Council of Producers & Distributors of Agrotechnology
The Business Council for Agrotechnology | | |
Thank you to everyone who joined CPDA in Dallas for the 2026 Annual Meeting, Protecting America’s Acre.
It was a record year for CPDA. The association welcomed 20 new member companies in 2026, pushing total membership past 100 for the first time in CPDA’s 40-year history. Annual Meeting attendance also reached a new high.
For the first time, CPDA co-located its Annual Meeting with CropLife America and The Fertilizer Institute, bringing together approximately 900 leaders from across the crop protection, crop nutrient, and broader agricultural industries. Thank you to Alex Dunn, CEO of CropLife America, and Corey Rosenbusch, CEO of The Fertilizer Institute, and their teams for the opportunity to collaborate on a successful and impactful event.
Thank you to our members, speakers, sponsors, and industry partners who made Dallas a great week for CPDA.
An email will be sent to attendees in the upcoming week with approved speakers slides and a photo gallery.
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A Year Worth Seeing
CPDA members helped make 2026 a year of real progress.
Open our 2026 Member Impact Report to see what we accomplished together and the momentum we’re building for the year ahead.
| | Emmitt Smith: Performing Under Pressure | | |
NFL Hall of Famer and Dallas Cowboys legend Emmitt Smith kicked off Tuesday’s joint general session with a message on teamwork, preparation, and performing under pressure.
Smith challenged attendees to think about what successful teams require: know your role, trust the people around you, prepare for the moment, and execute when the pressure is on.
| | Emmitt Smith, NFL’s All-time Leading Rusher | | CPDA Welcomes New Leadership | |
CPDA marked its annual leadership transition in Dallas as Patrick Ewan of Helena Agri-Enterprises passed the chairman’s gavel to Greg Lindner of Croda Agriculture.
CPDA thanks Patrick for his leadership and commitment to the association and welcomes Greg and the incoming Executive Committee as CPDA begins another year of work on behalf of its members.
| Patrick Ewan, outgoing CPDA Chairman, Helena Agri-Enterprises, welcomes Greg Lindner, incoming CPDA Chairman, Croda, by passing the ceremonial gavel. | CPDA FY2027 Executive Committee: David Bower, Brandt; Casey McDaniel, Nutrien; Priscila Castelani, Indorama; Josh Bohannan, Wilbur-Ellis; Greg Lindner, Croda; Terry Kippley, CPDA; Patrick Ewan, Helena Agri-Enterprises; Arthur Bass, Chemorse; Terry Abbott, AU Solutions; Brad Swillen, Ethox Chemicals | | Recognizing Service to CPDA & Industry | |
CPDA recognized several individuals in Dallas for their leadership and service to the Council and the broader agrotechnology industry.
Alexis Bromley of Nutrien and Austin Anderson of Helena Agri-Enterprises received Service to Council Awards for their regulatory and certification work. Jordan Lab of Wilbur-Ellis was recognized for her work communicating Endangered Species Act issues to the industry.
Andrew Walmsley of Atticus received the 2026 Service to Council and Industry Award. Bruce Bollinger received CPDA’s 2026 Lifetime of Service to Council Award for his longstanding contributions to CPDA and the adjuvant industry.
Thank you to each of this year’s recipients for the time, expertise, and leadership they continue to bring to CPDA.
| | Alexis Bromley, Nutrien; Bruce Bollinger, CPDA; Austin Anderson, Helena Agri-Enterprises; Andrew Walmsley, Atticus | | Greg Lindner, Croda Agriculture; Jordan Lab, Wilbur-Ellis | | From the Stage: Protecting the Acre | This year’s General Session focused on the policy, regulatory, technical, and business issues shaping the next year for CPDA members. | | USDA Chief Economist Dr. Justin Benavidez provided members with an update on the agricultural economy and the challenges facing U.S. growers heading into 2027. Josie Montoney of the U.S. House Agriculture Committee followed with a discussion of the Farm Bill, PRIA 6, and federal policy priorities affecting the crop protection industry. | | Dr. Justin Benavidez, Chief Economist, USDA | | Josie Montoney, Professional Staff, U.S. House Agriculture Committee | | ESA & Drift Reduction Adjuvants | Eric Spandl moderated a discussion on what comes next for Endangered Species Act implementation, including drift reduction adjuvants, the Fungicide Strategy, and communicating new requirements to retailers, applicators, and growers. Panelists included Matt Meredith of Rosen's, Austin Anderson of Helena Agri-Enterprises, and Jordan Lab of Wilbur-Ellis. | | Eric Spandl, CPDA Director of Technical Business Development; Matt Meredith, RD Director, Rosens; Jordan Lab (McMillen), Director Enterprise Marketing, Wilbur-Ellis; Austin Anderson, Brand Manager, Adjuvants, Helena Agri-Enterprises | | |
Hear More in The Active Ingredient
Annual Meeting speaker Eric Spandl takes a closer look at this topic in CPDA’s The Active Ingredient video series. Click to watch.
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Hear More in The Active Ingredient
Annual Meeting speaker Jordan Lab takes a closer look at this topic in CPDA’s The Active Ingredient video series. Click to watch.
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Hear More in The Active Ingredient
Annual Meeting speaker Austin Anderson takes a closer look at this topic in CPDA’s The Active Ingredient video series. Click to watch.
| | | Beyond the Backlog: PRIA 6 | Laurie Ann Flanagan of DCLRS and Alexis Bromley of Nutrien discussed the work underway on PRIA 6 and the process improvements needed to make EPA’s pesticide registration system more efficient and predictable for registrants. | | Laurie Ann Flanagan, Executive Vice President, DCLRS | | Alexis Bromley, Regulatory Manager, Nutrien | | |
Hear More in The Active Ingredient
Annual Meeting speaker Alexis Bromley takes a closer look at this topic in CPDA’s The Active Ingredient video series. Click to watch.
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Biopesticides: The Next Growth Frontier | |
Biopesticides remained a major focus in Dallas. Mace Thornton of Stratovation Group presented findings from the 2026 Row Crop Biologicals Study, followed by a discussion on expanding the biological toolbox with Josh Bohannan of Wilbur-Ellis, Greg Lindner of Croda, and Karen Warkentien of AgroSpheres.
The discussion focused on grower adoption, product performance, regulatory pathways, education, and the role CPDA members can play in helping biological products succeed in commercial agriculture.
| Mace Thornton, COO/Partner, Stratovation Group | | Josh Bohannan, VP Branded Products and Biological Solutions, Wilbur-Ellis | | Karen Warkentien, Vice President Regulatory Affairs, AgroSpheres; Greg Lindner, Technical Business Development Director, Global Crop Care, Croda Agriculture | | |
Hear More in The Active Ingredient
Annual Meeting speaker Greg Lindner takes a closer look at this topic in CPDA’s The Active Ingredient video series. Click to watch.
| | | Co-Formulants, Leadership and Supply Chain | |
Industry leaders also looked at the future of the chemical industry, global sourcing, and how companies are managing uncertainty across the co-formulant supply chain. Patrick Ewan, Helena Agri-Enterprises, led an informative discussion around finding opportunity in uncertainty. The panel included Greg Lindner, Croda Agriculture, Marco Hopf, Indrorama/Indovinya, Dave Allen, Stepan Company and Dr. Uwe Dahlmann, Clariant.
The day concluded with Dave Allen of Stepan Company leading a discussion with Benny Martin, Syngenta on sourcing strategies for crop protection co-formulants, including supply reliability, regulatory requirements, partner selection, and changing sourcing needs as biological products enter the market.
| | Dr. Uwe Dahlmann, Head of Crop Solutions, Clariant; Dave Allen, VP Crop Productivity, Stepan Company; Greg Lindner, Technical Business Development Director, Global Crop Care, Croda Agriculture; Marco Hopf, NA Commercial Director, Indrorama/Indovinya; Patrick Ewan, General Manager, Helena Product Group | | Dave Allen, VP Crop Productivity, Stepan Company; Benny Martin, Team Lead NA Co-Formulants, Dir Procurement, Syngenta | | |
Hear More in The Active Ingredient
Annual Meeting speaker Dave Allen takes a closer look at this topic in CPDA’s The Active Ingredient video series. Click to watch.
| | | Why CPDA? A Member's Perspective | CPDA Treasurer Casey McDaniel of Nutrien shared his perspective on CPDA and the value of bringing companies from across the crop protection industry together around common challenges and opportunities. | | Building Connections. Strengthening Partnerships. | From the welcome reception to the closing gathering, Dallas gave CPDA members and industry partners time to reconnect, meet new colleagues and keep the conversations going beyond the meeting room. Thank you to everyone who joined us! | | Terry Kippley, President & CEO, CPDA; Alexandra Dunn, President & CEO, CropLife America; Daren Coppock, President & CEO, Agricultural Retailers Association. | | Eric Spandl and Terry Kippley, CPDA; Arthur Bass, Chemorse; Greg Dahl, CPDA. | | Thank You to Our Sponsors | |
Thank you to the CPDA members and partners who sponsored the 2026 Annual Meeting.
Their support helps CPDA invest in the advocacy, technical work, education, and member programming that drive value throughout the year.
| | CPDA Annual Meeting in the News | |
CropLife Magazine highlighted the people, leadership transition, award recipients, presentations, and networking from CPDA’s Annual Meeting in a photo recap from Dallas.
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AgriBusiness Global also highlighted CPDA’s continued growth, including surpassing 100 members, the launch of the Biopesticide Working Group, member recognition, and the transition from Patrick Ewan to Greg Lindner as CPDA Chairman.
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