David Cappelleri, professor of mechanical engineering and Purdue site director for IoT4Ag, addresses attendees during the 2026 Annual Retreat of the Internet of Things for Precision Agriculture (IoT4Ag), held May 19–21 at the Beck Agricultural Center in West Lafayette. (Purdue University photo/Chad Krockover)

Purdue University welcomed university researchers, students, industry leaders and the grower community to the 2026 Annual Retreat of the Internet of Things for Precision Agriculture (IoT4Ag) from May 19-21 at the Beck Agricultural Center in West Lafayette and at regional farms in Indiana. The Annual Retreat followed the student-led IoT4Ag Bootcamp which focused on student and postdoc innovation, workforce preparation and professional development workshops.

At the Annual Retreat, faculty and students from partner institutions — University of Pennsylvania, University of California Merced, the University of Florida and Purdue University — shared research updates, strengthened collaborations and deployed technologies for the upcoming growing season at Purdue’s Agronomy Center for Research & Education (ACRE). All participants learned from invited presentations, activities and visits to Ag Alumni Seed and Beck’s Hybrids, and discussed new ideas for technologies and systems innovation, deployment, integration, translation and adoption, and for education to improve agricultural efficiency and sustainability.

During the retreat, students and postdoctoral researchers participated in flash talks, delivering short presentations highlighting their IoT4Ag research projects. Students also took part in a “Shark Tank”-style competition, pitching IoT4Ag-based product ideas to members of the Agricultural Systems Advisory Board and Industrial Practitioner Advisory Board. The winner will advance to the National Science Foundation (NSF) Perfect Pitch competition at the NSF ERC Biennial Meeting in September.

IoT4Ag, an NSF Engineering Research Center launched in 2020, unites expertise across disciplines including agronomy, agricultural engineering, economics, environmental science, and electrical, mechanical, computer, materials and chemical engineering. The center’s mission is to create and translate to practice IoT technologies for precision agriculture and train a workforce that will address the societal grand challenge of food, energy and water security for decades to come.

“We’re looking at how technology can help agriculture produce more while using resources more efficiently,” said David Cappelleri, professor of mechanical engineering, assistant vice president for research innovation at Purdue and the Purdue site director for IoT4Ag. “By integrating advanced tools and real-time data into farming practices, we can help address the growing global demand for food, energy and water in a more sustainable way.”

Precision agriculture technologies have emerged as a key solution for increasing crop production while reducing the use of water and energy resources and minimizing environmental impacts. IoT systems combine sensors, robotics, wireless communication technologies and artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Purdue previously hosted the inaugural IoT4Ag retreat in 2022. “It was great to be back at Purdue University for the Bootcamp and Annual Retreat. These events are always excellent events in building Center cohesion and advancing the work of the Center to deliver on its mission,” said Cherie R. Kagan, the Stephen J. Angello Professor of Electrical and Systems Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania and IoT4Ag’s Center Director.