

When: Feb. 11-12

Where: Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino

Our Indoor Ag-Con ’26 preview provides some of the educational seminars you may find beneficial to offer the insight and tools needed for a successful year. For the full list of educational sessions and updates, go to indoor.ag.

Session times and locations are subject to change. Session descriptions and speaker information were provided by Indoor Ag-Con. Educational tracks include berries, cannabis, conventional ag, food safety, lettuce/herbs, mushrooms and vine crops.

The International Sprout Growers Association will co-locate its annual convention with Indoor Ag-Con, providing access to sessions exploring the latest in sprout production, food safety and sprout-based nutrition.

Show schedule:

Wednesday, Feb. 11

Welcome and Keynote Address

8 a.m. - 8:50 a.m.

Join industry-leading growers for a candid assessment of the state of indoor farming today.

Speakers: Aaron Fields, CEO, Campo Caribe; Dane Almassy, COO, Local Bounti; Tom Stenzel, executive director, CEA Alliance; Josh McClung, COO, Cox Farms; Jesper Hansen, COO, YesHealth Group

Beyond Strawberries: What Berry is Next for CEA?

9 a.m. - 9:50 a.m. 

Strawberries were the first big bet in indoor berry production, but they won’t be the last. Panelists share insights into the next wave of berry crops being explored for CEA. Learn what makes a berry a viable candidate for controlled environments.

Speakers: Olivier Paulus, CEO, Vertiberry; Paul Gauthier, professor, The University of Queensland; Juan Dafnis Paez Ruiz, chief grower, Feast Farms Inc.; Eric Gerbrandt, chief science officer, BeriTech Inc.

Lettuce Without Limits: Scaling Responsibly in a Saturated Market

9 a.m. - 9:50 a.m. 

This session takes a strategic look at how growers can scale without overextending, focusing on disciplined expansion, realistic demand forecasting and operational efficiency.

Speakers: Dane Almassy, CCO, Local Bounti; Bas Duijvestijn, CCO, Van der Hoeven Horticultural Projects; Eric Highfield, chief agricultural officer, Haven Greens; John McMahon, CEO, Equinox Growers

Tissue Culture: Scaling the Future of Propagation

9 a.m. - 9:50 a.m. 

Tissue culture is emerging as an important tool for the future of plant propagation, promising cleaner starts, faster scaling and new opportunities. This panel examines where tissue culture is making the biggest impact and what challenges remain.

Speakers: Della Fetzer, founder, Rebel Cultures; Hsien Ming Easlon, chief science officer, tissue culture, Micro Paradox; Micah Stevens, research lab manager, Sierra Gold Nurseries; Rinnie Rodenius, co-owner, head of operations, Polymorph Bio

Under Pressure: Managing Disease and Pest Threats in High-Tech Vine Crop Production

9 a.m. - 9:50 a.m. 

Disease and pest pressure continues to challenge even the most advanced vine crop operations. This session dives into the latest strategies for managing threats like tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV), along with other key pathogens and pests impacting tomatoes and cucumbers.

Speakers: Jack Legg, manager of business development, SGS; Peter Konjoian, president, Konjoian’s Horticulture Education Services; Jasmine Horton, IPM specialist, Beneficial Insectary

What Indoor Ag and Traditional Farming Can Learn from Each Other

10 a.m. - 10:50 a.m. 

Indoor farming has pushed the boundaries of technology, but many of the core principles that drive success are rooted in traditional agriculture. This session offers a grounded look at how lessons from the field, such as crop planning, input discipline, labor efficiency and cost management, can be applied to CEA.

Speakers: Chris Higgins, president, Hort Americas; Henry Gordon Smith, CEO, Agritecture; Andrew Montgomery, founder, Indoor Farm Foundation; Rhonda Cornett, CFO, Cornett Farm Fresh/ Cornett Enterprises; Brent Cornett, CEO, Cornett Enterprises

The Price Squeeze: Navigating Cost, Competition and Commoditization in CEA

10 a.m. - 10:50 a.m. 

From rising input costs to retail price compression, CEA producers are feeling the squeeze. This session takes a candid look at the pricing dynamics shaping the industry, including how inflation, oversupply and retailer expectations are impacting margins. Hear from growers and supply chain experts about what it takes to maintain profitability, where pricing power still exists and how to avoid becoming a commodity.

Speakers: Jim DiMenna, president, Red Sun Farms; Craig Carlson, president and CEO, Carlson Produce Consulting; Michelle Simakis, group publisher, GIE Media Horticulture Group; Peter Tasgal, controlled environment agriculture specialist, Strategic Capital Consultants

Speed Breeding in CEA: Accelerating Crop Cycles and Exploring New Possibilities

11 a.m. - 11:50 a.m. 

Speed breeding is opening the door to faster development cycles and the exploration of crops that rarely enter controlled environments. This session looks at how CEA can support rapid seed-to-seed work, tighter control of growth conditions and consistent generation turnover. The conversation will also highlight the growing interest in applying these methods to less conventional crops, where controlled environments create opportunities that field systems cannot.

Speaker: Ricardo Hernandez, associate professor, NC State University

Thursday, Feb. 12

Keynote: The State of CEA Finance: Capital Flows, Discipline, and Lessons Learned

8 a.m. - 8:50 a.m. 

A candid fireside chat with two leading voices in CEA finance. This conversation will address where capital is moving today, how financing discipline has shifted since the boom years, the risks of scaling too quickly and the lessons operators and suppliers must take forward to build viable, resilient businesses.

Speakers: Dave Chen, CEO, Equilibrium; David Verbitsky, president and managing director, Verbitsky Capital

From Compliance to Competitive Advantage: Designing a Strong Food Safety Framework

9 a.m. - 12 p.m. 

Food safety is no longer just about meeting regulatory standards — it’s a competitive differentiator. This in-depth executive-level seminar will guide you through the process of building a robust, certification-ready food safety program. Using real-world examples, templates and case studies, participants will learn how to develop programs aligned with GFSI and non-GFSI standards such as SQF, BRC and PrimusGFS. The session covers program architecture, internal auditing, risk mitigation and team preparation for inspections and audits.

Speakers: Karl Kolb, president, Ceres University

AI in CEA: 2026 Industry Update

9:15 a.m. - 10 a.m.

Artificial intelligence continues to evolve across the CEA landscape, but what’s actually delivering value today? This session provides a grounded look at how AI is being applied in production, forecasting, climate control and labor management. Panelists will share where they’ve seen real ROI, what still requires refinement and how to evaluate AI tools with a grower-first mindset.

Speakers: Adam Greenberg, CEO, IUNU; Rob Eddy, horticulturist, Resource Innovation Institute; Daniele Benatoff, co-founder, Planet Farms; Tomas Geurts, general manager, North America, Source.Ag; Matt Daniels, chief product architect, AmplifiedAg, Inc.

Aligning CEA on What Matters Most

11:15 a.m. - 12 p.m. 

This panel brings together some of the leading greenhouse and vertical farming leaders to address the core challenges and opportunities shaping CEA today. While each brings a unique model, they all face common questions around profitability, energy costs, access to capital and long-term resilience. The conversation will move beyond marketing to highlight lessons learned, strategies proving most effective and the path toward building a more viable and sustainable future for the industry.

Speakers: Nona Yehia, CEO, Vertical Harvest; Michelle Keller, chief horticulture officer, Living Greens Farm; Gretchen Schimelpfenig, senior energy engineer, Energy Resource Integration; Laura Van De Kreeke, farmer, Growy

Beyond Tomatoes: Are Other Vine Crops Worth Growing in CEA?

2:30 p.m. - 3:20 p.m. 

Tomatoes tend to dominate the conversation, but what about other vine crops like peppers, cucumbers and melons? This session explores the viability of growing non-tomato vine crops in controlled environments, including crop performance, labor requirements, pest and disease management and market dynamics.

Speakers: Melina Biron, platform research manager plant care services, University of British Columbia

Worth the Risk? The Real Costs and Rewards of Starting a Small-Scale Lettuce/Herb Farm

2:30 p.m. - 3:20 p.m. 

Thinking about launching a small lettuce or herb farm? This session is designed to help you decide if the leap is worth it. Featuring a range of voices from experienced growers and operators with firsthand knowledge of the highs and lows, the panel will explore what it really takes to run a small-scale CEA business. From startup costs and operational hurdles to market fit and personal resilience, this discussion offers a transparent look at the path, from early ambition to hard-earned lessons. Whether you’re in the planning stages or reassessing your current model, this session will help you move forward with clarity and grounded expectations.

Speakers: Joe Swartz, vice president, AmHydro; Gene Giacomelli, emeritus professor, CEAC, University of Arizona; Paul Brentlinger, CEO, CropKing 

Rising Stars: Specialty Crops That Could Redefine CEA

3:30 p.m. - 4:20 p.m. 

As the industry looks beyond leafy greens, a new class of high-margin specialty crops is gaining attention. From edible flowers to functional botanicals, this session highlights crops that offer flavor, story and differentiation. Panelists will share firsthand experience trialing unique varieties and discuss how to turn novelty into real opportunity.

Speakers: Rebekka Boekhout, founder, Phyto by RCB; Michael Evans, professor, Virginia Tech; Daniel Kluko, president, Kluko Consulting; Mark Horler, founder, CEA Proteins