Digger magazine

Written to make you a nursery industry expert.

Housing starts decline nationwide in February

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In what may be disappointing news for nursery growers, homebuilders across the United States pulled back from their planned new home production levels during February, according to the U.S. Commerce Department. “Total housing starts declined 22.5 percent from January to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 479,000 units, the second-slowest pace on record,” the National […]

Honoring those who advance agriculture

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Here’s a good opportunity to honor someone that has advanced agriculture in the state of Oregon. The Agri-Business Council of Oregon is now taking nominations for two awards: The Ag Connection Award is designed to recognize and honor the organization, business entity or individual who has done an outstanding job of connecting the public with […]

Giving pests no quarter

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So you run a nursery and you’re dealing with an invasive pest that made its way over from Asia. What to do? This clever and funny video featuring PacMan (and a special surprise cameo from another legendary Namco video game) explains the concept of biological control. Thanks to Suzanne Wainwright and Robin Rosetta for passing […]

Researchers study turning poplar leaves into biodegradable plastic

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As noted in the upcoming April issue of Digger, various researchers have looked at such disparate ingredients as cow manure, bamboo, corn starch resins, recycled paper, feathers and coir fiber as the basis for constructing alternatives to the plastic nursery pot. Now one could add the leaves of hybrid poplar trees to the list. As […]

Jordan Schrader Ramis offers nursery law seminars

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OAN member Jordan Schrader Ramis PC, a law firm based in Portland that specializes in business and real estate law, is offering a series of seminars on nursery industry law. All seminars will be 90 minutes in duration, and will begin at 1 p.m. at the Oregon Association of Nurseries office, 29751 S.W. Town Center […]

Nurseries could benefit from flying eye in the sky

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We mentioned earlier that an Oregon State University research project aimed at developing mini-choppers for nursery applications was among several projects that received grant funding from the Oregon Department of Agriculture. The dimunitive helicopters, weighing about 2 pounds and costing about $3,500 each, would be outfitted with digital cameras and used to automate the process […]

March Digger features mahonia plants

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Have you read your copy of the March 2011 issue of Digger yet? Fear not — we’ve got a selection of the articles right here! There’s a feature article on mahonia (PDF), an article on plant pest and disease prevention (PDF), and our monthly OSU Growing Knowledge article, which this month covers ornamental plant breeding […]

Kudos to Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm

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Congratulations to Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm, which earned a high profile mention on www.CNN.com as one of the top 12 places to see beautiful spring blooms. The farm’s celebrated Tulip Fest begins on March 25, which is just three weeks away.

OAN, Farwest Show recognize ‘The Year of the Conifer’

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The Oregon Association of Nurseries issued the following press release today: Conifers add year-round interest to gardens, parks, highways and cityscapes, yet they are often overlooked when designs are created. Oregon growers produce more grafted conifers than any other state in the U.S., and the Farwest Show, produced by the Oregon Association of Nurseries, hopes […]

Growers reporting signs of recovery

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Nursery growers in Oregon are reporting signs of recovery from the sour economy, according to Mateusz Perkowski of the Capital Press (Salem, Ore.). Consumers are more confident, and as a result, retailers are placing their orders earlier in the season. However, there’s still some concern that independent garden centers are understocking their shelves, and missing […]