MANTS, the Mid-Atlantic Nursery Trade Show, is considered the biggest of the winter nursery industry trade shows. Held in Baltimore each year, it just concluded today. Several Oregon growers were in attendance, along with the OAN itself.

One of the growers was Van Essen Nursery Co. of Lebanon, Ore. Sales Manager Ken McVicker posted on Facebook that the show floor vibe was more positive than the last couple of years. He gave permission for us to share what he posted. “Everyone was upbeat and orders were being placed,” he said. “The attendance appeared to be up a bit from last year and it seems that availability of inventory is starting to show some shortages.”

Along with the 0.4 percentage point drop in unemployment that was announced today, this is great news for the nursery industry!