Tennessee hosts CEA herb research stakeholder meeting

The University of Tennessee will host a joint annual stakeholder meeting June 29-30, 2026, in Knoxville to share results from its Controlled Environment Agriculture Herb Extension and Research Base and End-of-Production Leafy Greens projects.

The meeting will be led by Kellie Walters and Alicia Rihn and held at the university’s Agriculture and Natural Resources Building. There is no registration fee, but attendees are asked to register by June 8.

Researchers from multiple universities will present findings relevant to greenhouse and indoor growers, including hydroponic herb production, food safety interventions and pathogen management. Sessions will address lighting strategies such as UV and far-red light, CO₂ concentration, nutrient solution temperature and composition and silicon supplementation to improve postharvest quality.

Presenters include faculty from Michigan State University, Texas Tech University, USDA-ARS, The Ohio State University, North Carolina State University and Iowa State University.

Discussions will also cover enterprise budgets for deep-water culture systems, fertilizer formulations for containerized herbs and consumer preferences for culinary herbs.

Tentative itinerary

Monday, June 29th
Time	Topic	Presenter(s)
8:30 AM	Arrive and Mingle
9:00 AM	Welcome Comments and Introductions	Roberto Lopez (Michigan State Univ.) and Kellie Walters (Univ. of Tennessee)
9:15 AM	Hydroponic Herbs and Food Safety Interventions: A Rapid-Fire Research Showcase	Angela Shaw and Student (Texas Tech)
9:45 AM	From Roots to shoots: Tackling Pathogens in Greenhouse Herb Production	Madeline Anthony (Michigan State Univ.)
10:05 AM	Coffee Break
10:20 AM	Effects of Air and Nutrient Solution Temperature and CO2 Concentration on Growth, Yield, and Quality of Fresh Cut Culinary Herbs	Seth Benjamin (Michigan State Univ.)
10:40 AM	Silicon Supplementation during Production to Improve Herb Postharvest	Jennifer Boldt, USDA-ARS
11:00 AM	Coffee Break
11:15 AM	UV Radiation and Blue Light Influences on Basil Propagation	Rose Elbert (Michigan State Univ.)
11:35 AM	UV-B Lighting Effects on Culinary Herbs – Growth and Quality Considerations	Samson Humphrey and Kellie Walters (Univ. of Tennessee)
12:00 PM	Group Discussion
12:10 PM	Lunch
1:10 PM	End-of-Production Lighting Effects on Leafy Greens	Jacob Friedrich and Kellie Walters (Univ. of Tennessee)
1:35 PM	Light Intensity and Far-red Light Interact to Control Growth of Culinary Herbs Grown Indoors	Erik Runkle (Michigan State Univ.)
2:00 PM	Coffee Break
2:15 PM	End-of-Production Nutrient Solution Composition and Temperature Strategies for Hydroponic Leafy Greens in Deep-Water Culture	Garrett Owen (The Ohio State Univ.)
2:40 PM	Deficiencies and Revised Leaf Tissue Standards for Herbs	Brian Whipker (North Carolina State Univ.)
3:00 PM	Coffee Break
3:15 PM	Perceptions and Preferences: Understanding US Consumer Choices in Culinary Herbs	Alicia Rihn (Univ. of Tennessee)
3:40 PM	Outreach Update	Seth Benjamin and Roberto Lopez (Michigan State Univ.)
3:55 PM	Group Discussion
4:10 PM	Research Greenhouse and Laboratory Tours
6:00 PM	Social Event
Tuesday, June 30th
8:30 AM	Arrive and Mingle
9:00 AM	Discussion about CEA Deep Water Culture System Enterprise Budgets	Margarita Velandia (Univ. of Tennessee)
10:00 AM	Water-Soluble Fertilizer Formulations for Containerized Herb Production	Chris Currey (Iowa State Univ.)
10:15 AM	Mitigating High pH-Induced Growth Suppression with Increasing Micronutrients	Chris Currey (Iowa State Univ.)
10:30 AM	Coffee Break
10:45 AM	Advisory board meets independently and project team meets independently
12:00 PM	Lunch
12:45 PM	Advisory Board reports feedback on progress, directions for future research and outreach activities, and other suggestions
1:30 PM	Optional Tour TBD

Organizers said the meeting will provide updates on research progress and gather stakeholder input to guide future greenhouse and controlled environment agriculture research and outreach efforts.

Register for the event by June 8, 2026.