On the cover: A nursery worker grafts a spruce seedling at J Farms in Amity, Oregon. Nurseries rely on the skill and hard work of their employees to ensure high-quality products for customers. Photo by Curt Kipp
In this special edition of Digger magazine, we look at the challenging set of factors growers face today for finding and retaining employees, managing costs, and organizing production for maximum effectiveness.
- Help wanted: OAN Executive Director Jeff Stone addresses the severity of the labor shortage in Oregon.
- Eliminating waste with Lean: Lean processes result in greater value for growers and their customers.
- Striving for efficiency: Growers are looking to workflow improvement and automation so they can protect their margins and stay in business.
- The rising cost of compensation: Labor costs have become complicated by legislative mandates and persistent worker shortages.
- Battling a labor shortage: Oregon growers use various strategies to find and keep the workers that are essential to running a successful nursery.
Other topics featured in the May issue include:
- A nursery woman’s proverb: OAN President Leigh Geschwill pens a proverb in honor of nurserywomen everywhere.
- OAN Member Profile: Tsugawa Nursery: For nearly 35 years, Tsugawa Nursery has been one of the top garden centers in Southwest Washington.
- Getting return on your trade show investment: Exhibiting at a summer trade show, such as Farwest, can provide a lot of bang for your buck.
- Disinfectants: In search of a silver bullet: Answers to the question, “What is the best product to use for disinfecting tools, benches and greenhouses?”
You can read this month’s complete flipbook edition of Digger (Flash required; fast connection recommended). Send comments on the issue to editor Curt Kipp at ckipp@oan.org.
