2026 Tech Hub LIVE Day 2: Plenty of Information Shared on Ag Technology
July 21, 2026 
On Day 2 of the annual Tech Hub LIVE Conference in Des Moines, IA, more than 500 attendees were on hand to hear and see all the latest in ag technology. The day started with two popular components of the show, Tech Talks and Fireside Chats. Tech Talks provided exhibitors with the chance to highlight their company products to attendees in quick 10-minute blocks. Fireside Chats, meanwhile, offered industry experts the opportunity to discuss key topics of the day in a video format before in person attendees and online viewers.
Lorren Walker
In one Fireside Chat, Lorren Walker, CEO and President of EliasWalker, talked about the current state of ag policy in today’s Washington, DC, climate, calling it “challenging.” He also advised Tech Hub LIVE attendees to not be passive in their approach to dealing with the current administration.
“This administration responds to pressure,” said Walker. “Ag retailers and their grower-customers need to get involved and speak up if they want to accomplish anything.”
In addition to these regular features of Tech Hub LIVE, the conference also had a keynote presentation from Karen Hildebrand, Global Head of Industry & Partner Solutions for Amazon Web Services. In her talk, Hildebrand spoke about how agentic agriculture will become more common in the future, with artificial intelligence (AI) as the key.
“Your agronomy data lives in one system. Your equipment data is in another. And your grain contracts are in a third,” said Hildebrand. “An AI that can see across all of that can give us a more correct answer.”
Another session at the 2026 Tech Hub LIVE Conference focused the spotlight on the ongoing efforts by the ag industry to cope with the Endangered Species Act (ESA) requirements. With standards now set for herbicides and insecticides — with fungicides being formally finalized by November — ag retailers and growers alike are having to implement these ESA standards into their application operations. According to Eric Spandl, an industry consultant recently retired from WinField United, these requirements could open the door to more ag technology innovations going forward.
“As these new ESA standards evolve, there is a chance for forward-thinking companies to develop innovative solutions that the ag industry will be able to use,” said Spandl.
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