Key Takeaways
- The 4th Annual CEA Summit East, co-hosted by Indoor Ag-Con and the CEA Innovation Center, will feature its Day 2 Morning Keynote Panel on September 10, 2025, from 8:45 AM to 9:15 AM EST at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR) Conference Center in Danville, Virginia.
- Session titled “Automation in Action: How Virginia Growers Are Putting Tech to Work” will explore real-world adoption of automation in controlled environment agriculture.
- Moderated by Paul Brentlinger, CEO of CropKing, with panelists John McMahon (Equinox Growers) and Carl Gupton (Greenswell Growers).
CEA Summit East’s Focus on Practical Automation Insights
The panel will examine how Virginia-based growers are integrating automation technologies such as climate controls, fertigation systems, robotics, and real-time monitoring into daily operations. Discussions will highlight operational efficiencies, practical challenges, and the role of human expertise alongside technology.
“This panel is a true reflection of the mission behind CEA Summit East — bringing research and real-world practice together,” said Brian Sullivan, CEO of Indoor Ag-Con. “Our Day 2 keynote gives attendees a chance to learn directly from growers who are actively testing and scaling automation on the ground.”
Bridging Hype and Reality
Dr. Scott Lowman, Vice President of Applied Research at IALR and Co-Director of the CEA Innovation Center, noted: “There’s a lot of hype around automation, but what’s most valuable to our attendees is seeing how it’s actually being implemented in real-time by growers in Virginia. This session will give them that clarity.”
CEA Summit East Context and Additional Programming
The keynote will follow the Opening Day session on September 9, “Cultivating Sustainable Growth: Balancing Economics and the Environment in CEA”, moderated by Jennifer Polanz, Editor of Inside Grower magazine. That panel will feature Matthew Lohr, Virginia Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry, and Ben Alexander, Project Director at Oasthouse Ventures, among others.
Register to the event now.
