Panel of Experts – Powered by Produce Grower
March 20, 2024 | 2 p.m. (EST)
We have gathered experts from different levels of the Industry to answer questions on the evolving needs of growing mixes and the complexity of different production systems. The CEA market is rapidly growing and evolving at an extraordinary pace. Suppliers, including soilless growing media manufacturers are actively adapting products to ensure the quality and safety of produce, while improving production efficiency. Whether relating to growing systems, product characteristics, sustainability, food safety, or other factors, manufacturers are too evolving to meet the advancement of CEA operations. As regulations and standards are established, the evolution of growing media will continue to play a critical role in this thriving market.
Our Experts
Brian Jackson
Professor, North Carolina State University
Brian is a Professor of Horticulture and Director of the Horticultural Substrates Laboratory at NC State University. Brian has studied and researched soilless substrates for horticultural crop production systems since 2003 with an emphasis on the engineering and use of wood and other alternative substrate materials. Brian is heavily involved in national and global substrate initiatives, advocacy groups, substrate manufacturer consultations, and multi-disciplinary scientific collaborations in soilless culture systems.
John Mcmahon
Co-founder and COO, Better Future Farms
John McMahon is co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Better Future Farms (BFF), a Virginia controlled-environment agriculture (CEA) company. A hands-on grower for the last decade with a deep passion for both business and farming, John is also founder and CEO of Schuyler Greens Company, a high-tech greenhouse he literally built from the ground up and grew into a facility known for premium-quality, year-round lettuce and early adoption of cutting-edge ag technology. He has donned numerous hats throughout a distinguished professional career and has endowed him with a remarkable degree of flexibility, enabling adept adaptation to rapidly changing business needs and requirements.
Brent Kenney
CEA Market Manager, Berger
At Berger since 2018, Brent was raised on his family’s farm on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. It was this experience where he developed his passion as an agriculturalist and planted the seeds for his future working in the horticultural industry. He graduated from the University of Maryland Easter Shore with a Bachelor’s in Agriculture Science and has spent the better part of the last 20 years working in the horticultural industry as a grower manager. After more than five years as a sales representative, he was recently promoted to CEA Market Manager.