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Articles and posts by Curt Kipp

Farwest 2018 Keynote Speaker immigration advocate Ali Noorani offers new approaches to the Immigration Debate

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At the 2018 Farwest Show, August 22-24, in Portland, Oregon, Ali Noorani, executive director of the National Immigration Forum, will deliver the keynote address on one of the most explosive issues for agriculture and the country — immigration. Noorani’s speech, “Leading the Way: A New Approach to American Immigration,” opens the show on Wednesday, August […]

Farwest Show launches website, early registration

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“Meet me there” is the theme for the 2018 Farwest Show, August 22-24, in Portland, Oregon — and with a compelling range of dynamic speakers, career-boosting events and quality exhibitors, green industry professionals of every stripe will discover plenty of reasons to attend. “The excitement is building for this year’s show,” said Allan Niemi, director […]

Al’s Garden & Home celebrates seven decades in business

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On May 2, 2018, Al’s Garden & Home celebrates its 70th anniversary as a family-owned business this year. Over that time, the company has grown from a single fruit stand in Woodburn to a garden center and grower with four retail locations. Al and Ann Bigej founded the company in 1948, housing the fruit stand originally […]

Your efficient nursery business

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Nursery profitability is always a challenge. We talked to more than a dozen growers and industry colleagues who have become more efficient, and increased their bottom line, by improving their management, workflows, inputs and workspaces. Whether it’s a daffodil or a giant sequoia, a plant is a relatively simple closed system. Its ultimate growth is driven by basic environmental factors such as light, water, soil and accessible nutrients. The nurseries that produce these plants, however, are much more complicated.

Managing for efficiency

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Efficiency begins at the top. It starts with company leadership setting an expectation and empowering employees to contribute their ideas and expertise. It’s about encouraging dynamic, back-and-forth conversations in the workplace. Companies such as wholesale propagator JLPN Inc. in Salem, Oregon; wholesale grower Skagit Horticulture in Mount Vernon, Washington; Eshraghi Nurseries in Hillsboro, Oregon; wholesale […]

Creating an efficient workflow

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Although setting the tone for innovation is important, the production process is where the action takes place. Companies like Alpha Nurseries of Salem, Oregon; Robinson Nursery of Amity, Oregon; Woodburn Nursery & Azaleas of Woodburn, Oregon and others have realized great savings from revising their production processes to make them more efficient. At Alpha, manager […]

Using your inputs efficiently

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Although labor is the largest expense for many nurseries, it isn’t the only expense. Inputs such as water, fertilizer, growing media and even artificial light also impose significant costs for the grower. Entire books could be written on saving water and electricity in a nursery. The Oregon Association of Nurseries and the Oregon Environmental Council […]

Arranging the workspace

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In the nursery world, there’s a fine line between having too much space and not enough. Ben Verhoeven, president and general manager of Peoria Gardens, has found the secret to walking that line. “Lots of sleepless nights and coffee,” he said. “Deep breaths. Colorful language.” In all seriousness, though, utilizing a nursery’s space in the […]

Finding your way

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Green industry professionals and the businesses they serve can thrive by cultivating strong relationships As the English poet John Donne wrote in 1624, “No man is an island, entire of itself.” The same could be said of a business. A thriving nursery needs its key relationships. It requires customers, vendors, suppliers and advocates. Just as […]

New immigration bill would create ‘chaos for farmers’

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In January, Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives introduced a new bill to reform immigration laws. But according to OAN Executive Director Jeff Stone, the bill as presently constituted would leave agriculture sectors, including nurseries, far short of the workers they need. Among its requirements, the bill would force all employers to implement the […]