Digger magazine

Written to make you a nursery industry expert.

Retail sales improve in February

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Retailers — particularly those geared toward the outdoor lifestyle — did much better in February than they did a year ago, according to new figures released by the U.S. Department of Commerce. The numbers indicate that retail sales, overall, were 8.6 percent higher than February 2011. At building material, garden equipment and supplies dealers, the […]

Asian longhorned beetle traps developed

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Researchers have developed a trap (PDF) for luring in the destructive and much-feared asian longhorned beetle (ALB), which has no natural enemies as it cuts a path through neighborhoods and forests. The secret? Bug pheromones. Hat tip to “bug ladies” Suzanne Wainwright-Evans and Robin Rosetta for passing this information along.

OSU ag dean leaving for DC post

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Sonny Ramaswamy, the Dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences at Oregon State University, is leaving. President Obama has appointed him as the new director of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). NIFA replaced the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service (CSREES) in 2009 and oversees all federally-funded agricultural research. Ramaswamy arrived […]

Federal court rules runoff oversight inadequate

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A U.S. District Court judge has sided with environmental groups in ruling that EPA is not giving enough scrutiny to Oregon’s regulation of non-point source water pollution, the Capital Press agricultural newspaper reported. Members of both the environmental community and agriculture groups expect the ruling could lead to greater regulation of non-point pollution, which comes […]

Read the March issue of Digger

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A feature article on trees that are ideal for containers (PDF) — we’re talking for the end consumer, not the producer — highlights the March issue of Digger magazine. You can read the entire issue in flipbook format here — fast connection recommended — or download the individual articles as PDF files. Additional articles in […]

Oregon takes proactive stance against boxwood blight

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So far there has been just one detection of boxwood blight in Oregon nurseries, but growers are taking the pathogen very seriously, as Mitch Lies reports in the Capital Press (Salem, Ore.). The Oregon Association of Nurseries has been out front in getting information to its members, and is holding a special meeting on Friday, […]

Energy incentives available for nursery, greenhouse owners

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New business energy tax credits (often known as BETC) are available for nursery and greenhouse owners based in Oregon. The incentives are part of the Oregon Department of Energy’s new Simple Premium Projects program, which has $1.7 million in funding. According to officials, the paperwork is much simpler than past BETC programs. Business owners may […]

Ahmed Hassan coming to the Yard Garden & Patio Show

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Ahmed Hassan is coming to the Yard, Garden & Patio Show Presented by Dennis’ 7 Dees, Feb. 17–19 at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, Ore. Twice daily, the celebrity landscape designer and television personality will give interactive demonstrations on the show floor that entertain and inspire people to do more with their garden. “We […]

New USDA zone map released

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The U.S. Department of Agriculture has released its first new climate zone map in more than new decades. The new 2012 map, downloadable here (various other versions here), replaces the previous map published in 1990. According to USA Today, the new map is much more localized — in fact, it’s accurate down to one-half mile. […]