The success of the 2026 MU Digital Agriculture Symposium will be made possible through the collaborative efforts of faculty, staff, postdoctoral researchers, and graduate students across the University of Missouri. The organizing committee is responsible for symposium planning, technical programming, communications, logistics, student engagement, industry partnerships, and on-site operations.
Executive Committee
The Executive Committee provides strategic leadership and overall coordination for the symposium, overseeing planning, scheduling, committee coordination, keynote invitations, sponsorship, and event execution.
Chair
Dr. Jianfeng Zhou
Dr. Kent Shannon
Symposium Coordinator
Felix Oguche
Postdoctoral Researchers and Student Organizing Committee
Our postdoctoral researchers and graduate students play a central role in planning and delivering the symposium. Working alongside faculty advisors, they coordinate communications, abstract management, logistics, hospitality, technology demonstrations, and industry engagement.
Committee Members
Communications & Marketing
Lead: Katilin Belk
Blessing Ademola
Theodore Yatta Moussa
Huikai Wu
Guojie Ruan
Krisheka Jegatheesan
Program & Abstract Review
Lead: Gurmeet Kaur
Atanas Dommo
Moh Moh Thant Zin
Rashmi Sharma
Omodara Obisesan
Orlando Viloria Marimon
Rishi Bhandari
Logistics & Operations
Lead: Rana Das
Theodore Yatta Moussa
Manobendro Sarker
Chinonso Mbama
Ravi Mishra
Sri Nithya Koritala
Hospitality & Catering
Lead: Umada Abeysinghe
Krisheka Jegatheesan
Drushya Ramesh
Katilin Belk
Chinonso Mbama
Technology Demonstrations, Industry & Sponsorship
Lead: Fengkai Tian
Guojie Ruan
Tianqi Yao
Sazzad Rifat
Blessing Ademola
Committee Responsibilities
The organizing committee is responsible for:
Developing the symposium program
Coordinating keynote and invited speakers
Managing abstract submission and review
Organizing the Student Research Poster Competition
Coordinating technology demonstrations
Recruiting industry partners and sponsors
Managing registration and attendee communication
Preparing promotional materials and website content
Coordinating hospitality and catering
Supporting event-day operations and volunteer management
Our Mission
The 2026 MU Digital Agriculture Symposium is built on collaboration. By bringing together researchers, students, Extension specialists, producers, technology developers, industry partners, and government agencies, the organizing committee is committed to creating a professional forum that accelerates the adoption of digital agriculture technologies through research, innovation, education, and partnership.
DAREC plans digital agriculture symposium focused on collaboration
COLUMBIA, Mo. — The University of Missouri’s Digital Agriculture Research & Extension Center is preparing a two-day symposium in July that will bring together researchers, growers and industry partners for presentations, demonstrations and discussion about how digital tools can move more quickly into agricultural practice.
The 2026 MU Digital Agriculture Symposium is scheduled for July 27-28, 2026, with Research Day set for July 27 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Poehlmann Educational Center at Bradford Farm and Technology Day set for July 28 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at MU Digital Farm. Organizers said a continental breakfast, boxed lunch, coffee, and water will be provided.
A planning presentation described the symposium theme as: “Break barriers for the adoption of digital agriculture technology through collaboration.” The event is designed to connect researchers and practitioners around tools that support farm management, data use and technology adoption.
Taken by Huikai Wu
Organizers have also been working through registration and event logistics. An online form asks attendees to submit their response by July 10, 2026, and includes fields for first and last name so name badges can be prepared.
Planning documents and a meeting recording showed discussion of additional event materials, including a website, flyers, signage, poster presentations and short video content. The team also discussed how to organize on-site check-in, name badges, speaker support and other front-of-house details.
The symposium is being shaped as a mix of research updates and practical demonstrations, with room for posters, presentations and informal conversation throughout the two-day event. Organizers said they want the program to make it easier for attendees to learn from one another and to see how digital agriculture can be applied in the field.
The planning effort appears to be moving on a tight timeline, with organizers using the weeks ahead to finalize promotional materials, confirm the schedule and prepare the venues for attendees.
DAREC Launches Planning for 2026 Digital Agriculture Symposium
Two-day event will bring together researchers, students, industry partners and technology developers
COLUMBIA, Mo. — The University of Missouri has begun planning for the 2026 MU Digital Agriculture Symposium, a two-day event set for July 27-28 that will bring together researchers, students, industry partners, and technology developers to discuss the future of digital agriculture.
The symposium will include Research Day on July 27 at the Poehlmann Educational Center at Bradford Farm and Technology Day on July 28 at MU Digital Farm. Organizers said the event will provide a continental breakfast, a boxed lunch, coffee, and water for attendees.
The symposium theme is designed to break barriers to the adoption of digital agriculture technology through collaboration. Organizers said the goal is to strengthen connections among research, practice, and industry while supporting innovation in the agricultural sector.
To manage the event, organizers have formed six committees: Executive Committee; Program and Abstract Review; Communications and Marketing; Logistics and Operations; Hospitality and Catering; and Technology Demonstrations, Industry and Sponsorship.
COLUMBIA, Mo. — The University of Missouri has begun planning for the 2026 MU Digital Agriculture Symposium, a two-day event set for July 27-28 that will bring together researchers, students, industry partners, and technology developers to discuss the future of digital agriculture.
The symposium will include Research Day on July 27 at the Poehlmann Educational Center at Bradford Farm and Technology Day on July 28 at MU Digital Farm. Organizers said the event will provide a continental breakfast, a boxed lunch, coffee, and water for attendees.
The symposium theme is designed to break barriers to the adoption of digital agriculture technology through collaboration. Organizers said the goal is to strengthen connections among research, practice, and industry while supporting innovation in the agricultural sector.
To manage the event, organizers have formed six committees: Executive Committee; Program and Abstract Review; Communications and Marketing; Logistics and Operations; Hospitality and Catering; and Technology Demonstrations, Industry and Sponsorship.
Taken by Huikai Wu
The Executive Committee is led by Jianfeng Zhou, chair, and Felix Oguche, coordinator. Its responsibilities include finalizing the symposium theme, inviting keynote speakers, coordinating committee work, monitoring progress, and overseeing the final event.
The Program and Abstract Review Committee, led by Gurmeet Kaur, will prepare the call for abstracts, review submissions, organize sessions, coordinate one-minute presentations and the poster competition, recruit judges, and finalize the program booklet.
The Communications and Marketing Committee, led by Katilin Belk, will manage the flyer, website, social media promotion, email campaigns, promotional materials, registration tracking, photography coordination, and video coverage.
Taken by Huikai Wu
The Logistics and Operations Committee will handle venue reservation, the registration desk, name badges, signage, volunteer coordination, and room setup. The Hospitality and Catering Committee, led by Umada Abeysinghe, will oversee catering, coffee breaks, lunch planning, dietary accommodations, guest hospitality, and refreshment logistics.
The Technology Demonstrations, Industry and Sponsorship Committee, led by Fengkai Tian, will focus on industry outreach, sponsor recruitment, exhibitor management, field demonstrations, safety planning and the technology showcase.
Organizers said all members will also provide event-day support, including registration assistance, speaker support, poster session help, photography, media coverage, setup, breakdown and general troubleshooting.
The planning timeline calls for committees to be formed in June, sponsorship outreach to launch and registration to open the same month, with speaker confirmations, abstract review and final logistics to be completed in July ahead of symposium week.
The symposium is expected to serve as a platform for collaboration across disciplines and sectors, with a program designed to highlight research, practical applications and emerging technologies in digital agriculture.
ging technologies in digital agriculture.