About the Event
The 2026 Industry Technology Session (ITS) was held virtually on Thursday, February 19.
This annual event invites companies to introduce their novel pest control technologies, present updates on products already in IR-4 research, or share news about previously presented technologies or already known products.
The Industry Technology Session was a precursor to the 2026 Food Use Workshop. Technologies discussed during this year’s ITS may be eligible for IR-4 research in 2027. Find the presentations from the 2025 Industry Technology Session here.
Presentations from the 2026 event are posted below. Thanks to our presenters, attendees and sponsors for making this event possible!
Event Presentations
View the recorded presentations from the 2026 Industry Technology Session below (those posted are the ones we have permission to share). Thank you to our excellent presenters for helping us host an informative, successful program!
AgroVentures
Bruno Folchi
brunofolchi@agroventures.eu
Andermatt USA
Felix Dubach
felix.dubach@andermatt.com
BASF
Craig Kleppe
craig.kleppe@basf.com
Bayer – Diflufenican
Carl Coburn
carl.coburn@bayer.com
Bayer – Icafolin-methyl
Angela Kazmierczak
angela.kazmierczak@bayer.com
Bayer – Xivana
Rakesh Godara
rakesh.godara@bayer.com
BioWorks
Julie Graesch
julie.graesch@bioworksinc.com
Corteva – New Technologies
Karen da Silva
Karen.silva@corteva.com
Corteva Agriscience Update
Michele Giovannini and Karen da Silva
Michele.giovannini@corteva.com
Gowan Company
Blake Kerbs
Bkerbs@gowanco.com
Indigo Ag
PJ Smith
psmith@indigoag.com
NewLeaf Symbiotics
Roger Bowman
rbowman@newleafsym.com
Nufarm
Daniel Beran
daniel.beran@nufarm.com
OAT Agrio Co., Ltd.
Dennis Hattermann
dhattermann@landisintl.com
Platypus
Gilad Yarkoni
gilad@platypus-ecodesign.com
SAN Agrow
Jared Jensen
jared.jensen@san-group.com
Soteria Formulations, Inc.
Tahira Pirzada
tahirapirzada@soteriaformulations.com
Suterra – CheckMate DBM-F
Emily Symmes
emily.symmes@suterra.com
Suterra – BioMagnet Ruby
Celeste Torres
celeste.torres@suterra.com
Vestaron
Daniel Peck
dpeck@vestaron.com
VM Agritech
Liga Astra Kalnina
liga.kalnina@vmagritech.com
Thank You, Sponsors!
Sponsors make events like the Industry Technology Session and Food Use Workshop possible, and help IR-4 deliver on its grower-focused mission. Are you interested in sponsoring IR-4’s 2026 events? Please contact ir-4_project@ncsu.edu for more information.
Special thanks to the industry partners who have already come on board for 2026!
