Where to Get Answers for Questions About Protected Crop Production

Adding a high tunnel, greenhouse, or other protected production system can extend a season or open new markets. It can also introduce an entirely new set of questions. How much technology do you actually need? Will the investment pay? What crops make sense? What will buyers want? And what happens to labor, food safety, energy use, and marketing as the operation changes? Those questions will be at the center of the CEAg World Conference & Expo, Nov. 10-11 in Charlotte-Concord, NC.

The event brings together growers producing food across a range of systems — from traditional farms incorporating high tunnels and other protected structures to greenhouse and fully indoor operations. For field growers considering protected production, or those already using it alongside field acreage, several parts of this year’s program are especially relevant.

Before You Invest

Two sessions get directly at a question growers face before — and after — adding protected crop production: how far to go.

“Getting Started in CEA: Considerations Before the Build” looks at the early business and production decisions, while “Equipment Options: How Much Tech Do You Really Need?” focuses on matching technology to the operation rather than simply adding more of it.

A general session, “Big Field Growers Are Going Hybrid: What It Means for the Industry,” takes the issue a step further by looking at growers combining field production with controlled environments.

Growing It Is Only Half the Job

The program also puts significant attention on what happens after growers produce the crop.

“The Buyers Are In: Candid Advice to Help Growers Sell More” brings the buyer perspective to the discussion, while “Selling Your Produce: Working with Local Buyers” focuses on developing local market relationships. Sessions on profitability and capital, workforce and labor, marketing and packaging, food safety and sustainability address other parts of running the business.

Crop-focused discussions include vine-crop troubleshooting, diagnosing hidden yield loss in leafy crops, specialty crops, and seed genetics. Lunch roundtables give growers a chance to compare experiences around specific crop groups.

The idea isn’t that every vegetable operation needs to become a controlled environment operation. It’s that growers need good answers when deciding where — and how far — protected production fits into their farm.

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CEAg World Conference and Expo
Nov. 10-11, 2026 | Charlotte-Concord, NC

Qualified commercial growers can register at no charge through Oct. 20. CLICK HERE to register.