The Ohio Controlled Environment Agriculture Center (OHCEAC) held its "CEA Leafy Crops Event," the first of its kind, on February 28, 2025 in Columbus, OH. The full-day conference focused on recent advancements and current cutting-edge practices in controlled environment agriculture for leafy crops like lettuce and spinach. The event was attended by 114 in-person participants at Ohio State's newly constructed Controlled Environment Agriculture Research Complex (CEARC) at the Waterman Agricultural and Natural Resources Laboratory and hosted 90 online participants.
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Keynote Speakers
The conference began with seven keynote speaker presentations from highly qualified speakers in various areas of controlled environment agriculture: Dr. Neil Mattson (Cornell University), Dr. Anna Testen (USDA-ARS), Dr. Melanie Lewis Ivey (Ohio State University), Dr. Laura Bautista (Wageningen University), Andres Cervantes Garzon (Enza Zaden), Marco de Bruin (de Bruin Greenhouse Consulting) and Martin Veenstra (Certhon).
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Presentation Topics
- Dr. Neil Mattson: "Lighting Up Leafy Greens: Current Status of LED Research with Quantity, Quality, and Timing of Application"
- Dr. Anna Testen: "Addressing Persistent Pathogens in Hydroponic Leafy Greens"
- Dr. Melanie Lewis Ivey: "Food Safety in Hydroponic Leafy Greens"
- Dr. Laura Bautista: "Year-Round Production of High-Density Lettuce: LED Light, Substrate, and Crop Management"
- Andres Cervantes Garzon: "New Crops and Cultivars Tendencies"
- Marco de Bruin: "Market Trends for Leafy Crops"
- Martin Veenstra: "Automated Lettuce Production System"
Panel Discussion Leaders
In the afternoon, the conference also hosted seven panel discussion leaders in five breakout sessions to promote open discussion and collaboration on the future of the industry. Panel discussion leaders: Andres Cervantes Garzon (Enza Zaden), Marco de Bruin (de Bruin Greenhouse Consulting), Dr. Kyle Freedman (Jiffy Group), Austin Smith (Grodan), Tom Stenzel (CEA Alliance), Renato Zardo (Great Lakes Growers) and Onno Zwaan (DLVge).
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Breakout Sessions
- Group 1: Challenges for Leafy Production
Panel Discussion Leader: Renato Zardo (Great Lakes Growers) - Group 2: Technical Design of CEA Production Systems
Panel Discussion Leaders: Onno Zwaan (DLVge) & Marco de Bruin (de Bruin Greenhouse Consulting) - Group 3: Sustainable Substrates: What is the Future for Hydroponic leafies?
Panel Discussion Leaders: Dr. Kyle Freedman (Jiffy) & Austin Smith (Grodan) - Group 4: Cultivars and Product Choices: Current and Future Challenges
Panel Discussion Leader: Andres Cervantes Garzon (Enza Zaden) - Group 5: [Online] KPIs and Sustainability
Panel Discussion Leader: Tom Stenzel (CEA Alliance) - Panel Discussion: The Future of High-Tech Leafy Crop Sector (Moderators: Chieri Kubota & Stijn Jochems) Renato Zardo (Great Lakes Growers), Onno Zwaan (DLVge), Marco de Bruin (de Bruin Greenhouse Consulting), Dr. Kyle Freedman (Jiffy), Austin Smith (Grodan), Andres Cervantes Garzon (Enza Zaden) & Tom Stenzel (CEA Alliance)
Networking
The day wrapped up with a networking social for in-person participants, sponsored by BFG Supply, Enza Zaden, Gowan Midwest Turf & Ornamental, Grodan, Light4Food, Philips LED Lighting, Profile Products & Wicked Green.
Thank you participants!
We look forward to seeing you at our next event!
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Contact: Carly Becker (becker.421@osu.edu), OHCEAC Program Coordinator